Thought I had seen it all...

[Joe Bell]

Tore an engine down and found this on the intake valves between the intake and block. The only thing I could figure out was that it was to keep the valve open longer. Probably a gimmick that didn't work.
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[Les Schubert]

My guess is it was a method of reducing the leakage effect of worn valve guides

[Mark Gregush]

Spring loaded valve stem seal. Enough pressure to keep seal in place but not enough to interfere with operation.

[Perry Goble]

A couple of the better Ideals I have found when tearing down motors . One had had an extra oil ran along the left in side the motor an mirror of the right . When I removed the generator from a old crusty motor , I saw that it had a old Folgers coffee can wrapped around the housing held in place with baling wire . When I removed the wire springs and ball bearings went flying . Someone had drilled tapered holes in the center of the fields so that the ball bearings would float against the armature , the springs hale pressure on the ball bearings . genius Perry

[TWrenn]

And on Tammie's kitchen table no less!? Boy are you brave!!

[2nighthawks]

Joe Bell- Les Schubert is exactly right. I don't know if there's any connection or not, but many years ago, I explained on the old forum, a method I used to make cheap but effective intake valve guide seals out of cheap standard hardware items, easy to make & install on my good running but worn & loose "T" engine that I was not ready to pull out for total rebuild yet. A frequent forum poster at that time (Seth Harbuck) liked the idea so well that he posted his very good drawing on the forum to better explain what I had devised from merely a very soft spring, a standard plain flat washer and similar sized felt washer. Four sets of these, one on each intake valve stem served to reduce oil & vacuum leak thru' worn intake valve guides. The photo you posted Joe, looks just like the idea I devised & used. For what it's worth, these worked very well to reduce oil sucked thru worn intake valve guides and also provide smoother idle due to less vacuum leak thru' worn intake valve guides, and even provide a bit more valve spring pressure besides. The four sets of these cheaply made intake valve guide seals are still on that engine to this day and still work well, tho' I haven't driven the car much in recent years. This was not an original idea of mine, as accessory valve guide seals were available back in the "T" era, but I just figured out how to make them cheaply from cheap, easy to find standard hardware items. For what it's worth,.....harold

[Bill Dizer]

Joe, I have a 1925 engine that came with a parts car, that has those seals on the intakes at least. It appears to have a fresh overhaul. I have not looked into it to see what has been done other than looking in and seeing clean and new parts in the transmission.

[2nighthawks]

Oops! As usual for me, I used "too many words" with my post above about my "cheapo" intake valve guide seals! Forget what I said about my little seal device spring "adding" a bit to valve spring pressure! In thinking more about it, those little added valve guide seal springs would actually work slightly AGAINST the valve springs! I guess that's why I used a very light and soft spring, with just enough pressure to hold the little felt washer and flat washer against the top of the valve guide!

(.....still using the same ol' brain I was using back then, but it's 80 years old now! Makes a difference,....

[2nighthawks]

Bill Dizer - .....they would only be on the intakes, because there's only vacuum at work on the intakes, but no vacuum on the exhaust valve, and besides,.....the exhaust valve stems would be too hot for those little felt seals and just bake them to a crisp! ......harold

[Joe Bell]

They where only on the intake, It surprised me since the guides where still tight? I thought it would reduce fuel on the intake or some wild ideal of making the fuel atomize better? Tim, the wife took the picture, you do not think I could post some thing like this the dumby I am on computers!!

[DanTreace]

Those felts with their own spring are cute, haven't seen an adv. for that style.

Have seen remains of steel clip and felt collar in the valve chamber, these mount onto the valve spring.

[Dropacent]

I saw them today. The seal is leather, long since worn out. The spring is carboned up so probably one of those ideas that didn’t catch on. Not much lubrication in gasoline. If you have an oil pumper, perhaps with felt would help the oil smoke.
I’ve got a low mileage 1948 Buick. Smoked bad , but a set of valve seals in 1993 took care of that problem.