valve seals

[abe73]

need to replace vavle seal... never done it before, anything i should know?

[712edf]

Are you talking about valve stem seals or valve seats. The stem seals are the "rubber" caps that the stem protrudes through. They are accessible w/o removing the head, although a bit of trickery is involved. The valve seats refer to the part of the head surrounding the lip of the valve and involves head removal, valve removal and machine work to do.

I am assuming you mean the former. To do this you will need to remove the rocker assembly and have a valve spring compressor. If you remove the valve spring with the head still on the motor you risk the valve falling down into the combustion chamber. The particular cylinder that you are working on needs to be at TDC compression stroke (valves closed) and air pressure applied through the spark plug port. This is to keep the valve from opening and falling out.

This is a basic description.

Bucky

[abe73]

valve seal

would it just be better to take the heads off, since i dont have air compressor? i might as well just replace all of them since theyve most likely been on there since the 70's.

[Ron in Indiana]

If you're going to remove the heads and they have that much age you might as well do a valve job. Seats can be ground or replaced if needed. The guides can be knurled if worn as well as any bad valves replaced. Check with a machine shop for a qoute. I had a set of poly 318 heads done with all new seats and valves for $600 a set.

[abe73]

alright, thanks for that guys....

im gonna rip it all apart this week and check it all out. im also gonna look at my tranny and gear boxes.

[abe73]

guess i gotta start somewhere...

[Ron in Indiana]

Something before you start the tear down, do a compression check on each cylinder first. If you don't have a gauge borrow one or pick on up they aren't that expensive. The box parts stores may have one to loan. This will give you a general condition of the engine and let you know if you need to go further into the engine. Also be sure to check the crossover in the intake manifold for carbon. This will help with cold starting. Good luck, you do have acess to a torgue wrench and spec book right?

[QuantumJo]

im gonna rip it all apart this week and check it all out...

Zip lock bags and a Sharpie for your bolts, nuts, and other hardware could save you from a headache when it comes time to putting everything back together.

[KRB64]

Also be sure to check the crossover in the intake manifold for carbon. This will help with cold starting.

Can you elaborate on that please?

[KRB64]

Zip lock bags and a Sharpie for your bolts, nuts, and other hardware could save you from a headache when it comes time to putting everything back together.

Ditto on that. I pulled the head off the wife's Corolla back in October. Just found the time to start putting it all back together. Those labled baggies made it seem like yesterday!

A cardboard box with holes is good for keeping your push rods, etc in order too.