Tom Young wrote:
>
> Hi all:
>
> I removed my Vanagon GEX engine today and took off the head where I knew
> I had the problem.  Found that the head of the #1 cylinder exhaust valve
> had snapped off, destroyed the piston and imbedded itself in the head.
> This in a car with 28,000 easy miles, regular oil changes, functioning
> flaps and all tin.
>
> I'll put in my spare engine tomorrow or the next day...
Tom:
I'd be really concerned about why a 28,000 mile valve snapped off its
head. Possible reason:
1. Valve was not new 28,000 miles ago, rather re-used. (You could verify
 this if the margins were a little narrow on the valves- rather sharp
edges)
2. Valves running excessively hot. check the seats and faces of the
other valves.There could be a couple of causes of this, but the most
troubling would be that the FI is too lean, which would damage your
replacement engine. This is the same thing that happened to me with my
78 many years ago- roasted 4 engines before I figured it out. I could be
accused of being a slow learner (not without some basis), but in my
defense, I'd add that the first failure occurred before I bought the
car, and the subsequent failures occurred over the course of 40-50,000
miles. Not horribly short-lived, but a properly prepared engine should
last MUCH longer.
I'd recommend some way of checking the mixture under load, either a
chassis dyno shop or a o2 sensor w/ remote readout.
I'm thinking that when Steve Dolan returns home we'll all get an update
on this procedure!
Al Brase