The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 216 bent rod and stuck valve

well guys i purchased a 1941 chevy 3/4 truck with matching numbers and it was a barn find....well i got it running and had 15lbs of oil pressure while it was running about 2 minuts...then i heard a low nocking so i turned the engine off and took off the valve cover to find the brass oil supply line that runs to rockers broken off at coupler...then i found a bent rod and frozen valve @ intake valve #4 ......it ran pretty good even with the bent rod.....the valve is totally froze....so i dumped oil on it and will wait until tomorrow to try to move it...is there anything else i can do to get if free again and were can i get a manual to rebuild it.....and is there a replacement brace line for that oil line that runs from the rockers down into the block.........any help would be appreciated...there seems to always be a catch in these barn finds.........

There are some that claim to have had success by dribbling penetrating oil on the guide while working the rocker manually. I didn't have any luck trying that & ended up pulling the head & doing a "sorta" valve job. I didn't grind the valves but did lap them before putting the head back on. I had to drive all my intake valves out then used a rifle bore brush with Chemtool to clean the guides & wire brushed the carbon out of the chamber as well as off of the pistons. I cleaned and lapped all of the valves & guides. BTW don't use your original gas tank to run your truck until it's been pulled & completely cleaned. It's the old gas varnishing your intake valves that sticks them shut. It's also a good idea to pull the fuel lines and fuel pump & clean or replace them too. BTW welcome to the 'bolt.

thank you very much for the tips........i have a funny feeling im going to have to pull the head as well.....before i started the engine i put on a new fuel pump and ran aviation fuel through the engine..100LL...i always use avgas on my old antique autos.........ive never had a valve freeze such as this one...usually a little tap loosens them up...not this time....i think that brass oil line that connects to the rocker feed tube has been broken for awile and the rockers never received enough oil.......thanks again...i like this site

A new fuel pump is an excellent start. Using 100 octane gas is a bit of a waste IMHO. If you're still using the original gas tank you'll continue to have the sticking problem until you get all of the old gas out of it. Any time you add good gas to the uncleaned tank, some of the varnish will disolve into the gas & coat the valve stems when you shut the engine off. If the lack of oil has hurt the rockers you can still get parts at about any of the vendors and probably at your FLAPS as well. Good luck with your project.

well i flushed the oil gas tank out before i did anything.....then i had to remove all the fuel rubber hose that some guy used to bypass the regular solid fuel line......nothing but clean fuel coming out of gas tank now........well after soaking the valve in mystery oil yesterday i still cant move the valve.........my next step is heating up the head around the #4 intake valve and try to move it..........if that fails then i am going to have to remove the head.......that stuck valve is being a pain in my rear...........

Get some help if you have to pull it. It's a heavy dog. It'd make a good boat anchor.

Hey fellow Iowan,
Pitch the 216 boat anchor and come and get my '54 235 I just pulled from a 4400 Loadmaster. It's complete, let me know! (It's kinda buried 'til warmer weather though, LOL)
Scott

With the rocker removed and the piston down from the top of the stroke, try lightly tapping the top of the valve stem with a brass or plastic hammer while keeping it soaked with penatrating oil. A little heat on the head might help. It takes quite a bit of working it up and down even after it returns to the seat to get it completely un-gummed. I've had to do this a few times on 216 engines. I've found that if gas is much more than 6 months old, I'm ahead to drain it and rinse the tank before even trying to start it, even with Stabil in the tank. Last fall I had to unstick a valve and replace a push rod in my old army truck after I had swapped in the 216 from a '41 Chevy truck. It had not been run for a year or so before the swap. I plow my yard with it and It's ran great all winter with out having to remove the head.

Note: check all the valves while the rocker shaft is off. If mine was any indication, several will be gummy even though only one bent a push rod.

I bought a 235 that had sat long enough for the valve stems to get gummed up with varnish. I took the head to a guy here who specializes in cylinder head repairs. He pulled all the sticking vales, reground the stems, pressure tested each combustion chamber, reground a couple valves that weren't sealing properly, and shaved the head flat for $75.

For as easy as it is to pull a head on one of these, and for as inexpensive a rebuild is, and for all the problems it solves I can't see why you would hesitate getting it fixed properly.

Also, it's a little worrisome when the valve will go down with the first few licks but won't come back up. Sort of like driving a nail in soft wood. I just keep tapping it down letting the valve stem pull the pentrating oil in to the guide. In my case, after a few licks with the valve down, the pentrating oil starts to work it's magic and the valve starts coming up some every couple of taps untill finally it's completly free and comes right back to the seat every time. It takes patience but either it breaks loose or the head has to come off so there's not much to loose by trying.

hello scott.......i am here i camanche iowa...north of davenport and the quad cities on the mississippii..........i may take you up on the 235........im still debating keeping the original 216 numbers matching engine...........trying to keep everything original..............send me a email [email protected]

E-mail sent!
Scott