Engine 'Chuffing'

[David FaulknerParticipant]

Interesting day out in the Traction today….. Went to Red Row show which is 11 miles from home. The last couple of miles there the car was flat and noisy and semed to be running on 3 cylinders. When we got there No 2 plug was oiled up so swapped it out but made no difference. Thinking the worst, blown rings, head gasket etc. it put a dampner on the day having had the head totally rebuilt earlier this year.

Rather than investigate further (mistake) drove the car home as it was on 3 cylinders this afternoon. Once home I could hear a tappet so popped the rocker cover off and low and behold the push rod on No 2 exhaust had come out of the rocker… Squeezed the valve open and levered it back in and all is well again.

So that big rebuild bill I thought we might be getting won’t be happening now. With hindsight, I should have taken the rocker cover off at the rally and could have sorted it there…..

[David FaulknerParticipant]

In case anyone else suffers the same issue Mark Harding gave some tips and guidance on Facebook:

I’ve had this a few times. I’ve rebuilt an engine with lovely new guides etc. If I haven’t cleaned the fuel tank out thoroughly enough, a trace of brown, smelly gum remains. You take the vehicle for a run, everything’s fine but unbeknownst the valve stems are coated with a brown varnish. Next day you start the engine, several valves seize in their guides and then you have a bent pushed with the engine running on 2 or three cyls. I don’t expect you’ve had old petrol in her but perhaps the guides are a little too snug?

Try bouncing the valves down with a rubber hammer to see if they move freely?

For me, the tank and fuel lines and pump are all new and clean. The head was rebuilt with all new parts circa 800 miles ago and I have checked the valve clearances and all are OK at the cold setting and the pushrod in question looks OK so, all I can think of is the oil I am using, Penrite Shelsey Light 20w60 which has a ‘sticky’ additive.

I did intend going back to a straight SAE30 so will do that a.s.a.p.

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