<VV> 140 Valve Seats

[N. Joseph Potts]

My 140 dropped the intake-valve seats, first of #5, then of #2 (extreme
cylinders, thermodynamically speaking) so near the same time that the effect
was like the proverbial (for Americans, anyway) "One-Horse Shay." Prior to
these events, my car had been driven gently for at least six years by a
little old man (me) who only drove it to the hardware store. I really AM a
pretty gentle driver so far as a car's drivetrain is concerned. Other
members of my family complain about it. Yes, I make a point of nudging the
yellow stripe on the tachometer every week or two, but that's more exercise,
I would say, than stress. With air conditioning on this 140 (NOT a
conservative combination, I admit) and more or less constant hot weather
here in South Florida, the engine was STILL thermally stressed with great
frequency, but at least it was driven gently.
     Personally, I subscribe to the heating/cooling-cycles theory of
valve-seat dropping. Three (thousand or so) strikes, and you're out.

Joe Potts
Miami, Florida USA
1966 Corsa coupe 140hp 4-speed with A/C

-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-admin@corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-admin@corvair.org]On Behalf Of Macdonald David
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 8:47 AM
To: virtualvairs@corvair.org
Subject: Re: <VV> 140 Valve Seats


My theory is that 140's drop valve seats becuase they
are 140's and people buy them becuase they can drive
them hard and do just that.

If non-140's spent as much time at WOT they would drop
almost as many seats :)

My theory is based almost no data whatsoever, so I
don't think it's statistically valid either.

[When I was still a teenager, I owned a '68 GTO. I
went through three engines in that car. My conclusion
at the time was that Pontiac 400's were unreliable. I
have teenagers of my own now so I know the engines
were fine, it's teenagers that are the problem]

David