HELP! dropped valve partially into motor :(
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 464
From: Orlando, FL
Originally posted by Rpm280
Ditto . I was not thinking until he posted this. Like he said, after you can reach and see the valves when the intake and exhaust manifolds are of. (Just figure out which valve it is if you want to try it this way). I just went out in the garage , and looked into the intake and exhaust ports on my heads( sitting on the floor) and you can see both. The exhaust are closer, and you could probably reach them with your fingers. (but then you would have to take of the exhaust manifold.)
The intake valves are farther down in there , and you would probably need some type of long needle nose pliers ( You will see what i mean if the intake manifold is off). Now that i think about it, a strong long magnet.... The telescope ones, that look like a car antenna may work( I got mine from Hi-lo Oreilly's) i think some other magnet that will reach may work.
Ditto . I was not thinking until he posted this. Like he said, after you can reach and see the valves when the intake and exhaust manifolds are of. (Just figure out which valve it is if you want to try it this way). I just went out in the garage , and looked into the intake and exhaust ports on my heads( sitting on the floor) and you can see both. The exhaust are closer, and you could probably reach them with your fingers. (but then you would have to take of the exhaust manifold.)
The intake valves are farther down in there , and you would probably need some type of long needle nose pliers ( You will see what i mean if the intake manifold is off). Now that i think about it, a strong long magnet.... The telescope ones, that look like a car antenna may work( I got mine from Hi-lo Oreilly's) i think some other magnet that will reach may work.
Registered User
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,041
From: Robinson, IL
I would suggest simply turning the crank by hand very, very slowly and carefully. The piston will push the valve back up. Have someone carefully watch the valve tip and then grab it when it comes up a bit. A decent valve seal will hold a valve in place. If you turn the crank very slowly and without much pressure I doubt you'd bend the stem.
Best wishes, Bud!
Best wishes, Bud!
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 519
From: Talbott, TN
Originally posted by Don 97 SS
I would suggest simply turning the crank by hand very, very slowly and carefully. The piston will push the valve back up. Have someone carefully watch the valve tip and then grab it when it comes up a bit. A decent valve seal will hold a valve in place. If you turn the crank very slowly and without much pressure I doubt you'd bend the stem.
Best wishes, Bud!
I would suggest simply turning the crank by hand very, very slowly and carefully. The piston will push the valve back up. Have someone carefully watch the valve tip and then grab it when it comes up a bit. A decent valve seal will hold a valve in place. If you turn the crank very slowly and without much pressure I doubt you'd bend the stem.
Best wishes, Bud!
Lets say you do drop it down too far,, you are already contemplating taking the head off.
If you do take the head off I would take both heads off, because you will have to get them trued up, at least that is what i have been told especially with aluminum heads. Doing just one head IMO is unwise.
Good luck and let us know how you do it.
Registered User
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 656
From: Detroit Michigan USA
Maybe they forgot to put the piston in at GM and thats why the valve fell in. But seriously, you should be able to get to the valve with needle nose pliers through the intake port. Should be cake to get back.
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 183
Originally posted by Eddie95Z28
Maybe they forgot to put the piston in at GM and thats why the valve fell in. But seriously, you should be able to get to the valve with needle nose pliers through the intake port. Should be cake to get back.
Maybe they forgot to put the piston in at GM and thats why the valve fell in. But seriously, you should be able to get to the valve with needle nose pliers through the intake port. Should be cake to get back.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 460
From: Houston, Texas, USA
I definitely want to AVOID taking off the head(s).......
So I should be able to get it with the intake manifold off it sounds like.... How far in are we talking here? Finger-reach or longer?
Thanks guys,
Michael
So I should be able to get it with the intake manifold off it sounds like.... How far in are we talking here? Finger-reach or longer?
Thanks guys,
Michael
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 180
From: Texas
Originally posted by grendal
I definitely want to AVOID taking off the head(s).......
So I should be able to get it with the intake manifold off it sounds like.... How far in are we talking here? Finger-reach or longer?
Thanks guys,
Michael
I definitely want to AVOID taking off the head(s).......
So I should be able to get it with the intake manifold off it sounds like.... How far in are we talking here? Finger-reach or longer?
Thanks guys,
Michael
If it's the exhaust valve it is about finger reach. If it's the intake valve , i don't think fingeers will reach. It looks toooo far down in there . ( Look through the intake port, and you will see what i mean.) If it's the intake valve, you will need some long needle pliers, magnet , etc....
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 460
From: Houston, Texas, USA
I've tried turning the crank and then going back and looking to see if the valve moved (either up or down) and it's not moving either way....
I don't want to turn it as far as 90 degrees in one direction, especially w/out a helper here to watch it...
I think I'm going ot see if I can get some rubber hose to stick on the end of my compressor sprayer attachment so I can spray air into the chamber and maybe it will come up.... Wish me luck.
-Michael
I don't want to turn it as far as 90 degrees in one direction, especially w/out a helper here to watch it...
I think I'm going ot see if I can get some rubber hose to stick on the end of my compressor sprayer attachment so I can spray air into the chamber and maybe it will come up.... Wish me luck.
-Michael
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 480
From: Lincoln, NE, USA
THIS IS YOUR PROBLEM RIGHT HERE!!
The firing order on an LT1 is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 unlike a traditional SBC, so you should have been doing the #7 cylinder instead of the #4 cylinder. This is why your first two went smooth.
Make sure that if you pull off the head that you get a new gasket...the head gaskets are only meant to be torqued down one time.
Sorry to spill the bad news. I hope you get everything sorted out.
Firing order = 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2
Make sure that if you pull off the head that you get a new gasket...the head gaskets are only meant to be torqued down one time.
Sorry to spill the bad news. I hope you get everything sorted out.