Essex engine weakness question

A buddy of mine (age 78) tells me his grandfather had an Essex (probably circa 1920's) that had a quite troublesome engine, pertaining to the valves. Actually he said the car was, directly quoting, 'A piece of shit'. I realize the poppet valves of modern engines are extrordnarily reliable, were they less so in the early days or did the Essex have some other valve system (sleeve, etc) that was less than perfect? Discuss.
Thanks
David
Thanks
David
Comments
Was it a 4 or 6? The first Essex 6s were not the most reliable so I am told. The 4 is a great little engine..... My 22 is still running.
Jay
He used to say the Essex was not a bad little car, although it had an extremely low speed differential, so if you were inclinded to try and keep up with rest of the cars on the road the engine would not stand up.