krazik

he can't check them without taking apart your head.

calm down. your car is fine.

Bigsalgt

I really want to take your advice on this but after reading more about this topic it seems that others on the site have experienced the same problem with cracked retainers or keepers. Some have even stated that after over-reving slightly without any noticeable symptoms have had valves drop. It seems that the weak point of the F20c is the retainers. Some have gone as early as 5000-45000 miles! Will a valve adjustment tell any sort of tail? If so I rather pay a $120 valve adjustment and not a $6000 motor rebuild!

krazik

no you can not see cracked retainers w/ a valve adjustment. you're gonna have to remove the cams and probably would have to pull valves.

you're paranoid, step away, take a breath and save your money.

at 8900RPM in 2nd gear you can do 65.6 mph

You can get a valve adjustment if you want, but you aren't going to find any cracking by doing it.

CoralDoc

You may be able to observe the valve dropping even with the cams in place, but some of them are very difficult to see. Here's an excellent image by billman250 (edited by Squeezer) that may give you an idea what to look for.



But like Krazik says, if you downshifted to second at 65 mph or less, you did not damage anything. I did the same thing with my first car when it was relatively new, and the engine was still running strong at 50k miles.

krazik

coraldoc: the cams and rocker arms are removed in that pic .

Billman250

If you have a cracked retainer, I'll find it...nothing removed but the valve cover....Come out for a custom valve adjustment, and the retainer inspection will be free

Bigsalgt

My fear is exactly this! IF there is a broken retainer or keeper, that valve will drop. Many told the same stories, slight over-rev and conditions worsened within 200 miles. Even though it was at 65-68 mph, it still hit the red. Luckily I realized what had happened and JUMPED on the clutch to disengage! From what I understand, this is a weak point for the S's valve train plus there is no indication of problems until the problem hits. I'm taking everything into consideration right now, it may very well be that I am over reacting but this is not a light topic. I have PM'd Billman250, he seems to have worked on this problem before. Even though I didnt bend any valves, Im concerned with this situation. It also makes me wonder how much abuse these items can handle when dealing with a 9000rpm redline.

CoralDoc

Yes, I know .

The image does illustrate what a dropped valve looks like, and you can see the stem protruding from the spring and retainer with the cams in place. It's not possible to see all of them easily, but it can be done. A dental mirror and good light will help a lot.

Since it's relatively simple to remove the valve cover, this is a reasonable way to check for non-obvious damage from an over-rev. That's assuming that you catch the valve after it begins to drop, but before it contacts the piston.

CoralDoc

This sounds like a great way to get some peace of mind and a valve adjustment that is likely to be better than that from the factory. I'd take billman250 up on the offer, especially since he is experienced with this issue and what to look for.

Chazmo

Thanks for posting the picture and commentary, guys. Just for my edification, which of the two valves in the picture is not being retained properly? Is it the protruding one or the one that's flush?

Good stuff, guys. You learn something new every day.