re
Maybe, or maybe that's what happens when you spin your WBX to 7000 RPM on a
missed shift!  =)

Perhaps........but usually valves fail from thermal stress, or mechanical
intanglement, as in interference engines and valves hitting pistons, which a
waterboxer engine is not. But I wouldn't expect pure rpm to hurt a valve in
a waterboxer.
I'd just call it failure due to age and stress, or cheapness of material in
the first place.

how many miles on these AMC heads ?
We needed a better exhaust valve late at night on a weekend once, for a 1.9
waterboxer on a 'weekend rescue' repair .  Pulled some out of an AMC head I
had around with about 10,000 miles on it.............that I personally know
only has that many miles on it.
we just could not use those exahsut valves ........they just seemed cheap
and worn.  We just lapped in what we had and it's been fine.

And...fortuneately it looks like it didn't hur the piston much ....
and .......sadly it probably could have been avoided, as I doubt it had
perfect or decent compression and valve sealing and went from 'good' to
'blown' overnight. Likely it was weak amd moticible for a good while prior
to failure ....thogh perhaps not too.  People tend to accept VW's runnning
funkily or not with full power..........often leading to mechanical failure.
They are after all, 'just volkswagens.'  lol.
scott

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jake de Villiers" <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2009 8:56 PM
Subject: Re: nasty AMC exhaust valve, photos here

> "Perhaps this is why everyone says when you use AMC heads -- you should
> install better exhaust valves than the ones that come from AMC?"
>
> Maybe, or maybe that's what happens when you spin your WBX to 7000 RPM on
> a
> missed shift!  =)
>
> On Sat, May 23, 2009 at 7:27 PM, Paul Guzyk <paullist08@guzyk.com> wrote:
>
>> Instead of going camping this weekend, I decided to work on one my vans
>> with a stuck engine (silly me).
>>
>> Pulled engine, noticed two AMC heads installed by a previous owner.
>>
>> Pulled #1,2 head, noticed this fun stuff inside; #2 exhaust valve was
>> broken off and banging around inside the cylinder.  I guess that is why
>> the
>> engine would not turn :)
>>
>> http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj285/baboonia/vanagon/vwvalve1.jpg
>> http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj285/baboonia/vanagon/vwvalve2.jpg
>> http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj285/baboonia/vanagon/vwvalve3.jpg
>> http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj285/baboonia/vanagon/vwvalve4.jpg
>>
>> Perhaps this is why everyone says when you use AMC heads -- you should
>> install better exhaust valves than the ones that come from AMC?
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Jake
>
> 1984 Vanagon GL
> 1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
>
> Crescent Beach, BC
>
> www.thebassspa.com
> www.crescentbeachguitar.com
> http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27