Replaceable tubular sleeve through which the stem of a valve passes; designed to keep the valve in proper alignment and to absorb the lateral forces on the valve stem as well as dissipating the heat of the valve stem to the surrounding cylinder head.
When the valve is closed, about 70% of the total heat input from the heat released by combustion is transferred by conduction to the cylinder-head coolant by way of the valve seat, and only 24% of the total heat input to the valve is conveyed through the valve stem to the cylinder-head coolant via the valve guide.