ok, i got over my denial and accepted the fact the i have a bent exhaust valve in the #3 cylinder. i've been driving around w/ it for a few months now but i wont be able to fix it for a couple more weeks.

im going to mammoth mtn. this weekend which is about a 4 1/2 - 5 hour drive from socal. my question is, what kind of damage have i done and will do by continuing to drive around like this???

 

Usually when you bend a valve the head needs to be re-worked. How do you know you bent your valves??

 

If you do have a bent valve you shouldnt be taking out on any road trips. Your just asking for more trouble, cuz you could do further damage to your motor, like dropping a valve, etc. It's obvious that its not bent bad enough that the car is still running and you have been driving it for a few months. But it's not like your helping it out by driving it around.

 

if you drop a valve your looking at some SERIOUS bucks
not just money for a new valve/spring/etc

 

hmmmm... lets say that i dont drop a valve, how else am i harming my engine???

 

You'll bend it even more

 

If a valve is bent, it does not seat properly. The way a valve dissipates heat is by transferring the heat to the valve seat. Your valve is probably burned now, as well as bent. There may be additional problems with the valve seat also.

 

if you bend the valve to an obnoxious angle you will crack a valve guide with the quickness, one word for you if your taking a road trip............ENTERPRISE

 

I live in Pasadena, and my gf lives half way to Mammoth...

First, if you break down on this trip, you could be tens of miles from civilization, and your cell phone might not work. It's pretty good most of the way to my gf's place, but things get more desolate after that and I wouldn't bet on good coverage.

Second, if you do get a tow, you probably don't want to pay to tow it back to your favorite mechanic in Pasadena (which is whom, anyway? I've been happy with Genesis, but have only needed maintenance and a clutch...). In fact, you're likely to be towed to some town with no Honda specialist at all, and I would really prefer a Honda guy if I needed valve work. Plus, being in bad shape in the middle of nowhere isn't really a good way to get a cost-effective repair.

These other guys are in a better position than I am to say what could happen to your head. Since they're not very optimistic, I know I wouldn't risk being stranded on the 14 if I were you. Whatever you choose, best of luck to you.

(The other thing: For maximum fun, you should drive over the Angeles Crest and Forest highways to get to Palmdale, but that's another place that I wouldn't want my engine to die... no cell service for sure!)

 

A bent valve will not seat properly with the head, therfore the bent valve will be making contact with the head and making a new groove into the head. Your head will be toast.

 

if you drive on it you may break the face off the valve and will be paying a 4 hour tow truck ride home FIX IT

 

Everyone agrees!! Fix the damn thing so you can save yourself some money and trouble so it doesnt turn out worse.

 

my favorite mechanic is me! well, im not a mechanic by any means, but so far everything i've done to the car i've done myself. shes never even seen the likes of a decent carwash. btw: angles crest
thanks man, i gonna need it cause im goin'. its the last boarding trip of the season and after the crappy snow fall socal got, i gotta get my fix.

i also plan on fixing it myself, except for any machineing;ie valve job,resurfacing etc., so if i have to change one valve, i might as well change them all, and while i have the head apart, i might as well put in stiffer springs and ti retainers too. so stay tuned for a "how do i install valves, valvesprings & retainers and fix my fudged up head?" thread coming soon.

 

If you're running stock cams, I'd leave the springs alone. Stiffer valve springs cause the cam to work harder to compress them and that results in lost power. When you put in cams, you have the head open anyway, so wait until then to do the springs... if you get cams. If you have time to kill, titanium retainers would be neat to do... but leave the springs alone for now.