worn valve guide

[WmWatt]

Is there some way to prolong the life of a worn valve guide?
When the oil was down by half I was getting symptoms of a worn valve guide on #3 cylinder.
Once the crankcase was topped up and the spark plug cleaned the symptoms disappeared.
I don't feel qualified to remove the head and replace the guide.
Thanks.

[Damkid]

If you don't feel qualified the pull a cylinder head, how could you truly know the symptoms of a bad valve guide?

I'm just asking from curiosity and not meaning to be rude, my thoughts are if the guide was bad, the symptoms wouldn't get better after you clean the spark plug

[Bert]

Valve seals might just be the culprit. Aftermarket ones don't seem to last very long. My professional valve job rebuild car from 5 years ago smokes like a chimney when it's started. Smoke upon start-up but otherwise good compression seems to be symptomatic.

Your car is original meaning those seals have been on there for 20+ years. Replacing seals is not a huge undertaking if you have a means to keep the valves from dropping into the cylinders as the springs are being undone. Garages use compressed air to keep the valves closed but some backyard mechanics thread a 'snake's coil' of rope into the cylinder just before turning the engine by hand to compress it.

Don't be in a hurry to tangle with this if the engine runs otherwise runs well. Ontario E-test will likely not be affected either. I have a spare 93 Festy B3 head if that is of any interest to you just to eyeball or to consider for rebuilding.

[WmWatt]

Damkid: Diagnosis: The engine was ticking, the vacuum oscillating, and the spark plug electrode was white. The vacuum guage instructions and a spark plug chart say those are symptoms of a worn valve guide. I recently changed the oil and did not fill it up to the top. After I filled the crankcase to F on the dipstick, and cleaned the spark plug, the ticking and vibration disappeared. My garden hose stethoscope told me it was #3 cyclinder. Years ago I had restored the #3 compression with a chemical cleaning - carbon buildup on the exhaust valve. I have not done a compression test recently.

Bert: The Haynes manual says the head has to be removed to change valve guide seals. Not something I feel qualified to do. As a senior citizen and a bicycle enthusiast I only drive the Festiva 2k km a year. It passes the emissions test but the vacuum guage instructions say look for exhaust smoke with worn vavle guides and that doesn't sound good for emissions testing.

I'm thinking I should maybe use heavy oil or some sort of additive to extend the life of the valve guide and put off the day when the car fails an emission test. I think I should not wait until that happens before doing something. Thanks.

[Bert]

As long as it passes e-tests who cares! My auto tranny car blows smoke all over and yet passes the tests (barely) with fresh oil, temporary overabundance of ethanol gas and clean plugs. At 2K a year and you being a senior the car should last you a lifetime, worn guide or not.
Any day now the gov't of Ontario is going to exempt pre-OBDII cars from e-tests because hand-held readers are as good (and way cheaper) as the old-fashioned physical tests and most shops would love to get rid of that labour-intensive, floorspace-dominating, and expensive to buy and maintain stuff.

[zoom zoom]

Oil gets into the cylinder from the top of the engine, it has to go through the valve stem seal, down the valve guide, through the valve opening and into the cylinder. I don't know if a valve guide is your actual problem or not, but putting a new piece of rubber in place of a 20 year old piece would probably go a long way toward helping your issue. Honestly though, replacing stem seals is a semi-involved process and you would have to remove the timing belt, camshaft, and compressed air would be your best bet for keeping the valves in place while you take the spring out...it's hard enough to get the keepers on, I wouldn't want to try it with a valve dropped 1/4" in the chamber. If you don't feel qualified to pull a head,(pulling the head is only a couple bolts and a gasket away) you probably shouldn't do that either. Thicker oil would probably help a little for awhile, but it's not going to fix anything.

[Bert]

Oil gets into the cylinder from the top of the engine, it has to go through the valve stem seal, down the valve guide, through the valve opening and into the cylinder. I don't know if a valve guide is your actual problem or not, but putting a new piece of rubber in place of a 20 year old piece would probably go a long way toward helping your issue. Honestly though, replacing stem seals is a semi-involved process and you would have to remove the timing belt, camshaft, and compressed air would be your best bet for keeping the valves in place while you take the spring out...it's hard enough to get the keepers on, I wouldn't want to try it with a valve dropped 1/4" in the chamber. If you don't feel qualified to pull a head,(pulling the head is only a couple bolts and a gasket away) you probably shouldn't do that either. Thicker oil would probably help a little for awhile, but it's not going to fix anything.

Excellent advice. A close friend of mine is a fireman and has moonlighted as a welder and mechanic (even has a shop and hoist) for 25 years. He does this stuff all the time and the price would be considerably lower than at a dealer. Maybe scouting up some roller rockers and a cam from an Aspire is a possibility if you're going to treat the car to an upgrade.