Worn down Valve stem found during valve adjustment

[E30is90]

I felt more than a little sick when I found one of my valve stems worn down to just above the valve keeper and upper spring plate during the start of a valve adjustment. There's probably about a 1/32" of material left above the keeper. After speaking with an experienced mechanic who owns two of his own E30s, he recommended, at minimum, pulling the head and replacing the valve along with whatever machine-shop time was required to properly fit the new valve.

I use the vehicle as a daily driver and, obviously would not want the keeper to eventually break off and drop the valve. The rest of the valves look acceptable, don't know why this one got so out of whack. Perhaps a screw-up from the shop that performed the last valve adjustment just over a year ago. This mechanic, who's experienced with E30s, quoted just over $600 labor plus machine shop time and materials. Any suggestions on how to proceed or alternative to fixing/resolving this problem?

Thanks!

[Todd Black 88]

Leave it alone, buy a spare motor and do what you want to it, wait for this one to fail and swap it out.
Your sig says it has 241k on it anyways.

[jlevie]

To fix that head you have to remove it and replace parts as necessary. I would do that sooner, rather than later, as improper valve adjustment has little or nothing to due with this problem.

[E30is90]

To fix that head you have to remove it and replace parts as necessary. I would do that sooner, rather than later, as improper valve adjustment has little or nothing to due with this problem.

I completely agree. I do want to fix this problem before it gets any worse. I've always babied this motor, mostly doing long trips up and down the coast over the last 15-years. I'm not in a position to wait till the motor fails and replace it, so repair/fix is the only option for me. I also agree that the problem was likely more than just a mistake on the valve adjustment.

Is there anyway possible to readjust the valve at this point to prevent any further smacking into the rocker?

Or is it so whacked that it and the guide will have to be replaced in order to properly adjust at this point?

Is it likely that the valve keeper will actually snap off at some point if the vehicle is continued to be driven without the valve being replaced?

$600 and change seems a fair price for the labor to perform the valve replacement and overall adjustment (not including machine shop time or parts)?

[Todd Black 88]

If the valve looks like that, whats the rocker look like?

[E30is90]

If the valve looks like that, whats the rocker look like?

Good question. Didn't get that far yet. Saw the worn valve stem and put the brakes on going any further with the adjustment. Will be taking a closer look at it in a few days. I'm trying to figure out whether it would make more sense replacing the cylinder head with a rebuilt one, as opposed to replacing and machining parts on the existing one.

I've seen some rebuilt heads in the $300 to $500 range. I was also thinking whether this would be the time to think about an upgraded cylinder head. I hate to do all this and simply be back to the same performance as it originally had. Some improvement would be a big plus. Anyone have any sources for an upgraded/improved cylinder head to the original 885?

[jlevie]

Metric Mechanic is one source of a uprated head.