The Importance of Valves

Valves perform an important function within your engine. They keep the engine running and operating smoothly by restricting the flow of gasses into and out of the engine. A properly functioning valve keeps the engine healthy, improves performance and efficiency. Broken or weak valves in an engine can cause many different performance problems. This can lead to excessive valve noise, compression loss and can cause severe internal engine damage. INSPECT VALVES FOR DAMAGE AND OVERALL HEALTH

• High temperature damage, repeated hot and cold cycles can cause thermal cracking. Signs of thermal cracking are deep oxidation and scaling on valve heads. If left untreated the valve can become weak enough and break off in the head leading to severe internal damage.

• Impact damage, when a foreign material enters the combustion chamber and causes the valve to stick and not close all the way. This causes damage to both the piston and valve, if the piston comes in contact with the valve, it can bend the shaft on the valve and damage the valve-train. If the contact is more severe the valve can break off into the combustion chamber and cause serious internal damage leading to possible complete engine failure.
• Corrosion and leakage of the valve, as the valve seat wears down it will not allow the valve to seal properly. This can lead to thermal cracking, high levels of pitting on the valve head, and channels forming on the valve weakening the structural integrity of the valve.

• Defective welds on valve head, from the factory some valves will have a weakened valve head weld which can lead to premature valve failure. Using a magnet, it should be more attracted to the valve stem than to the head. If this is not the case your valve may have a weakened weld.
• Misalignment of the valve can lead to an uneven pressure load on the valve head causing damage to the head and leading to premature failure. If left untreated the valve can bend under use and lead to a head fracture. Common causes of this are worn valve guides, crooked valve seat, or foreign material trapped on one side of the valve.