Thanks for the advice. I added my location to my profile: San Francisco Bay Area. One local independent thought it would cost more than the car is worth to do a valve job.

At this point I'll try to arrange with the diesel mechanic who said it is a bent valve, and tell him that I will pay when the problem is fixed, rather than pay him to fix a bent valve. That way he stands by his diagnosis or doesn't.

Somehow I doubt that it is a bent valve, but then I'm not experienced enough. Here is one mone more piece of information.

When I last had the valve cover off, I noticed that where the front left valve cover bolt rises into the valve cover, the metal had been destroyed. That is, the air cleaner bracket had broken, and the air cleaner had become a small hammer vibrating against the valve cover. Eventually a small piece of the interior part of the valve cover had come loose and was missing. Maybe, that small piece of metal could have caused a bent valve?


I don't have a complete history of the car, on when the timing chain was replaced, and if anything causing damage had occured.

Thanks Board for the company in diagnosising this.