As many regulars of the RWD forum know, I have recently installed a 123,xxx mile 1991 B230FT in a 1988 760T which suffered a broken connecting rod. The replacement engine has suffered a stuck valve three times. For those of you who haven't experienced this, the valve stem sticks in the guide and the valve won't full close, but it does fully open and nothing is bent/damaged.

I bought the car quite cheaply at a distress sale. The previous owner had bought the car with the intention of installing an engine and making it his personal car. He sold his house and had two days to move the car when I bought it. He stated that he had owned the car for a year. I paid $250 cash and ran with the title. Since the car had studless snow tires on it, and the cassette tape in the radio had Christmas music on it, the car must have thrown it's connecting rod about Christmas of 2000. This means the gas in the car is at least two years old.

I'm sure the engine sat for at least a year before I installed and ran it.

Three different times on start up, the engine has stuck a valve. I wouldn't have believed it could happen, but it has. I can hear the stuck (open of course) clicking like crazy since the lash is large when the valve is stuck. The engine runs like hell on three cylinders. Each time I kept the engine running and revved it a little. Each time the valve has unstuck and the engine runs fine.

I wonder if the two year old gas has something to do with this? Does the engine sitting for a year have anything to do with this?

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what was the cure? Do any of the snake oil type additives help? I installed new valve guide seals, so not much oil will get into the intake valve guides to dissolve any deposits.