Strange finds in valve cover and glow plug hole

[redandblacksmith]

Okay yall youre gonna think Im nuts. I opened the valve cover back up. Some of the vibration died down while driving and the truck feels intermittently like its running better. But there was still a tick or puff of air or rub on acceleration
Something is still up.

I bought an inspection mirror on the test drive yestersay, as I admittedly didnt have one yet. Went Occams razor and assumed that shard was lodged in something and causing the sounds I was hearing. Everything else looked okay straight off.

I noticed yesterday that one set of valves has an orangey or brassy looking part that takes up most of the internal diameter of the spring. I assume all of those valves should have one, but its missing on cylinder 7. What is that part? I dont have a spring compressor but i could try to get or make one. Seeming more and more like Ill have to.

 

[redandblacksmith]

Yeah if you want to mail the GP with the ribbon of material on it and the cast chunk to me, i'll take a REAL close look at it. See what I can see under some hundred x mag and a rad test. Might learn us all something.

153 Spoonville Road, East Granby CT 06026

Wow, okay! Im pretty curious about the glow plug bit, especially. The rocker bits have deep scoring in it, bet we can guess the cause of failure there.

 

[redandblacksmith]

Here's a picture of the bit Im talking about. That part is missing entirely on cylinder 7's valve in the same spot. I think its the exhaust valve?

 

[Nero]

I believe that's the oil splash guard thing for the valve? Should only be the exhaust valve. I think. Not 100% sure. But the few times I've had valve covers off they were there on all cylinders.

 

[redandblacksmith]

Is it safe to drive the vehicle without them? I found whats left of it near the bottom of the spring. I spun another one around and found that it's also brittle and cracked.

Edit: I guess it is just a plastic part of the spring retainer itself and not its own individual part.

 

[redandblacksmith]

After a good look, it looks like the two valves are sitting at different heights above the retainers. The exhaust one is also beat up pretty bad. I guess that might explain the noise im hearing. Maybe some small pieces of that rocker got stuck under there. Or maybe it was damaged when the original rocker went out. Oof.

Im guessing that means Im gonna need to pull the heads soon. This is the only vehicle I have access to for half the week. Do yall think itll survive like this for a while, or would driving it be too risky?

 

[KansasIDI]

After a good look, it looks like the two valves are sitting at different heights above the retainers. The exhaust one is also beat up pretty bad. I guess that might explain the noise im hearing. Maybe some small pieces of that rocker got stuck under there. Or maybe it was damaged when the original rocker went out. Oof.

Im guessing that means Im gonna need to pull the heads soon. This is the only vehicle I have access to for half the week. Do yall think itll survive like this for a while, or would driving it be too risky?

You’d be amazed at how tough these engines are, but, at the same time, I wouldn’t risk it…

 

[Nero]

How bad is the wear on the bottom of the rocker where it contacts the valve? It may last a few days, but yeah that head needs to come off and have a valve put in.

 

[redandblacksmith]

How bad is the wear on the bottom of the rocker where it contacts the valve? It may last a few days, but yeah that head needs to come off and have a valve put in.

Its pretty rough. I didnt notice it yesterday but I wiped the oil off everything really well today to reduce the reflection from my flashlight and there it was :/

 

[redandblacksmith]

So if Im pulling the head to redo this valve, should I do all the springs and stuff at the same time? I figure Ill at least do all the retainers since it seems like theyre not doing so well anyway.

Also, I can get a 7.3 from the junk yard with a complete top end - both heads, an IP, lines, etc, for like $200. Would you think I could salvage some valves from there if theyre in good shape, or is there a reason I should go with brand new ones? I know I need to at least replace the worn rocker pair as well.

 

[KansasIDI]

Just rebuild the motor

 

[Nero]

It's hard to say how long that can last. Could last a mile, could last a month. I'd stop driving it in my opinion. I'd also do just the one valve and seals on that head, run the rest of the engine as is, that is, assuming the engine is in decent shape.

 

[Jesus Freak]

So if Im pulling the head to redo this valve, should I do all the springs and stuff at the same time? I figure Ill at least do all the retainers since it seems like theyre not doing so well anyway.

Also, I can get a 7.3 from the junk yard with a complete top end - both heads, an IP, lines, etc, for like $200. Would you think I could salvage some valves from there if theyre in good shape, or is there a reason I should go with brand new ones? I know I need to at least replace the worn rocker pair as well.

I highly recommend having an extra engine......or 6.....they don't make these anymore and if you can get one for $200 with an extra IP ......DO IT (if you can)

 

[redandblacksmith]

Would rebuild if I could but I have like $450 to my name right now so a full rebuild just isn't an option.

Also it sounds like our other truck is going down too as we speak. Im definitely gonna get that engine this weekend.

You wouldn't go ahead and do both head gaskets? The other side isnt leaking from anything anywhere, I guess. lll pull that cover and do a more thorough inspection of the valves and rockers over there too, though.

 

[Nero]

If you're on a budget, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.