"Eric" <say.no@spam.now> wrote in message

> First off, the damage typically sustained by the pistons is usually
> minimal. When the pistons hit the valves, there's usually just some small
> dents in the top and they can be reused without any problems. The most
> damage is to the valves. These get bent and will not seal flat against the
> valve seat. Since the valves are not seated, as Curly noted, the clearances
> on any bent valves will be excessive.

Fast, sporty drivers can damage there connecting rods or other areas of
the engine block if they reach very high speeds. Especially going
downhill where the pistons will continuously beat on the twisted valves.
Although, the sound will be very loud and obvious, this is pretty rare.

> You don't even need to use a feeler
> gauge to find them. It takes just 15-20 minutes or so to pull the valve
> cover and check all the valves. If you're going to junk the car rather than
> pull the head and replace the bent valves, then this might be the best
> option. Keep in mind that older cars are a lot like onions. Once you start
> peeling back the layers to fix one problem, you find a lot more problems.
> There's usually no getting around it unless the car has had excellent
> maintenance (but it wouldn't likely be in its current status if that were
> the case). It sounds like you've evaluated the condition of the car and
> judged it not worthwhile to repair the valve train damage. Since this is
> the case, just get the clearances checked and then decide.
> Eric

This is well said and very down to earth.