First off, let me say im sorry for not having pics, I will try to describe this the best way I can. But on a recent valve adjustment on my 02 s2k with 82k on it, I noticed some weird things that im a little concerned about.

1: With the valve cover removed, the baffle underneath it had a 3 inch hole punched through it, very jagged edges, it looks like something punctured it.

2: My cams did not look like every other pic I see on here. They were a dark shade of brown, with dark spots all over the lobes, as well as under the valve cover. My friend said this was normal, and it was just from the heat. But all other pics I see, the cams were a clean, shiny aluminum color. (I know that sounds newbieish, but again, I have no pics)

That being said, the car runs great, starts great, pulls great in vtec, idles great, no unusual noises. I have not done a compression test or leakdown test yet, but that is my next project.

Thanks,
Ian

 

hmmm, I don't recall any such hole in the underside of the valvecover, that sounds odd, there is nothing jagged in there that I recall seeing. Perhaps a previous owner was trying to alter the way oil accumulates in the baffle and gets sucked into the pcv valve, and they tried cutting a hole in it to allow the oil to drain out of it. There is nothing in the head that could punch a 3 inch hole in the valvecover baffle, that would have to be man-made.

As for the valvetrain it sounds like you have some varnish on the head, caused by lower quality oil, long drains, and heat of the engine, and any combination of the three.

I had some varnish in my engine when I got the car. I ran 500 miles with Castrol and 1/2 bottle of Riselone. I then dumped it and ran 500 miles with Mobil High Mileage (any high mileage oil will work well) and the other 1/2 bottle of Riselone. I now run Amsoil as my permanent fill. I recently pullled the valvecover again and the varnish was cleaned up throughout the head. I cleaned the varnish on the inside of the valvecover with carb cleaner before I started the cleaning runs. This works well for a mildly varnished engine.

Lastly, make sure you have a fresh pcv valve in there, if it is too old it can mess things up in the top of the head.

 

I had some varnish in my engine when I got the car. I ran 500 miles with Castrol and 1/2 bottle of Riselone. I then dumped it and ran 500 miles with Mobil High Mileage (any high mileage oil will work well) and the other 1/2 bottle of Riselone. Put in Amsoil and she is now very clean. I cleaned the inside of the valvecover with carb cleaner and hosed it down a few times to get it spotless before I started the cleaning runs. This works well for a mildly varnished engine.

Make sure you have a fresh pcv valve in there, if it is too old it can mess things up.


+++this is great advice--it'll not only clean up your valve train, It'll also remove any varnish or sludge buildup inside the oil passages throughout the engine.

 

^^Good call, I may have to try that.