I got an engine knock and backifiring and no power not even to move the car just a few feet. I figured its the vales that are eather broken or burned out. I just started to take my top end apart to check and change borken or damaged valves so i can drive the car once again. My question is, when i take the valve cover off i can see what looks like the valves and the springs and something in the middle of the springs, now what iam i gona be looking at for a broken/damaged valve since i dont see any obvious damages but i could be wrong.
you need to pull the head(s) off to see the valve. all you are seeing is the valve stem wich is not going to help you determine much. remove the intake manifold and then the head(s) the underside of the head (combustion chamber) is where you will be able to visualy inspect the valves. more likely you have weak or broken springs, lifters arent pumping up or your cam is going flat. as for the knock sound, that is a whole other thing to diagnose.
Bad valves won't cause the problem you're describing. This is something you need to have a mechanic look at. It sounds to me like you may have an issue with a timing chain or timing belt that has jumped or it's possible that you've got a blown head gasket between a couple of cylinders. There are other possibilities too, most of them not very good. Unless you know what you're looking for, you won't be able to diagnose this yourself.
