- 11/18/2024
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Learn about valves
The valves, which are located inside the engine, specifically on the engine head, allow the air and fuel mixture to enter the cylinders for the combustion process, and for the burning gases to exit the cylinders to the outside of the car through the exhaust system.
The valves in the engine are of two types, the first type is the intake valves and are usually in modern cars two valves next to each other, and the second type is the exhaust valves and are on the opposite side of the intake valves, so, car engines usually consist of 4 valves.
The valves are designed to open and close at certain times during the four stages of the engine: intake, compression, explosion, and exhaust, as they open when the intake stroke begins to allow the air and gasoline mixture to enter the cylinders in a specific order, and then close in order to compress the mixture to be ready for ignition.
In the next step, the detonation stroke, the poppets release a spark to ignite the mixture until the explosion occurs, which is responsible for pushing the pistons or cylinders to rotate the engine, and after completing the detonation stroke, the valves open again to expel the burning gases from the cylinder out of the engine.
The valves derive their movement from the camshaft above the valves, which derives its power from the engine, as it is connected to the main engine belt that drives the water pump and crankshaft, so the movement of the engine means the movement of the valves at the same time.
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Read more: Bad valves symptoms
The most important issues with engine valves
Now we will show you the most important issues that your car's valves may be subjected to:
Annoying knocking noises
One of the most common issues is that they make annoying clicking noises that are audible even inside the car, and you will hear this noise more strongly as the car speeds up because the engine will rotate faster, and the valves will move with its speed, and the cause is usually the loosening of the lugs that hold the valves in place, or an issue with the valves' bases or associated parts.
Noticing blue smoke behind the car
If you notice blue smoke coming out of your car's exhaust, whether during movement or stopping, this is also a common issue that indicates the malfunction of one or more valves, and the reason behind this smoke is that engine oil enters the cylinders through worn or damaged valves, which leads to its combustion with the mixture of air and fuel, and the smell of burnt oil will accompany it from under the hood and from the exhaust.
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Weak performance
When the bases of the valves and their gaskets are corroded, this will negatively affect performance, because the pressure inside the engine will decrease during the compression stroke, and thus its performance will weaken without any doubt, and you will notice this pressure especially if your car is old, as pressure is required to generate enough thrust to rotate the engine, and the less pressure, the less performance.
Backfire
One of the important functions of the valves, as we mentioned, is to keep the cylinders closed during the compression stroke and the explosion stroke, and if one or more valves malfunction, these strokes will not be complete and will affect the work of the engine, and if there is a malfunction in the explosion stroke, fire may exit the cylinder through the exhaust pipes outside the car, and you will notice the flame from the rear exhaust pipe; Because the valves could not keep it inside the cylinders.
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Fuel consumption
When performance is impaired due to issues in the valves, whether damaged, worn or loose, it will increase the effort of the engine to generate additional power to keep the car running in all conditions, especially on strong heights or when it is loaded with many things, and this effort will be accompanied by more fuel consumption because the engine needs this fuel to work, and you will notice an increase in consumption the more damaged the valves are.
Oil consumption
This issue is related to the issue of blue smoke coming out of the exhaust due to the oil entering the combustion chamber and igniting it with the air-fuel mixture, and the greater the damage to the valves, the more the oil burns, and this will lead to a decrease in the amount of engine oil to a large degree, which affects the process of lubricating its internal parts and cooling it, and thus you will appear many issues in the engine caused by an issue in the valves.
