valve guides

[serrano]

Hi

The valve stem to valve guide clearance on a couple of exhaust valve guides on my R4 engine are excessive, and let oil in. My local Renault garage says that new valve guides have to be ordered from France...

Anyone knows if I can get new guides somewhere else? I guess a good metal turner could also make them?

Any help/tips would be appreciated.

Cheers

 

[angel]

Go to a shop that carries engine reconditioning parts (e.g. pistons, bearings valves etc. ) and they should have them since this engine is very common (especially in your country). Very cheap at around 3 euros each. Having them made from scratch would cost more as they have to be precisely honed inside.
Better change all of them since correct stem-to guide clearance is vital on these engines (they are not fitted with stem seals).

 

[serrano]

For some reason I didn't think that a shop would carry these. But they probably do. As you said, there are still quite a few Renault 4s here on the road...

Thanks for the advice...

 

[serrano]

My local shop ordered the guides and they should be here tomorrow. Good one...

But valve springs and seats have to be through Renault.

Thanks

 

[angel]

Valve springs surely need to be Renault.
But valve seats... I did never need to replace them on any R4 (they are very robust) but on other cars on where I do unleaded conversions, I had never had any problem with therm. Even on engines with no separate valve seats at all (like the MGB) the engine reconditioners would fabricate the seat (or at least machine one with close dimensions). That should be the cause with the R4 engine.
I forgot to ask you, what engine do you have?

 

[serrano]

Mine is the GTL, 1108cc.

Interesting to hear your experience with the seats. My seats look ok, so I won't bother with them.

The spring height is ok too. But because the valve guide clearance on two exhaust valves was quite bad, I would want to check the springs in case they were weakened by the hot gases escaping past the guides. I don't know the seat and open pressures, and I don't have a spring tension tester either... I guess I'll just order new springs to be on the safe side. But if I remember right, they are quite expensive... What do you think?

I'll go to my local garage later to find out the prices...

 

[serrano]

4 euros each spring! I don't need a loan for that...

 

[serrano]

Hi again!

The valve guides I got from my local shop were the wrong ones, surprise surprise...

Before reordering them I was wondering whether to replace the exhaust guides with intake ones that take oil seals. Any tip anyone?

Thanks

 

[serrano]

Thinking about it, intake guides can probably be used, but without the seals or they will lack lubrication.

 

[malcolm]

Lubrication, temperature resistance and head dispersal (materials and clearances) could be different between inlet and exhaust valve guides. I'd be inclined to go for the correct ones.

 

[angel]

R4 valve guides do not normally have stem seals. If there is the correct fit between valves/guides, you should not have any oil consumption through the guides.
It would not be a bad idea to fit stem seals on the exhausts (or inlets )but they really don't need them. As pressure in the exhaust port is usually greater than in the valve cover, oil does not have the tendency to leak through exhaust valve guides. The opposite happens with inlet guides. I have never fitted stem seals on a R4 and don't know if they make really difference.

 

[serrano]

Good points...

 

[Rutger-peer]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but does anyone here know the values for valve guide clearance on the 1100 c1e engines? My Dutch workshop manual just says I should check if there's 'not too much wear' on them, which leaves me none the wiser.

 

[angel]

There is no information on this even in the factory workshop manuals.

 

[Rutger-peer]

Thanks! I couldn't find it anywhere either. There are some tutorials on youtube on how to measure whether or not the guides are worn, with some general values to observe, but that doesn't quite give me the peace of mind I'd enjoy haha. Well, then that'll have to make do!

 

[salamander1209]

I have these tables in the Slovenian book, I don't know if it's your type of engine but hopefully will help with approximate values.

 

[Rutger-peer]

Hey Salamander1209! Thanks for your upload! I must admit my Slovenian is a little rusty haha, but I studied the images a little. I believe they do not give the values for the wear of the valve guides. Thanks anyway for your effort, much appreciated!