Dropped Valve - Need a new engine
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Joined: Nov 2013
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From: Socal
Dropped Valve - Need a new engine
As the title suggests, I've dropped a valve in my 08, and am now in need of a new engine and intake. I'm asking for any advice someone might have who's had to go through this. I'm planning on doing the work myself with some friends who have experience replacing engines (on an MG Midget, a BMW 2002, and Miatas) so I'd really appreciate any recommendations/tips/etc. 
Thank you!
The story is this:
I'm in college and am only home about a weekend every month, during which time I get to drive my S. One weekend I heard what I thought was valve lash, but wasn't sure, so my friend and I took a stethoscope to the bay and heard the clicking most pronounced from the 4th fuel injector, and not so much from the valve train. I looked up "s2000 noisy fuel injector" and found posts suggesting that it was a common issue but generally nothing to worry about, so I chalked the noise up to that. In retrospect, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble by just pulling the valve cover and checking clearances, but I'm never home very long, and had just done a meticulous valve adjustment last year so i let it be.
The next time I came home, I was driving it onto the freeway when the exhaust note suddenly dropped, and the power cut out, and the revs fell. The engine shut off, and I had it towed home. My friends and I figured out that it was a dropped valve since the throttle body was plastered in oil. We pulled the valve cover and found the offending valve which had ostensibly dropped completely into the cylinder. At this point, we didn't want to pull the head apart ourselves lest we mess it up further so I had it taken to a shop where we found this:
[media]https://www.flickr.com/photos/94612688@N04/23904921874/[/media]
[media]https://www.flickr.com/photos/94612688@N04/24424806602/[/media]
So it turns out that the nut holding the valve in place broke off (and disappeared) and the valve dropped into the cylinder, and then got broken off of its stem, after which it bent all the other valves in the cylinder (and destroyed the spark plug) and then was pulverized in such a way that the metal flew out of the cylinder and into the others, where it scored the walls etc. and also flew into the intake. the prognosis is that I need a new engine, and a new intake unless I'm confident that I can clean my current one PERFECTLY (lest I start it up with a new engine and suck all the pulverized metal into that new one also).
Anyway, I'd really appreciate any suggestions you might have. Thanks again. My name's Abhi, btw.
Thank you!The story is this:
I'm in college and am only home about a weekend every month, during which time I get to drive my S. One weekend I heard what I thought was valve lash, but wasn't sure, so my friend and I took a stethoscope to the bay and heard the clicking most pronounced from the 4th fuel injector, and not so much from the valve train. I looked up "s2000 noisy fuel injector" and found posts suggesting that it was a common issue but generally nothing to worry about, so I chalked the noise up to that. In retrospect, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble by just pulling the valve cover and checking clearances, but I'm never home very long, and had just done a meticulous valve adjustment last year so i let it be.
The next time I came home, I was driving it onto the freeway when the exhaust note suddenly dropped, and the power cut out, and the revs fell. The engine shut off, and I had it towed home. My friends and I figured out that it was a dropped valve since the throttle body was plastered in oil. We pulled the valve cover and found the offending valve which had ostensibly dropped completely into the cylinder. At this point, we didn't want to pull the head apart ourselves lest we mess it up further so I had it taken to a shop where we found this:
[media]https://www.flickr.com/photos/94612688@N04/23904921874/[/media]
[media]https://www.flickr.com/photos/94612688@N04/24424806602/[/media]
So it turns out that the nut holding the valve in place broke off (and disappeared) and the valve dropped into the cylinder, and then got broken off of its stem, after which it bent all the other valves in the cylinder (and destroyed the spark plug) and then was pulverized in such a way that the metal flew out of the cylinder and into the others, where it scored the walls etc. and also flew into the intake. the prognosis is that I need a new engine, and a new intake unless I'm confident that I can clean my current one PERFECTLY (lest I start it up with a new engine and suck all the pulverized metal into that new one also).
Anyway, I'd really appreciate any suggestions you might have. Thanks again. My name's Abhi, btw.
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 8,759
Likes: 1,859
First, thats not cyl 4 that dropped the valve. So probably the noise you heard on stethoscope was indeed just fuel injectors. So dont beat yourself up that you missed diagnosing this earlier. It may not have been anything you could have done.
As for replacing engine, this is probably one of the easiest modern cars to do this on. Plenty of room to work. Not a ton of crazy wires and hoses to keep track of.
Sent from my SM-G920P using IB AutoGroup
As for replacing engine, this is probably one of the easiest modern cars to do this on. Plenty of room to work. Not a ton of crazy wires and hoses to keep track of.
Sent from my SM-G920P using IB AutoGroup
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,732
Likes: 632
That's horrible. Just out of curiosity, what nut that holds the valve? You mean the jam nut on the rocker arm came off, or the valve keeper? Because if the jam nut did fly off the rocker, it could fall into the cylinder when the valve opens. Was a valve adjustment ever done on the car?
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 11,361
Likes: 1,795
Engine seems to have signs of overheating-seizure on one cylinder. How did all that sludge get into the cylinders?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/94612688@N04/24424806602/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/94612688@N04/24424806602/
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Joined: Aug 2012
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Originally Posted by Slowcrash_101
...Because if the jam nut did fly off the rocker, it could fall into the cylinder when the valve opens...
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Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 24
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From: Socal
First, thats not cyl 4 that dropped the valve. So probably the noise you heard on stethoscope was indeed just fuel injectors. So dont beat yourself up that you missed diagnosing this earlier. It may not have been anything you could have done.
As for replacing engine, this is probably one of the easiest modern cars to do this on. Plenty of room to work. Not a ton of crazy wires and hoses to keep track of.
Sent from my SM-G920P using IB AutoGroup
As for replacing engine, this is probably one of the easiest modern cars to do this on. Plenty of room to work. Not a ton of crazy wires and hoses to keep track of.
Sent from my SM-G920P using IB AutoGroup