Watch those valve seats!

[DeathBus]

Saturday night I went to the VDub club cruise in, in my Brown van. Drove great all the way there just like normal. Pulled in parked, everything OK. When I went to leave, I cranked it up and CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK coming out of the drivers side of the engine (#3/4 side). Took the valve cover off and sure enough the intake rocker was just limp and the spring was just pushed in, without the rocker pushing it! Got it towed and Sunday morning yanked the engine, sure enough the intake valve seat and popped out. IF you ever rebuild your own TYPE 4 engine make sure you use REBUILT HEADS with the new style valve seats and save yourself alot of aggravation!

[raygreenwood]

Just have to ask.....Not overheating? Ok...that being said, the main thing is that new valve seats with a proper interference fit...properly shrunk in...must be used. Ray

[DeathBus]

Nope not overheating. But I will say that when I rebuilt this engine I reworked the heads myself. They already had 150,000 on them AND this occurred in #3 which on the last engine had blown a hole in the side of the piston due to a lean condition. I did not have the seats replaced, just new guides and valves. What I think happened is the seat came loose from it running lean before and after another 15000 miles decided to give up. So I got 15000 miles off an engine that just had new bearings, a new cam, UNKNOWN 914 American spec pistons and cylinders, new rings, and reworked heads, all for under $300, not to bad in my book. Plus I look at it as a learning expierience anyway. Sort of the way these "professional" engine builders do stuff, you know with their "test" engines and all that jazz. For me learning from my mistakes makes me do a better job next time PLUS it helps me learn a whole hell of alot.