I too have seen this problem, but only on cars whose owners usually started
the engine for just a few minutes every week or so, thinking they were doing
the engine a favor. Flatheads seem to be prone to this problem, especially
when recently rebuilt with nice tight valve guides.
As someone else has already pointed out, when you start an engine, run it
until it is thoroughly warm, and preferably drive the car about 10 miles, to
exercise all the other moving parts and evaporate all water vapor and other
light combustion vapors. This should keep deposits from forming on the
valve stems. Of course, the more tightly fitted the valves to the guides,
the more likely this problem.
Our modern fuels do not last through storage as well as the gas sold years
ago. I advise adding a fuel preservative if a car is going to be stored
for more than a couple of months. Otherwise, you may have gum formation
anywhere the fuel can sit or get deposited, and that stuff is really tough
to remove - been there, done that!
Dick Benjamin
----- Original Message -----
From: <mopar48291@xxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2003 10:00 PM
Subject: IML: sticky valves
> Those of us who live in metropolitan areas in hot climes most assuredly
have to
> deal with stuck valves and bent pushrods. The oxygenated gas we are
forced to
> use has water as a major component of the ethanol or methanol blend. That
> blend can turn to varnish in just a few months and thus deposit itself on
the
> valve stems thereby "gumming up" the works. If you don't believe me, I've
got
> a bunch of twisted valve stems I can show you.
>
> I've taken to making a "cocktail" of about 50/50 Marvel Mystery Oil and
B-12
> Chemtool to pour into the carb before I try to start a car that's been
sitting
> for a while. The nice thing about the Carter carbs is the bowl vent that
> allows me to fill the bowl before I start the engine.
>
> Peace,
> Roger
> in the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix)
>
>
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