18: Heat Riser Valve

Noise from the garage:

*clang, clang, clang, clang, clang*

I discover TD hanging over the side of Abbey with his head in the engine area.

me:   Whatcha doing?

TD:   Trying to free up the heat riser valve. It's stuck.

me:   What happens if we just leave it alone?

TD:   The engine overheats.

I tried to educate myself more on this and found online forums that discussed things in such detail I was lost right after the words: "I have a truck with a stuck heat riser valve."

Choosing to use a penetrating solution called PB Blaster, and optimizing lots of patience, TD would tap on the stuck valve a few times a day for just a few seconds: *tap, tap, tap, tap*

Then later in the day: *tap, tap, tap, tap*

This went on for a week. 
PB Blaster, then *tap, tap tap*

Being careful to not "mushroom" the end of the shaft by all the tapping, he made a brass hammer from miscellaneous brass pieces he had on hand. (Brass metal being softer than the shaft, so any metal damage would occur to the hammer not the thing being tapped on...get it?)

One week later, the valve moved freely.

Next up, replacing the coil that should be on it.
I was all excited about this news until TD said,

"Yeah, but I still think your truck is going to throw a rod someday."