I am utterly failing at life right now. After paying way too much and waiting 3x the quoted timeframe for a ricer shop to fix my exhaust valve leak #1 is now leaking out of the intake during a leakdown test. And by leaking I mean all the air in the ------- universe is dumping out the valves. #4 leaks out intake and exhaust.

testing #1


Supposedly the head was pressure tested, this of course before they tried to give it back without reinstalling the cam shafts. How could it be leaking out valves if that's the case? There is no oil in head currently, just whatever grease ricers use during assembly. What the ---- is wrong with my head?

 

Did anyone check valve lash?

 

Is that something a sane person would do during a "valve adjustment" and stem replacement? I never got a good explanation what they actually did.

 

Valve adjustment is lash adjustment.

 

#1 int: .008 | .006
#3 int: .003 | .006

#1 leaks massively through intake
#3 does not

why.

 

Bent valve? Could have happened during assembly or transport?

 

He mentioned the cams were not installed when he picked it up.

 

Shop installed the can shafts and #1 lobes were at 9 & 3 when I picked it up. Didnt move them until timing belt was installed. Plan is to measure clearance on all valves, pull shafts and test again. When they still don't seal I'll find another shop. Anybody know of a decent shop in St Louis area?

 

Head is back off and going to the shop tomorrow. Can I reuse a head gasket that was installed for 48 hours on an engine that didn't run? Mazda MLS gasket.

 

Nope.

 

Shop called, said the machine shop fixed it after pulling the valves and that whoever torqued it down somehow knocked all 4 valves on #1 out of alignment. They blamed it on me. So how could I have done that? Torqued it down in 4 steps in the spiral pattern on m.net to 64 ft lbs.

The shop installed the cams and I think they fucked it up but if I did I'd like to know how so my car actually works. Pick it up Monday and I've got a hg for them to pay for...

For the record, I didn't know the shop that said they could do it would outsource it

 

You probably just had some dirt on the valve seat, could have been some dirt in the intake manifold. I can't say I've ever heard of a valve being knock out of its seat from torquing a head down. Also you could have re-used that head gasket with no problem as it had not seen any heat yet. I've seen mls gaskets reused even after being run for many miles and sealed fine even with boost, I wouldn't do that myself but it goes to show how durable they are.

 

I know hg's are kinda pricey, but think of all that work to redue it if/when it doesn't seal on a boosted application.

 

He's talking about over-torque-ing the cam caps, right?

 

Not with those numbers...And how do you knock a valve out of alignment?

 

You don't knock valves out of alignment by doing anything. Valves don't get aligned. That's a shitty excuse from a shitty shop.

 

I'd love to hear more of this from the machine shop.

 

I did and it lasted me about 100 track hours before the valves bent. Well, maybe I knocked the valves out of alignment. It's still not a generally good idea and knowing what I know now, I would not do it. I'm using a $30 FelPro on my car.

 

I have little confidence in any meaningful answers or it not leaking again. Good to known the valve alignment thing is bs, they can buy my new hg. $72 shipped from Rosenthall. Ordered Friday and should get it today. w00t

 

Good news. #1 valves do not leak anymore