MTFCA Forum

Hello All,

New to the world of Model T and loving it so far. I have a 1926 Model T Touring. I was working on the engine since it has sat for a while and wanted to check on the status of everything. I took the head cover off and there was a lot of carbon? buildup. I started cleaning and noticed one of the valves doesn't move when I turn the crankshaft. Any suggestions on how to remedy it? I have attached a picture, it's the one all the way to the left. I have a short video but not sure how to share, if at all possible.
Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

Dan

Have you taken the side plate off? It's likely that the retaining pin at the base of the valve spring has punched through the retaining disc. happened to me in my '26.

most likely the valve is stuck in the guide. Squirt some penetrant oil under the valve , then later try to gently tap it down. then repeat until it is free

Pull the valve cover. The problem will be obvious without the guessing.

I had taken the side cover off and looked but didn't see anything abnormal. When I went back to look just now with the pistons at a different position I saw the problem. Another photo where there is no gap.

Yes stuck valve. Use some penetrating oil(kroil) Try rotating the head to loosen. Not with a channel lock. Depending on the stuck, a gentle tap (with the lifter down) You dont want to damage the valve. You can put a spacer in the gap(1/8' piece of metal) with the lifter down to move the valve up when cranking the motor around. The key is to get it broken loose to where you can remove the valve & clean it & the guide.

The stuck valve is an easy fix. Squirt some WD-40, or some kind of penetrant down the valve stem. You can wait a while or gently push or tap with a rubber faced hammer to push it down. It doesn’t look like it’s stuck badly going by the condition of the rest of the valve train.

Turn the crank over and do it several times if necessary to free it up.

BUT look closely at the freeze plug right above it. It looks like it’s been slowly leaking going by the rust stains on the freeze plug and on the valve chamber. If that plug is rusted it’s probably almost through or getting close to it.

Now would be a good time to replace it and the other two. The vendors sell them and there aren’t hard to replace.

Also since you have the head off clean out the water passages in the block and in the head.
Use a long piece of wire or long flexible slim cable to go back and forth in the passages. Then use air to blow out the rust scale and dirt.

Thanks everyone! I've soaked it and will let it sit.

Everything I would have suggested has already been posted however, not to change the subject, it looks as if your freezer plugs are getting ready to rust through. From their appearance it looks like there is a rustsicle forming below the freezer plug. You should plan to replace them. The ones pictured are brass, which will not rust. Jim Patrick

Valves stick mainly because of non-use. RUN/DRIVE your T! bobt

Next problem, getting a head gasket

Here’s a Fel Pro Model T gasket set if you can’t find any other set that are available and you might get free shipping.

https://www.summitracing.com/search/par ... ne-gasket- sets/make/ford/model/model-t

jiminbartow wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:27 pm

Everything I would have suggested has already been posted however, not to change the subject, it looks as if your freezer plugs are getting ready to rust through. From their appearance it looks like there is a rustsicle forming below the freezer plug. You should plan to replace them. The ones pictured are brass, which will not rust. Jim Patrick


AFB97671-A121-412F-97F2-D6C0E6F56E57.jpeg

Thanks Jim, I'll order some! Yeah, there is rust in quite a few places.

bobt wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:22 am

Valves stick mainly because of non-use. RUN/DRIVE your T! bobt

I want to drive it, it hasn't run since I bought it, so getting it to that point is my driving force.

Daniel

welcome to the hobby. Your issue isn't particularly unusual, and the good news is your valves were replaced at one point, and they fit well enough to stick!

proceed prudently and slowly. Don't be tempted to whack things with a big hammer. Time and penetrating oil is your friend. From pictures, it appears that you have the most common type of sticking; that being condensation or leak into the combustion chamber, with the lower part of the stem being clean. I have found that oiling the stem through the chamber door, inserting a bit of aluminum bar around 3/32" thick (or stack a couple pennies on top of the lifter) and rotating the engine will OVER-lift the valve, bringing more CLEAN oiled stem up into the guide. Once broken free, the spring is now doing more work with/for you and you can gently tap the valve down at least to where it was to start with, repeating the over-lift multiple times until the valve can be coaxed home and then generously oiled and exercised from there. When over-lifting, have a friend watch to see that you do not coil-bind the spring as that will lock up the engine and you could hurt things if that were to happen.

You'll get it...just don't be over-exuberant on any action(s) you decide to take.

If you remove the valve, the valve stem and the shaft will probably have a coat of surface rust on them. You can give both a clean finish by coating each with Kroil or blaster and lightly sanding with 1200 wet dry sandpaper lubricated with Kroil or a penetrant of your choice. Roll up a small piece and lightly sand the shaft as well. Sand only enough to remove the surface rust. No more. Remove no steel. To prevent microscopic paths for the air to enter or gases to escape, sand around the shaft, don’t sand up and down the shaft. Jim Patrick

The best penetrant is a 50:50 mix of Acetone and ATF. It'll work much more effectively than Kroil or WD-40. Soak the valve area in that mix for a few days, and it'll free up.

Can you get the valve started by putting a nut between the top of the tappet and the bottom of the valve stem and turn the crank so the cam will break the valve loose and push it up so it can be removed? Jim Patrick

jiminbartow wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 02, 2022 1:45 pm

Can you get the valve started by putting a nut between the top of the tappet and the bottom of the valve stem and turn the crank so the cam will break the valve loose and push it up so it can be removed? Jim Patrick

I did try to put piece of 1/8" steel between the lifter and valve. I rotated the engine but wasn't sure how much I could push it to over lift the valve. Didn't want to make it worse. I have a can of Blaster PB that I spray on it occasionally.

I don’t think you could “overlift” the valve since it comes out of the top.

The Acetone/ATF mix works better than Blaster PB as well. Try it -- You'll like it.