- 9/19/2024
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What are valves?
Valves are an important and vital part of every internal combustion engine, and they are metal mechanical parts with a conical shape located inside the engine, specifically in the part called the engine head, and the valves work with an up and down movement and open and close through them to introduce the air and fuel mixture into the engine and take it out after the combustion process.
When the valves open through their connection to the movement of the camshaft, they allow the air-fuel mixture to enter the engine cylinders in preparation for the compression stroke, and when the required amount of mixture enters the cylinder, the valve closes and then the compression stroke occurs in which the mixture is compressed in order to ignite it.
The valves ensure that pressure does not escape from the engine's cylinders because they seal the inlet and outlet openings for the mixture and gases, and when the ignition process is complete, the valves open again so that the burned gases from the cylinders exit the engine through the exhaust pipes.
Like other engine components, the valves are subject to damage or breakage due to an engine issue, improper maintenance, or aging, and when one or more of the valves are damaged, it will affect the operation of the engine and may cause it to fail.
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What are the symptoms of engine valves damage?
There are symptoms that accompany a damaged or near-damaged valves, and these symptoms are as follows:
Strong clicking sound
One of the first and most important symptoms that indicate an issue with the valves is hearing a crackling or popping sound coming from the engine, specifically from the upper part, and this sound will increase and get louder as the speed of the car increases, and this sound indicates that there is an issue with some parts of the valve assembly that are worn or loose, or that your engine is not getting enough oil to lubricate and cool it.
Loss of engine power
If the valve bases in your car's engine are worn or damaged, they will allow cylinder pressure to escape, and this will lead to a weakening of the engine's power; because the pressure inside the cylinders will be followed by the explosion process, which is the process responsible for generating power to run the engine, and if the explosion process is weak, the resulting force will be weak and you will feel it while driving, especially when accelerating.
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Blue smoke from the tailpipe
The blue smoke that comes out of the exhaust pipe is a very common symptom of damage to one of the valves, and this issue occurs due to the leakage of oil into the combustion chamber or cylinder due to damage to the gasket or oil seal on each valve, and when the oil enters the cylinder and burns, it will result in blue exhaust from the exhaust pipe to the outside of the car, and the intensity and density of the smoke will increase as you speed up the car, and you will see it in the center mirror.
Abnormal oil consumption
One of the symptoms of damaged valves is excessive and abnormal oil consumption, and oil consumption will be high due to damage or wear of the oil sealing gaskets of the valves, and here the damaged gaskets will lead to oil leakage from the engine head into the cylinders, and it will burn and come out with exhaust gases, so you must check the oil level in your car continuously, especially if it is old or suffers from engine issues.
Car shaking while idle
If you notice the vibration of the car and the steering wheel while idle, there may be a malfunction in one or more valves, because the valves are responsible for entering and exiting the fuel and exhaust mixture from the engine, and ensuring that the cylinders are closed so that the pressure and explosion processes occur, and if one or more valves are damaged, the pressure and explosion processes will not be correct, which leads to engine vibration, and the greater the damage the more you notice that the vibrations will increase, and you will feel it while sitting in the car and when holding the steering wheel as well.
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Engine backfire
If the base of the valve is not well sealed and has holes or cracks, especially if this issue is in several valves, the flame that results from the combustion process will come out from the edges of the valve, accompanied by the sound of the rumbling of explosions inside the cylinders.
Oil leaking out
If your car is equipped with a turbocharger, and the engine has damaged valves, you will notice pressure leakage to the outside through the turbo; this is because the seals and gaskets in the valves are damaged and need to be changed and this will lead to their loss of the ability to maintain oil and pressure inside the engine and will exit the turbo, and this will generate additional pressure on the crankshaft and may also be damaged and completely disable the engine.
