What in the hell is happening here? Valve problem?

[GeorgeG.]

So I just set the rocker arms, everything was going well, I went through each cylinder by firing order. I went to return #1 to TDC and didn't have any compression out the plug hole. Upon further review, I have several cylinders like this. After looking in a few of the exhaust ports, I see what looks like metal shit on the valve seats. WTF?!?!?

Someone tell me the machine shop didn't fuck up? Please tell me my block isn't fucked...I'm furious right now. Just when I thought it was slowly progressing, I have to take the heads back off? Which means another set of head gaskets. I was able to get some of it out with my finger and it feels like metal. It's kinda brittle...but from what?

[slowturbocar]

What exactly did the machine shop do,port work,valve job or new guides?

[GeorgeG.]

valve job, install new TFS springs, and he said it needed guides.

I removed one of the heads. Here's the underside. You can't really see anything from here. I never thought to look down the ports before installing.




Here's a zoomed in pic. It looks like shavings from a cutting tool...definitely doesn't look like valve compound.


regular size

[garycrist]

Looks like he did not do you any favors!
I think he sunk your intakes!

[Blackpony]

Looks like they were not cleaned very well after machining. Need to disassemble them then clean them

[AArod]

Guide material. Shitty.

[GeorgeG.]

Dang it man....I'll run them back to the shop this afternoon. If any of the material got smashed between the valve and the seat, will they need to be redone? Just want to make sure the shop doesn't try to blow smoke up my butt.

I hope I can pick out anything that may have fell between the piston and cylinder walls

[90MarkVII]

....and please remind us of which shop did such shoddy work, please.

[jw33]

That looks like crap left over from the valve job. Total shit work.

[90MarkVII]

I hope I can pick out anything that may have fell between the piston and cylinder walls

If you have a shop vac, duct tape a stretch of vacuum line into the smallest wand or attachment and vacuum the space between the wall and piston.

[GeorgeG.]

Well, while I'm disappointed with my first experience with this shop, they did resolve the issue so I'm happy.

His first solution was to just blow it out with compressed air but after talking a little more and expressing my concern to not have any issues 10k miles down the road, he had the tech disassemble, clean them up, reassemble, and pull a vacuum on the ports. Needless to say, there was a lot of metal dust in there. Based on those shaving and what I saw blow out of there, I'd guess they weren't cleaned at all.

It's a shop in Sherman, Bill Spence Engines that has been there a long time. I got the referral from the Ford house in McKinney after asking them who they used when they send stuff out. The advisor dug this name out of an old contact book since everything is basically Ford reman stuff nowadays. I'm sure this was merely an oversight. I know it shouldn't have happened to begin with but it happens, and as long as they resolve it, I'm good. I'm just glad I noticed it now because had I started the engine and had issues down the road, I really don't know how I would've been able to prove it.

Thanks for the tips and feedback. My nerves were on edge that day. I'll look at the cylinders and suck out what I can't reach if need be and hopefully get it all assembled today.