Hey Bill, look at the valve relief, I just noticed that it looks burnt away also.

Are you thinking pre detonation?

I don't know at this point, Since I don't have this thing in front of me Jeff, it's like calling the Doc. up and telling him your sick and thats it and you want some meds. The guy didn't even notice the burned out valve relief.

Here's another pic of the same pistons I'm running. I found this on the web, it is not a picture of my piston.
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/2776/pis.jpg
Here's a couple of the seat. My camera isn't very good, so these might not be helpful.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/631/dscn1628.jpg
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3355/dscn1624.jpg
With the valve out and cleaned up, you can see small cracks all around the outside diameter. I had forgotten about it until now, but the engine did consume enough water mist to cause a noticable misfire my first time out last year. Maybe this problem was brewing all of last year, and I just got lucky finding it before serious damage occurred.

P.S. I've compared the heads in person to the pictures. The pictures definitely make everything lighter (leaner looking) due to the flash I presume.

I didn't even look at the piston picture. Kind of hard to tell for sure, it might be machined that way ? I think the head needs to go to a good machine shop to be examined properly, hard to tell much from pictures without doing some measuring. Same goes with the piston .... if all of them are like that it probably is not an issue, but if that is the only one it needs to come out :(

Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md

I have an engine with those pistons in it.

Have you looked up the comp ration with the part number on the piston.

That piston does have the side of the piston machined off the side of it, but it is a very brittle part of the piston. When the pistons break, that is where they break.

The cause of the breaks are usually detonation from the wrong timing adjustment, or a leaky exhaust mainfold or header.

But backk to the original question of the valve, I think it goes back to the 1.8 rockers.

Did this engine come stock this way???

MER, what do you think about my rocker theory?

All of the pistons are like that. I wouldn't have missed a burned valve relief. The heads will be going to machine shop eventually, I just wanted to get some opinions here. Thanks again.