Valve Chamber Pics

[55 Fargo]

Hi all, removed one valve cover, it is black in ther, but next to no sludge. Also pictured are the exhaust manifold, lots of work ahead of me on this one...............Fred

[greg g]

Stick your finger in the little oil ponds under the lifters, bet you find something interesting..... Careful it might be lead, so extended contact is not recommended.

[55 Fargo]

There is a bit in those areas, but all in all not much, maybe the detergent oil has been working.

Greg, how should I clean out these valve chamber areas, before closing them up again.............Thanx Fred

[Normspeed]

My 2 cents, if you're not rebuilding it and plan to run it as-is, I'd be careful about cleaning out that gunk. Even being careful, you're gonna disturb all the settled particles, and anything you miss will get circulated through the motor with the oil until the filter finally catches it. Does yours have a full-flow filter?

[greg g]

Yep unless your are tearing he engine down and having it hot tanked, leave it alone. Been there 60 years it ain't going anywhere on its own.

[55 Fargo]

Hi Norm, I was thinking the same thing, maybe I should leave it as is, just clean the covers, install with new gaskets, and be done with it.

I have no plans on rebuilding at this point.

2 days gao she was smoking a bit on acceleration, the last 2 days she was not, go figure, this old girl smokes when she feels like it.

To be honest, it is black in there, but not very much sludge, I have heard of guys cleaning this area out and getting a pints worth.

Have any of you guys cleaned out these areas out, without a rebuild.........Fred

[48mirage]

I cleaned mine out when I had the right side inner fender skirt off on my '49 D30. There was some sludge in the pockets and I carefully cleaned out all of the pockets. I also found in one of the pockets part of a link from a timing chain. I don't know if it was from the chain that is on there now or if it was from a problem in the past. I can't figure how it got there either.

[Don Coatney]

I cleaned mine out when I had the right side inner fender skirt off on my '49 D30. There was some sludge in the pockets and I carefully cleaned out all of the pockets. I also found in one of the pockets part of a link from a timing chain. I don't know if it was from the chain that is on there now or if it was from a problem in the past. I can't figure how it got there either.

Did the piece you found look like this?

[48mirage]

No. It was flat plate and made up about 1/2 of a link. It was clearly from a timing chain.

[grey beard]

Fred,

I beleive you must have a pretty sound engine, for the valve chambers to be that clean. I'm willing to bet that many on this forum would be shocked to learn just what is inside their own engines at this same spot.

The secret to a clean engine block is for the engine to get up to truly warm operating temperature when it is started. This means the oil must get up to operating temp, not just the dash temp gauge. A 180 or higher stat is a big help to get them warm faster. A PCV system, of course, helps keep things much cleaner as well.

Short runs and low engine temperatures will soon cause most engines to build sludge, especially if they still depend on a road draft tube for crankcase ventillation. Sludge is caused by condensation. The only way for condensation to leave an engine block is for it to evaporate from the heat of the oil, or for it to be evacuated by a pcv system. Otherwise, it just stays put and accumulates. Nasty, what?

[55 Fargo]

Hi Dave, I figure this engine is not too bad inside, itwas from a 1951 Canadian Plymouth, it's a 25 inch block 218, around 100 hp.

This engine was being used in the above noted car unitl around 1980 or so, it was in the country, probably all highway miles.

Last check, compression was 100 to 110 on all cyls, oil pressure at an idle 40 lbs, on the highway 55 lbs.

One lifter continues to tick, when idling it has the sound of a slight mis, maybe a valve, or possibly timing/carb, not sure.

I am hoping to get a few years use out of it, while I finish the rest of the car, then maybe a rebuild of a 251 I have, I kinda like the idea of the 218, as it has a much shorter stroke than a 251......................Fred

[grey beard]

Fred,

With a ticking valve, my hand would itch to check those valve clearances whilst your pans are off anyhow. Not hard to do at all if you invest in a go-no go feeler gauge of the proper denimination - probably Anglican in Canada, what?

My own engine is in a B series truck, and it is nigh unto impossible to remove the inner fender on these. Sooooo, while the nose was off and I was overhauling the engine in the frame, I reconditioned the valves and adjusted them cold - allowed four extra thou clearance for expansion, and they sound really sweet. I'll bet you will find a loose tappet on yours making that racket. Once adjusted, your valve tick will disappear. When valves are properly adjusted, these engines idle amazihgly quiet, even when compared to modern engines today. JMHO

Let us know how you fare. Good luck.