So Fix it

The EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve is an important component to a cars exhaust system and can help your engine run more efficiently. The EGR valve pushes exhaust gas back into the combustion chamber -- this hot gas helps to heat the air and fuel mixture faster, saving the engines energy. If you notice your car has a rough idle, it is recommendable to test the EGR valve. These steps apply to Chevrolet EGR valves.

Instructions

1

Engage the vehicles parking brake, and put the car into neutral (for manual transmission models) or park (for automatic models).

2

Open the hood, and locate the EGR valve, which is on the intake manifold. After you have located it, start the car, let it run for five minutes, and then turn it off.

3

Remove the vacuum hose from the EGR valve. This hose is on the top part of the valve. Once you have removed the vacuum hose, replace it with the hose from the hand vacuum pump.

4

Use the pump on the hand vacuum pump to give 10 inches of vacuum to the EGR valve. Once you have done this, observe the EGR valves diaphragm -- a properly functioning EGR valve remains closed for 15 to 20 seconds with 10 inches of vacuum. If your valve takes longer to open, it is time to replace it because of leakage.

While manufacturers engineer engine valves to withstand their Faustian environment for years on end, even slight spikes in operating temperatures can damage these components. The exhaust valves get the worst of it, since they have to pass thousand-degree gases with only milliseconds of respite to cool down between each cycle. There are several easy ways to burn a valve.

Instructions

1

Reduce the amount of fuel injected and cause the mixture to go lean. Lean air/fuel ratios are probably the single most common culprit behind burned valves. Engines arent designed to burn all of the fuel they inhale; a large portion of it exits the cylinder unburned. Leaning out the air/fuel ratio allows more of the fuel to burn, which increases power and fuel economy (to a point), but it also increases the temperatures inside the cylinder. A clogged or malfunctioning fuel injector can also cause a cylinder to go lean, as can an improperly-tuned computer or carburetor.

2

Slide a huge camshaft into the block. After the exhaust valve picks up heat from the combustion chamber, it has to shed the heat into the cylinder head. A certain amount of this thermal transfer occurs through the valve stem, but much of it takes place while the valve remains shut against the valve seat. A big camshaft keeps the valves open longer, decreasing the amount of time they spend in contact with the cylinder head, and thus the amount of thermal energy they can shed during each cycle.

3

Dont install an exhaust manifold or exhaust headers. Old-school wisdom may have it that an engine needs exhaust back-pressure to function, but this is about as true as saying that people have to hold their breath to live. The reason that engines need an exhaust manifold is that the exhaust valve stays open after the piston starts moving downward in the cylinder. Without a manifold, the exhaust gases would shoot out and the piston would suck oxygen in from the outside and into the chamber, causing the mixture to go lean.

4

Advance your timing excessively. Odds are that excessive ignition timing will result in premature detonation (knock or ping) before it does a burned valve, but sustained high-rpm usage combined with excessive timing can easily damage the valves. This is especially true if you combine a bit of extra timing with a large cam and a lean air/fuel ratio, as some hot-rodders are apt to do.

5

Allow your engine to overheat and wear out. All the valve-to-seat contact time in the world wont save your valves if the coolant is either too hot to carry away thermal energy from the head or is absent entirely. Worn valve guides are another potential trouble spot, since the valve stem needs constant contact with the head in order to remain cool.

Umbrella Seals Cut Down on Oil Seepage

An umbrella seal scrapes against the valve stem and guide as they are moving. This can mean less oil getting through and less blue smoke on engine startup. These valves are a traditional style and are particularly popular on older cars and rebuilds. Some engines do not have room for umbrella seals.

O-Rings Diminish Excess Oil

O-rings do not scrape the valve stem clear of oil, but they do stop excess oil from falling into the combustion chamber after the engine is shut off. Some people feel this allows the guide and valve stem to remain properly lubricated.

Bottom Line

In an older vehicle or one with worn valve stems, an umbrella seal may help reduce engine smoke without an entire engine rebuild. More important is to get seals made of silicone or other advanced materials. Older seals and cheaper seals are made of nitrite, which corrodes quickly.

Replacing the EGR valve on the engine of your Ford Escape may become necessary if the valve is not working or damage occurs to the valve or tube. The EGR valve sits on the top of the engine near the rear of the block and looks like a round disk with a small vacuum tube attached to the top center of the disk. A steel tube runs from the base of the valve to the exhaust manifold that threads into the side of the EGR valve.

Instructions

1

Open the hood and locate the EGR valve. Remove the vacuum line from the top of the line. It pulls loose if you grasp the boot and pull straight up. Lay it aside.

2

Locate the tube coming into the side of the EGR valve from the exhaust manifold. Locate the nut on the tube where it meets the EGR valve and turn it counterclockwise with a wrench and then pull the tube away from the valve.

3

Locate and remove the two bolts on the base of the EGR valve with a socket and ratchet and then remove the valve and gasket from the engine. Discard the old valve and place a new valve on the engine, making sure to install a new gasket between the valve and engine.

4

Install the two retaining bolts and torque them to 18 pound-feet with a socket and torque wrench. Install the riser tube into the side of the EGR valve and tighten the nut to 30 pound-feet with a torque wrench and crows foot wrench.

5

Install the vacuum line on the top of the valve, pushing it straight on until it seats tightly. Close the hood of your escape.

Conical valve springs return an engine cylinders valve to its neutral position after it has been moved by a cycle of the engine. The purpose of their tapered shape is to provide a progressive action. A straight spring compresses evenly, but with a conical spring, the narrower portion is more difficult to compress that the broader section. This means that the more the spring compacts, the greater the force required to compress it even further.

Instructions

1

Remove the cylinder head, rocker arms and push-rods from the side of the engine on which you plan to work first. set all the components aside, noting which bolts and fixtures go with which part.

2

Unscrew the first spark plug using the spanner. When you feel it disengage from the thread, remove the spanner and use the magnetic grabber to lift it out of the cylinder. With the tops of the springs exposed, the locking nuts compressing the spring are now visible.

3

Make sure the valve-removal tool you have is compatible with conical valve springs as well as straight ones. Apply the lever or stud-mount valve-removal tool to the top of the spring and compress it downward. Compress the spring just enough to allow you to access and remove the lock from the center of the spring. Any more risks binding the coils of the spring together.

4

Undo the locks and carefully lift them out of the spring, the magnet may be useful for this. The old springs will now lift freely out of the chamber. Place the new springs into the chamber, narrow end at the top, and replace the retainer disc over the top.

5

Compress the spring with the lever or stud-mount tool and replace the lock in the top of the retainer. Repeat with all other springs.

Changing the valve cover gasket on a 2000 Chevy S10 2.2L requires some mechanical skill, as there are a few components that need to be removed in order to reach that gasket. However, with the right tools and some patience, the do-it-yourself repair is well worth the effort, because it will save a lot of money. The job is somewhat labor-intensive, which makes it costly at repair shops. The new gasket is inexpensive and easy-to-find, most auto parts stores should have one in stock for a model as common as the 2000 Chevy S10 2.2L

Instructions

1

Let the engine cool completely.

2

Remove black plastic air duct on the left side of the engine by separating it from the intake hose. In most S10 models built between 1998 and 2003, including the 2.2L version, you need to loosen a few clamps with a screwdriver to pull the air duct off the hose. In some models, the air duct is just stuck on the hose and comes off when you pull hard enough.

3

Locate the throttle to the left off the valve cover. Pull the cable to unsnap it from the bracket.

4

Pull the brake booster hose from its point on top of the valve cover.

5

Remove the valve cover bolts by using the ratchet, the extension and the socket set. There should be eight No. 10 bolts.

6

Take off the valve and scrape out the old gasket, which most likely will be hard from wear. Make sure no residue of the old gasket is in the mold. Clean the mold with a rag and wipe off gunk and dirt that might be stuck.

7

Place the new gasket in the mold, making sure it fits tightly. Reassemble the other components in the same order you disassembled them.

The Cummins B series of diesel engines are best-suited for light and medium trucks. The 6BT is a six-cylinder engine with two valves per cylinder, for a total of 12 valves. The Cummins 6BT is typically turbocharged and appears in Dodge trucks from 1994 to 1998, such as the Dodge Ram 2500. This engine uses an injection pump to keep the fuel at high pressure. The removal of the injection pump from a 12-valve Cummins engine requires the No. 1 cylinder to be in the top dead center position.

Instructions

1

Remove the cable from the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench. Disconnect the throttle linkage from the engine and remove the fuel drain manifold. Detach the fuel lines and the electrical wiring from the injection pump. Disconnect the fuel air control tube.

2

Disconnect the support bracket for the injection pump with a socket wrench. Remove the bracket for the oil filler tube from the front cover of the injection pump. Place a shop rag over the opening in the gear cover to keep debris out of the gear housing.

3

Connect a turning tool to the opening in the flywheel housing and attach an extension to the turning tool. Push the top dead center pin on the flywheel housing as you turn the flywheel with the turning tool. Stop turning the flywheel when the pin drops into the gear timing hole. Remove the pin from the hole and detach the turning equipment from the flywheel housing.

4

Remove the lock screw and washer from the injection pump with a socket wrench. Tighten the lock screw to 22 foot-pounds with a torque wrench to hold the crankshaft in place. Pull the drive gear for the injection pump from the crankshaft with a gear puller.

5

Disconnect the three mounting nuts from the injection pump with a socket wrench and detach the injection pump from the engine. Remove the gasket for the injection pump and clean the mounting surface for the gasket with a shop rag.