burnt valve?

[octpaul]

hello....
i have a 93 grand am 2.3 sohc. 4 cyl
I barely made it home last week with the following problems........
lost of horsepower, very little acccelaration, very rough idling and stalling.the machanic replaced 2ign. coils, sparkplugs (#1&2 were bad) fuel filter and 4 boots. it was better, but not 100%, then he did a compression test.... he said the # 2 valve was burnt.
now the questions..........
is this possible ?
do i get a head job ? ( very costly ).
get another engine ? ( " " " ).
junk the car ?
get another machanic?


Thanks for anyones help...... Paul

[Slade901]

I know he said that the #2 valve is burnt. What reading does he get on all four? Dry and Wet test? Sometimes if the reading is low but it might still within the specs tolerance.

Before I would go on replacing other things. I would get a known good Ignition Coil Housing. If he replaced the Ignition Coil, spark plug boots, spark plugs but not the Ignition Coil Housing, I would get a known good Ignition Coil Housing and test it. 99% of Ignition Related problems is due to the Ignition Coil Housing failing which is # 1 problem with Quad 4 engine.

[octpaul]

thanks slade901,
I called the mechanic, and he did not do a wet& dry.he said he found the problem quick...(after he charged me 370 bucks for the above). he also said he replaced the housing about a year ago.
What do you thank ??? it runs good on the hwy ,once i get there.... some hesatation when i try to pass another car. thanks for your help.

PS he also said the # 2 piston is bad. (valve ? ).

[GTP Dad]

Get a second opinion from another mechanic. Or do the compression check yourself by renting a compression tester. If you have burnt valve, you will hear it when you remove the plugs and do the test. You should also notice a large compression drop on that cylinder. Just because a valve is burnt doesn't mean that the piston is bad too. To repair this you will either need a valve job or another head. You can probably pick up a good one from a wrecking yard for a couple hundred bucks. A valve job will probably cost you about the same amount but if the valve seat is damaged it may be more to repair than replace. If you question the entire problem then remove the head. If the piston is damaged then a used engine may be the way to go. If it is only the valve then the valve job or new head would be the repair of choice. You can do the job yourself with basic hand tools and a little mechanical ability. If you don't feel up to it then have it repaired at a shop. Good Luck!

[Slade901]

I think it's time to get a new mechanic or get a second opinion. Replacing the spark plugs, spark plug boots, ignition coils and the ignition coil housing is very easy to do.
The way the engine behaves, I still think the Ignition Coil Housing has gone bad or did the mechanic actually replaced the Ignition Coil Housing before ? hmm.
Check your old billing statement to see if the Ignition Coil Housing was replaced and the warranty on that item if it was replaced?

If it is out of warranty, go to a local junkyard or get a known good Ignition Coil Housing and test it on your vehicle to see if that makes a difference.

How about your fuel filter? It's not that difficult to replace it.

Check this http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=254519

[octpaul]

yes, the fuel filter was replaced and i will get a second opinion.
just let me back track for a moment. about 2 years ago, the head cracked, so i bought a used head.they replaced many things in the head, plus the timing chain and the tenisoner was replaced. about a year later something went wrong and i bent 2 valves. ( a real nightmare).I took the car to another mechanic. he suggested I get another engine....I did......he charged me 1000. to do the job. the engine was a 1992 grand am. I'd paid a lot more the first time. so i have a 92engine in the 93 grand am....it was just good money after bad.... I think i did one thing half wise( I still have the 93 head ). so if i do need a head job, can i put the 93 head on the 92 engine ? should i have the timing chain replaced also? I guest i will only change the head if the 92 head is bad. I'M NOT EXP enough to do this kind of job. thanks for all replys. I shall return......................Paul