Morris Minor Owners Club

What are your experiences with Valve cleaners? I would like to clean my valves, but don't want to make my engine use more oil, as in stories I heard. BTW, the engine doesn't use that much oil, it leaks away via the sump gasket...

Onne

Why do you want to clean your valves? If you want to remove carbon deposits then whip the head off and de-coke it.

I have never used cleaners. I don't think they are as effective as some people might make out, but that's NOT speaking from experience, just hearsay.

Hello all,

I worked in a garge part time as a school boy in the early sixties and the Redex 'de-coke' was quite common. Dribble a half pint of Redex upper cylinder lubricant into the carburettor while the engine was idling then give it a good old revving. With hindsight I don't believe that it did more than move soft carbon and is not an effective repair. The other method is the 'Italian tune up', which meant taking the car out on the road and really giving it some welly.
Onne, as I suggested in an earlier post, get a spare head which can be overhauled and then a swop is a relatively small job. I, also, don't think that chemical cleaning is effective on a worn head.

Alec

I am with Cam on this point, if you have ever decoked a head and seen how hard the deposits are there is no way a cleaner can realistically work, and the problem with you head is with the valve guides from the sounds of it and the only cure is replacement, if you dont wont the car of the road long do as alec suggests.

Will do. problem is not so much there anymore though, I added JB Oil Treatment to the oil, she doesn't smoke anymore. I will get a head, maybe I can swop it over during the National or something. She is running like a dream now