Pics of dropped valve

TKB4 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 25, 2019 10:41 am

This is actually a continuation of the CRD just quit at highway speed thread but wanted it searchable for pics so started new thread. Got head off Old Blue yesterday already knew it would be very bad news. Here are the pics of cylinder number 3 where exhaust valve dropped while cruising at 70 mph. I heard a single pop and a little sputtering for a couple of seconds.

Initial look at head notice raised valve spring and could compress spring easily to move stem up and down.
https://imgur.com/XnUgyRi

Next with the head off the carnage is revealed notice the valve embedded in the piston ( maybe I can reuse this piston :ROTFL:

)
https://imgur.com/3bxHDWi

Next are pics of underside of the head, note the broken valve stem while still in head:
https://imgur.com/Uew6V2R
https://imgur.com/eSyI4L8

Now I have to decide whether to replace engine or try to rebuild this one with lots of other things going on right now. Guess I will pull what remains of the block . I have a good engine in a wrecked one but had planned to fix the front end damage. I have only replaced piston rings, crank, and rod bearings etc. on one gas engine about 30 years ago and haven't even looked into costs involved yet etc. So unless I can get a mechanic friend of mine who has some diesel experience on sleeved engines to help I probably won't attempt to rebuild it. Either way I may replace now and rebuild later.

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Sat Jul 27, 2019 4:25 am

I know that the samples of this are statistically small, but every time I see one of these, I can't help but wonder if installing new exhaust valves would have prevented that. I'm not saying for sure that it could have. Just wondering.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:53 am

GordnadoCRD wrote:

I know that the samples of this are statistically small, but every time I see one of these, I can't help but wonder if installing new exhaust valves would have prevented that. I'm not saying for sure that it could have. Just wondering.

It does appear we are all on borrowed time to some degree. :cry:

Just a matter of time.... :grim:

spoon · **Posted:** Sat Jul 27, 2019 11:53 am

That looks familiar! If you could look at the seperation area on the valve stem under magnification. Is there corrosion or pitting. On mine the pitting was small but that was the start of a stress crack. I looked at the rest of the exhaust valves and did not see any others with pitting or corrosion. P.S., I'm rebuilding mine, taking awhile.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Jul 27, 2019 1:56 pm

Just curious, was the EGR still in service, did it have a tune and if so what kind, did it have a lift pump?

layback40 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:17 pm

One of the pics looks like the broken valve has also damaged an inlet valve.

TKB4 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 28, 2019 12:00 am

It did also have damage to an intake valve. I bought it with 99,000 miles from guy near st. louis who had owned it about 30,000 miles and was driving it back and forth to gulf coast to work on oil rigs. He put GDE eco tune on it but I did homemade weeks kit also around 130,000 and redid TB service . At about 195,000 started having small coolant leak and so I did head gasket and new rockers but old ones still pretty good, and ARP s . I had driven it maybe 3000 miles then went on trip to South Dakota and on way back near Kansas City it quit at highway speed . I did hear a pop then some sputtering for couple seconds and that was it. Up to that point it was getting about 31mpg going 70-75 so couldn't have been too much off with valves etc. It is interesting that I seemed to smell some exhaust type fumes for probably 100 miles or so off and on I thought maybe it was a wire getting hot and checked under hood while fueling and didn't find anything. Also just after got it running again I heard what sounded like cam noise but retightened manifold nuts and this quietened it I know there was a small leak then. The cam was in good shape at teardown and very little soot in intake on both teardowns . So this occurred about 4,500 to 5,000 miles after Above service .

No EGR functioning since around 70,000 with GDE tune and no EGR at all after 130,000 and had kennedy lift pump and dual filtration with2 micron but never had air in fuel even before that. I haven't removed valve stem yet but I do have a microscope that I could look at it with. I also had head checked and a broken exhaust manifold bolt removed and replaced when did head gasket. I thought about doing exhaust valves but I don't drive this one but about 5,000 miles a year or less too I hoped it would last another 3 years or so till retirement when I would have more time to work on it. So I definitely lost my gamble.

I am not sure what the chances are. I know that I would be 15th one to answer pole about dropped valve but how many are not reported here and how many are never even torn down determine say difference between broken rockers and catastrophic damage like this. I tend to think there may be a hundred or more this has happened to. Not many CRDs have over 200,000 miles so it may be more a matter of time to discover the true rate. but if this happens to maybe 200 by 300,000 miles that would be about 1 1/2 % . I would be more encouraged if at least some of these engines makes it to 400,000 miles.

At least maybe the two I have put all new valves in low mileage heads will last another 150K and who knows since those valves came from VM Matori factory maybe they are not susceptible . I will be doing one more like that within next 6 months or so when I repair the wrecked one with good motor it has 151,000 miles now. Whats really bad is putting money in lifts tires torque converter weeks kit lift pump ARPs TB service Rockers head gasket GDE tune SAMCO hoses etc. then have this happen. At this point almost have to repair.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sun Jul 28, 2019 12:12 pm

TKB4 wrote:

It did also have damage to an intake valve. I bought it with 99,000 miles from guy near st. louis who had owned it about 30,000 miles and was driving it back and forth to gulf coast to work on oil rigs. He put GDE eco tune on it but I did homemade weeks kit also around 130,000 and redid TB service . At about 195,000 started having small coolant leak and so I did head gasket and new rockers but old ones still pretty good, and ARP s . I had driven it maybe 3000 miles then went on trip to South Dakota and on way back near Kansas City it quit at highway speed . I did hear a pop then some sputtering for couple seconds and that was it. Up to that point it was getting about 31mpg going 70-75 so couldn't have been too much off with valves etc. It is interesting that I seemed to smell some exhaust type fumes for probably 100 miles or so off and on I thought maybe it was a wire getting hot and checked under hood while fueling and didn't find anything. Also just after got it running again I heard what sounded like cam noise but retightened manifold nuts and this quietened it I know there was a small leak then. The cam was in good shape at teardown and very little soot in intake on both teardowns . So this occurred about 4,500 to 5,000 miles after Above service .

No EGR functioning since around 70,000 with GDE tune and no EGR at all after 130,000 and had kennedy lift pump and dual filtration with2 micron but never had air in fuel even before that. I haven't removed valve stem yet but I do have a microscope that I could look at it with. I also had head checked and a broken exhaust manifold bolt removed and replaced when did head gasket. I thought about doing exhaust valves but I don't drive this one but about 5,000 miles a year or less too I hoped it would last another 3 years or so till retirement when I would have more time to work on it. So I definitely lost my gamble.

I am not sure what the chances are. I know that I would be 15th one to answer pole about dropped valve but how many are not reported here and how many are never even torn down determine say difference between broken rockers and catastrophic damage like this. I tend to think there may be a hundred or more this has happened to. Not many CRDs have over 200,000 miles so it may be more a matter of time to discover the true rate. but if this happens to maybe 200 by 300,000 miles that would be about 1 1/2 % . I would be more encouraged if at least some of these engines makes it to 400,000 miles.

At least maybe the two I have put all new valves in low mileage heads will last another 150K and who knows since those valves came from VM Matori factory maybe they are not susceptible . I will be doing one more like that within next 6 months or so when I repair the wrecked one with good motor it has 151,000 miles now. Whats really bad is putting money in lifts tires torque converter weeks kit lift pump ARPs TB service Rockers head gasket GDE tune SAMCO hoses etc. then have this happen. At this point almost have to repair.

I feel your pain brother! Hindsight is always 20/20. :cry:

If anyone pulls a head for any reason, exhaust valves should be replaced!
I am now leaning toward saying that if you are approaching the higher millage numbers and it is time for a timing belt change, bite the bullet and pull the head, inspect rockers and replace if needed, pull head and replace all exhaust valves and go back with ARP head studs. :juggle:

Should be good for another 200k or until something else fails or lack of replacement parts prevents repair.

Pics of dropped valve

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