Eng misfire and damaged valve

[pulse]

I just had my first service of my 84 SEC 500. The garage tells me that the engine is misfiring sometimes and "possibly a damaged valve". He quotes "few hundred pounds to fix". Is it worth letting them fix the existing engine or go for a recon. As i have only had this car a week i'm still new to what is and isn't possible. Any advice appreciated.

 

[kit820]

A compression test should tell you whether your cylinder head is in poor shape or otherwise.

If your car isn't burning oil/ smokey, its a good indication that the rest of the engine block is still in good shape. Hence I would suggest you to retain the original engine unit where possible. Couple of hundred quid (exactly how much in real term) for a cylinder head overhaul doesn't sound quite reasonable since it is a big engine (one cylinder head for my 1.8 mgb costs 200 quid plus just for the head alone) and again because of the engine's size, surely a reconditioned unit would cost far much more, then there is the cost of removing and installing the unit.

With the SEC series now considered a modern classic, collectors tend to prefer originality. This includes retaining the original engine where possible so my suggestion is to keep your unit and have it repaired.

I envy you for having such an elegant and beautiful car.

 

[tom7035]

Valve damage most certainly does not condemn this engine to death if its heart is sound, no way!!