Zetec dropped a cylinder?

[Sardonicus]

GreenV8S said:

tight fart said:

Looks like a valve spring, One of the inlet ports on the dodgy bore is very easy to push down.

I can't image how a valve spring could get so weak that you can push the valve down easily, without breaking.

My thoughts exactly @slightlyconfused.com

[227bhp]

Sardonicus said:

GreenV8S said:

tight fart said:

Looks like a valve spring, One of the inlet ports on the dodgy bore is very easy to push down.

I can't image how a valve spring could get so weak that you can push the valve down easily, without breaking.

My thoughts exactly @slightlyconfused.com

If it's double springs one could be broken.
Mind you he does say the port is easy to push so who knows

[tight fart]

227bhp said:

If it's double springs one could be broken.
Mind you he does say the port is easy to push so who knows

It's a 220BHP Dunnell Zetec, so it may be double springs.
I may try and measure the differance in force needed.

[Auntieroll]

GreenV8S said:

I can't image how a valve spring could get so weak that you can push the valve down easily, without breaking.

Faulty heat treatment is a possible reason for a spring to "go soft", there were several instances of this a few years ago, cost some people a lot of money when drivers tried to "drive through the misfire" with the inevitable result!
QC of OEM springs was streets ahead of the British aftermarket offerings in those days.
I still check valve springs for creep before installing them.

[Mr2Mike]

tight fart said:

It's a 220BHP Dunnell Zetec, so it may be double springs.
I may try and measure the differance in force needed.

Why not undo the handful of screws needed to take the cam cover off?

[dhutch]

tight fart said:

Looks like a valve spring, One of the inlet ports on the dodgy bore is very easy to push down.

From this, I presume the cam cover is off?

Daniel

[tight fart]

dhutch said:

From this, I presume the cam cover is off?

Daniel

Yes

[tight fart]

Finally got round to taking the head off, it went to a specialist to find the fault and it was a broken spring, no other damage done thankfully.
Should have the head back next week.

[Sardonicus]

tight fart said:

Finally got round to taking the head off, it went to a specialist to find the fault and it was a broken spring, no other damage done thankfully.
Should have the head back next week.

Thanks for the update good catch go buy a Lotto ticket

[dhutch]

Sounds very lucky, but it does happen. I had a timing belt slip one tooth once, no other damage.

Thanks for reporting back!


Daniel

[tight fart]

This has really dragged on, car is still not going.

I got the rebuilt head back only to have no compression on number 3, Finally found time to look at it again
and the diagnosis was hydraulic valve buckets locked, so it all came apart and the buckets went off to be done.
Back together again and still loosing compression, ok with cams out.
So locked hydraulics again.

They are about to come out again, and thoughts on stopping it happening again?

[dhutch]

tight fart said:

This has really dragged on, car is still not going.

Ah man, sorry to hear that.

I am no expert on hyd tappets, hopefully someone else can offer more, else I would be phone the head rebuilder and or dunnel et al for advice if you have not already.


Daniel

[Peanut Gallery]

Now, please take this with a bucket of salt, but...

An old boss used to have a rather large outboard engine on a boat, it had hydraulic tappets. After being left standing overnight, or more, one cylinder used to give up the ghost, all the oil ran out of the tappet. The answer was simple - ignore it - as the oil pressure built, that valve would wake up, and he would roar down Kariba at a great rate of speed.

Now, I think this would destroy a cat, but has it been run up to full oil pressure to get oil everywhere there should be oil?

[tight fart]

Yes spoken to the head builder and Paul today.
Thanks Peanut but the opposite seems to Be happening here, pumped up so not letting the valves close.
New ones appear to be the easy answer.

[Peanut Gallery]

Doh,,

Oh well! - hope you get it on the road soon! - well, at least wait for the salt to go.

[stevesingo]

I worked as an apprentice mechanic when the Zetec engines first came out. There was an issue with stalling on when cold. It was traced to too much oil pressure and too thick oil grade. I believe the fix was a different oil pressure relief spring, change of oil grade (0W-30) and in extremis, new type of follower.

So,

What grade oil are you running?

What is your oil pressure and how does that compare to recommended value?

[Boosted LS1]

Remove followers and whack them on a hard surface. The plunger will fall out, eventually. Give them a clean and refit. That said I find it hard to believe a 'stuck' follower's holding a valve open.

Have you filled the port with wd40 to see if the valve's sealing?

[tight fart]

Boosted LS1 said:

Remove followers and whack them on a hard surface. The plunger will fall out, eventually. Give them a clean and refit. That said I find it hard to believe a 'stuck' follower's holding a valve open.

Have you filled the port with wd40 to see if the valve's sealing?

Didn't try wd40 but with the cams out they all held air pressure (using an air line)
The followers all came out and went back to be de-hydrauilc'ed and with the cams back in it's not holding pressure.

[Scortedvan]

Are you sure the correct valves have been fitted? I had the exact same thing on a Golf where someone had rebuilt the head and had no compression once the buckets were fitted. They towed it to us and after a bit of messing we found the valves used were fractionally too long giving the same symptoms...

[tight fart]

Finally sorted after nearly 2 years.
After taking the followers out and de hydraulicing again they were still sitting at different heights,
even with enough pressure on them to take out the slack. £130 for a new set and now all sounds good.
Just need some slightly better weather to road test it.