Cobalt_noob

So, my 'Balt has been down since about August. I got a supercharger in, new valves, new clutch and fidanza flywheel, headers with downpipe and ZZP tune (I know there is better but they have not done me wrong). Anyways, I just installed the supercharger after I replaced the valves. What happened is (trust me total screw up on my part, and partly because I was swapping cams from an old head that had less mileage cams [and I know you're not supposed to switch cams due to them mating to the specific head they came from]) but I need some solid opinion here. This is purely if you have had experience in this realm to give me an educated guess... I got the exhaust cam and intake cams mixed up. (Again, big screw up).
All of my intake valves bent... do you think the pistons are done or is there a slim chance they're ok??? This is before tax time comes around and I rip in to it and look. Guesses and opinions of the pistons are much appreciated

user 72239

iTrader: (4)

hard to say, if all of the valves are bent then usually your pistons will have damage. put a borescope down in

Cobalt_noob

Well, ill be taking the head off regardless and will see for sure when the time comes. I do not have access to a bore scope unless AutoZone rents them out?

I am expecting the worse, and it is easy to do that. But, more or less seeing if anyone may shed some light on this... how tough are these pistons? has anyone experienced something similar and the pistons were fine? Thanks though nonetheless.

user 72239

iTrader: (4)

You can buy a cheap borescope on ebay/amazon for like $20. I dont know if they rent them out

ECaulk

iTrader: (6)

I would say plan on replacing the pistons and rods, and a light honing of the cylinders with a bead hone. That is assuming a part of a valve didn't break off and screw up the cylinder wall.

Just pulling the plug and shining a light down the plug hole you can sometimes see damage.

Find a junkyard 2.4 and just swap it in if money is of concern.

Cobalt_noob

Yeah... that's what I'm afraid of. Good idea on the light down the spark plug hole, don't know why I never thought of that!?

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Usually the valves bend but the pistons are ok. If there is a small ding on the top of the piston, it will be ok.

You can move cams from one head to another, you just need to keep the cam caps with their original head, they can't be mixed.

Cobalt_noob

excellent! See I read this somewhere too so that's what was giving me a thread of hope. Now what about the head joe, you think the valve guides would need to be replaced???

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Doubtful. I had an issue where the cam gears never got tightened, it bent the intake valves on #1-2 cyls, I removed the head and replaced the bent valves, and that was it. No further damage done and no issues once it was back together.

Cobalt_noob

Nice! Well not your bent valves but that they were alright. How long did you drive that way? Because I must've drove roughly 120 miles like this. The crazy part is, I am estimating the valves bent pretty badly at around 80 miles, so we'll say 40 miles on bent valves..

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Drive it with the bent valves? Not at all. On initial startup the timing chain gear jumped, then it had no compression due to the valves bending, wouldn't run.

mrbelvedere

iTrader: (3)

it wont run on bent valves

Cobalt_noob

So its funny you say this, i was literally just talking to my woman last night about my whole bent valve situation. Look you can believe this or not but im going to tell you, this is a freakin miracle...

I pretty much know, or at least have a close enough estimate to when the valves just got bent to hell. I drove my 'balt a total of 112 miles with the cams mixed up (meaning Intake cam on exhaust side and vice versa). It gave me hell the whole day and when i was heading back home from work on the interstate, it seemed like it was "acting" a bit better. So i started to test it by pushing my foot down slowly more and more and it was here when i know for a fact that my valves bent........... Here is the miracle......... i had to pull off to the hard shoulder , turn the key off and im sh**ting you not, she started back up and got me all the way home. When i got home, i turned her off.... let her cool down... and took off the valve cover, started investigating... sure enough, my springs on the left side are all stuck in the compressed state... so in other words, it had to have happened when i pulled off the shoulder... how i got home? well mr. , thats what happens when you crossover to, the Twilight Zone.

Oh and it didnt start when i checked it btw. The cams were just spinning and hitting none of the intake valves. So im just hoping that the pistons are still good, or with minor damage.

Cobalt_noob

So im happy to say that the weather has cleared and ive finally got the head off my balt. Pistons are good!

So ive got ARP Head studs , ZZP #82 Springs, and whenever they get the LE5 Cams in, those will be on the way as well....

Does anyone have a preference on valves?
Engine Internals - Turbo Tech Racing

Not sure if theyre even worth it, but the Supertech ones or the Ferrea??

Cobalt_noob

Hey guys, anyone have a preference for a valve spring remover?!? Im using a Hawk one and im tellin ya what im having a hell of time with it! I mean, i can get the valve springs out with some effort but when i am installing the springs specifically im having one hell of a time!

Any recommends here guys????

Cobalt_noob

Does anybody know how much it would cost (estimate) to get valve guides replaced?

Slowbalt2000

iTrader: (1)

There is a special valve spring took you can get for ecotecs. Call a machine shop for an estimate on guides.

advise

iTrader: (3)

i paid 10$ a guide
i supplied the parts

Cobalt_noob

Everywhere im calling they want $20 a guide and thats estimating. So, im almost thinking this is something that i may want to tackle myself...

Slowbalt, what's your take on this man, you think with the right tools this is a DIYer??

Slowbalt2000

iTrader: (1)

Not at all

advise

iTrader: (3)

they need to be pressed in and out and must be square

bought my guides from rock auto for like $1 each

Cobalt_noob

just so you guys know, I did knock out the old valve guides with a ball peen hammer and a punch. Got the new ones in after freezing them for a day and then lubing them up as I was installing them. I used old exhaust valve as my driver, worked like a charm! Then I bought a reamer from Goodson, reamed them with a drill and all was good! I ended up taking it to a machine shop, the guy said the valve guides were on point and I even told him I was worried I messed them up. He said, "Nope! You got them in there the right height and reamed good too!" He said all he did was hone them just a little for better valve to guide clearence. And he installed everything so as to get the correct valve height.

Long story short, it can be done!