Hi guys,
So I was just taking a look over one of the valves for my engine, and noticed that one of them is fairly damaged! It's been kept in a box with a bunch of other parts, and has no damage to the seat or the lower stem (the part that is black and stays inside the combustion chamber). There is also no damage to the middle of the stem (bounded by what looks like two wear lines). The top of the stem (which looks to be the portion that stays above the valve guide) looks as though it's been damaged by a set of vice grips. I tried lapping the valve lightly, and it is sitting true, and it slides smoothly in the guide without any significant play.
My question is whether or not the damage to the top of the stem is an issue? The very top of the valve (where the rocker hits) and it's just a portion from the valve keeper groove up until 9mm lower than that that is damaged. The damage is 1mm deep gashes like a set of vicegrips would leave. I filed them smooth so that the damage won't score the guide, and it doesn't extend below what seems to be a wear line that's 15mm below the keeper groove (which I would assume is the maximum depth of the valve).
I'm not hesitant to replace the valve, but I'm just wondering if this is a case where the damage is not of any concern?
Thanks!
