Maybe something bad...

[Darrel]

Is the valve stem sunken down the retainer? I have seen this, I needed a new retainer. If this is the case, the head might not have to come off.

If the head needs to come off, check to see what kind of seats are in the head, If bronze then take to machine shop to have hardened seats put in.

Check with your local z club for recommendations.

[Xenn]

Hmm, well tomorrow, im probably going to take the rocker arm off it and see if i can pull the stem out, ill have answers fairly quick then.

[Xenn]

UPDATE:

So I pulled the head, The valve in question is not broken off, however i can grab it and just spin it like its not under any real tension, I need to go rent a valve spring compressor before i actually remove it. I have a few questions though.

Can I keep the camshaft in place easily while replacing the valve?

Should I replace all the valve stem steals while I have it off?

Can I take it to a machine shop to have it sured up with the camshaft still on and valves in?

I have some corroded head bolts that need replacing, should I replace them all or just the bad ones, I know they are not stretch fit bolts and have been used before.

I dont have an oil bar, is that a turbo only item?

Im getting all new gaskets, do i need to put any silicone sealant on intake or exhaust manis, what kind should i use for them and the head gasket.

Im sure I have one im forgetting. Like I said ive never done this before. This man wrote a better tutorial than I could have though.

[Xenn]

Darrel was closest, my 2 valve keepers became 2 halves of 1 valve keeper which got lodged between the valve stem and the retainer.

[Darrel]

You can put the retainer and keepers back on to see if it's stable. But may need a new retainer. Yes, definitely get new seals, don't forget to use the plastic sleeves that fit over the valve stem to keep from ruining the new seals.

Some say not to take off the cam towers, but i have and have not run into any problems. Keep the cam in the towers and pry off, there are alignment dowels. When reinstalling just take your time while torquing down.

The cam is internally oiled, same as a turbo motor. If a turbo head had a spray bar, then it was modified.

With all the springs and valves in, check if any leak. With the #5 valve out, check if it has the bronze valve seats. Don't mix up valves.

There is a lot more to look out for, get with your local z club and get recommendations on machine shop to have the head checked for straightness, and possibly shave bare minimum to clean it up before putting back on.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Darrel

[Xenn]

I took the cam itself out, apparently the cam towers are honed inline to make sure the cam doesn't wear badly, I meant to keep my rocker arms in order, however when I took them off I left the two that were compressed by the cam till last so I could have a friend help me and that threw off my system. Luckily my head looks fairly new, the cam and rocker arms show little to no sign of wear.

My seats look bronze, but like I said my head looks fairly good, I will have a mechanic sure it up, and clean off my valves.

BTW I cant check the stability of my valve until I get new keepers, I'm replacing the valve anyway because the end of it got chewed up by the broken keepers.

[Darrel]

new retainer, take head to reputable machine shop to get the bronze valve seats replaced with hardened ones.

[Xenn]

Good call on The retainer, I did not realize it was damaged until I looked really close and noticed a groove worn on the inside.

The valve seat replacement depends on how much it costs, my life is a budget, but I am taking it in tomorrow to have it sured up and cleaned up, Ill ask how much that costs as well.

[Xenn]

For reference my '79 280zx has hardened valve seats, the mechanic seemed like that was standard because it was an aluminum head.

[Xenn]

She lives! Valve job, new timing chain, new gaskets, new rocker arms, new fuel pressure regulator, and cleaned everything up nice while I had it out.

If I could offer any tips, it would be be very careful of the worm gear for the distributor, I had it off just a little and it screwed my timing for a day, i finally just lodged my rotor in the right place so it couldn't move, then fit the worm gear into it and the oil pump on that.

Thank you all for your help.