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pulling the valve covers and trying to remove one of the valve seals with compressed air in the spark plug you will know fairly quickly if your valve stem seals are cracked and worn out. The O-ring usually splits apart into two pieces
Originally Posted by kael
Haven't gotten the covers off yet, but sounds better to go with standard. Thanks.
Last edited by VikingTrad3r; 12-28-2016 at 03:33 PM.
pulling the valve covers and trying to remove one of the valve seals with compressed air in the spark plug you will know fairly quickly if your valve stem seals are cracked and worn out. The O-ring usually splits apart into two pieces
Will I know if I just put air in cylinder? Need to get seals and spring tool still, just hoping this might actually do something.
Got the passenger cover off. Came off easy and the gasket looks fairly new. Hmmm.
I noticed a PO nasty, the middle AIR switch wasn't bolted down!
I put air in the cylinder, all confused why air was flowing. Didn't think about cold engine, there'd be a little space. Oops! I may, may have heard a little tiny air leak at #2. Minor issue: I have a little hearing problem. Maybe I'll get some help or an ear horn.
Another thought on oil use, two items:
- Have synthetic oil, 5w30. Would 10w30 be correct?
- PO put a 165 thermostat in, that hurt too? Thinking go back to 195 but need to read up on that switch back to original.
I put air in the cylinder, all confused why air was flowing. Didn't think about cold engine, there'd be a little space. Oops! I may, may have heard a little tiny air leak at #2. Minor issue: I have a little hearing problem. Maybe I'll get some help or an ear horn.
Another thought on oil use, two items:
- Have synthetic oil, 5w30. Would 10w30 be correct?
- PO put a 165 thermostat in, that hurt too? Thinking go back to 195 but need to read up on that switch back to original.
did you check your PCV valve to see if it was stuck open?
are the most obvious solution is valve stem seals
Last edited by VikingTrad3r; 12-31-2016 at 05:08 PM.
So, changed the valve seals on the passenger side today. #2 intake valve guide is clearly toast, stem wiggles. I knew something bad was there, wouldn't take air, had to use the rope trick.
Rest looked pretty good. Odd part was all the exhaust were missing seals! PO, sheesh! Finally figured out oil ring install too, didn't know it was after spring.
So, opinions, how long do I have before I must the guides addressed? I'd be better off to do next winter if I could, but i know I'd probably do 3k miles at least over the driving season.
Think I can just take the valve assemblies to an engine shop, do the rest myself? Obviously I'm an amateur stepping up from newbie.
So, changed the valve seals on the passenger side today. #2 intake valve guide is clearly toast, stem wiggles. I knew something bad was there, wouldn't take air, had to use the rope trick.
Rest looked pretty good. Odd part was all the exhaust were missing seals! PO, sheesh! Finally figured out oil ring install too, didn't know it was after spring.
So, opinions, how long do I have before I must the guides addressed? I'd be better off to do next winter if I could, but i know I'd probably do 3k miles at least over the driving season.
Think I can just take the valve assemblies to an engine shop, do the rest myself? Obviously I'm an amateur stepping up from newbie.
Glad you asked. On my TFS heads, the left was reasonable and the right had wobbly valves which we discovered after taking off the springs. Earlier on, I noticed something was wrong and I found a broken spring. Changed it and life was good or so I thought. Fast forward to a bit later, I found decided to fix and oil leak and "while I was there", remove the right head for a look see. The valve kissed the piston and broke something off. The chunk bounced around and the walls were scored. So, my hunch was the wobbling caused the spring to break and one spring wasn't enough to stop the valve from hitting the piston. So, do you feel lucky?
are the valve seats so bad that it wouldn't take air? I guess that would happen from it wobbling around
not sure what to tell you here, I'm not the guy for advice on this one because I just don't know what the difference in cost is between buying a new set of aftermarket heads or if there's a way to verify the valve guides are good on a set of used heads which would just be a bolt on replacement part. Or would it would cost to fix yours, I don't even know how they do that, must be some type of a sleeve
The bad part about #2 losing air was where, it wasn't through the valves. Even my ears could tell that.
Since I woke up about now and couldn't go back to sleep, thinking about this, guess it needs to get fixed, not patched.
FSM mentions the items, ream the valve guides and install "oversize service valves". That all means engine/machine shop or a nice huge garage filled with lots of stuff and a bit of experience. Not me...yet.
Guess it's time to pull the heads and look for more "treasures". Dang it, all I wanted to do this winter was replace the passenger window motor and a new stereo. And check the rear axles. And the ball joints. Oh, and flush the coolant, really flush. By March with my schedule? ****.
Feeling lucky? No and yes. Obvious for no, but am lucky to have y'all help me out with advice and knowledge.
The bad part about #2 losing air was where, it wasn't through the valves. Even my ears could tell that.
Since I woke up about now and couldn't go back to sleep, thinking about this, guess it needs to get fixed, not patched.
FSM mentions the items, ream the valve guides and install "oversize service valves". That all means engine/machine shop or a nice huge garage filled with lots of stuff and a bit of experience. Not me...yet.
Guess it's time to pull the heads and look for more "treasures". Dang it, all I wanted to do this winter was replace the passenger window motor and a new stereo. And check the rear axles. And the ball joints. Oh, and flush the coolant, really flush. By March with my schedule? ****.
Feeling lucky? No and yes. Obvious for no, but am lucky to have y'all help me out with advice and knowledge.
OK, are you 100 percent certain the valve guides are worn that bad? Like how much run out are we talking?
When I was a full on newbie, I redid my red 1985 Corvette and I would say that the valves had a small amount of play in the valve guide. Not a lot, but it wasn't like it was perfectly tight. so how much do you have? Is it like 3 mm of movement? Or is it like half a millimetre of movement? or in thousands I'm not sure what that is.
if you have a small amount of oil in your coolant, which I think I recall reading above. And you were losing some oil, and you think you have toasted valve stem seals. Then I think all of your situation can be explained by burning some oil out the valve stem seals and losing some Oil into the cooling jacket with a compromised head gasket.
now doing a head gasket is actually not that bad on these cars. It sounds scary, but it's totally doable with basic tools. The hardest part of it is dealing with the rusted bolts on the exhaust system. that and if you do not bag and tag and everything you will get lost on the rebuild and not know where anything goes which is incredibly disheartening.Those need to be soaked for days with penetrating oil before even attempting a removal. Disregarding this warning put you at about a 95% chance of breaking a bolt. And then you have the whole crapshow of reaming out and re-tapping and it's somewhere you do not want to go.
depending on the amount of wobbly you have you might just need a new valve? do valves wear before the head or vice versa? Is it both of the valves in cylinder number two? Or just the intake or just the exhaust?Don't get too down yet. now I know a guy like Aklim, Who seems very meticulous and keeps his equipment in 100% top condition, which I admire him for that, will probably say to just do it right.why don't we make sure that you have too much movement in the valve stem before ruling out a re-gasket/re-sealing job on this engine and driving it and having fun.
I am not condoning half Arst measures, I'm just saying that maybe it's not so bad that it needs to be done right now and it might be something for the next owner to do.
Last edited by VikingTrad3r; 01-09-2017 at 12:54 PM.
The intake valve is about .5 mm of play. Exhaust is less, but still loose. The rest don't feel loose.
I think I'm stuck removing the head for two reasons:
1- It could be worse, need to know.
2- The rope I used to hold up valves in #2 came out black.
Valve wiggle limits are per engine, had to sift through the FSM to find specs for my '87 L98, more than .0037" (.097 mm), git'r fixed. Exhaust valves stems actually get an extra 1 thousandth (whee). That's with the valve down 1/16 from its seat.
I still think that the coolant is rust, not oil. Without a working engine, kinda hard to chase.
Thanks for the tip on exhaust removal, I'll go soak them today!
The intake valve is about .5 mm of play. Exhaust is less, but still loose. The rest don't feel loose.
I think I'm stuck removing the head for two reasons:
1- It could be worse, need to know.
2- The rope I used to hold up valves in #2 came out black.
Valve wiggle limits are per engine, had to sift through the FSM to find specs for my '87 L98, more than .0037" (.097 mm), git'r fixed. Exhaust valves stems actually get an extra 1 thousandth (whee). That's with the valve down 1/16 from its seat.
I still think that the coolant is rust, not oil. Without a working engine, kinda hard to chase.
Thanks for the tip on exhaust removal, I'll go soak them today!
sounds good. gitr done.
if u happen to have atf and acetone and an oiler bottle, mix it 50/50 and douse threads. works best of all penetrant.
otherwise use an over the counter penetrant will work
Last edited by VikingTrad3r; 01-09-2017 at 06:39 PM.
What type of coolant is in the the car? Is that what you started with? How long has it been in the car?
There are two batches, first was whatever the PO did. Then, this last summer I changed but didn't get a good flush since the ECM decided to commit suicide and ruined a couple of weeks of driving.
I don't have DEX-COOL, if that's what you're wondering.
Pic doesn't show #2 well, but hey, my eyes do okay.
Time for machine shop.
pretty easy to see the discolorization. burning coolant? my 85 looked like that.
I "decked them" myself using the scrap granite and sandpaper trick. got them to .001
worked great. but down in the states you guys seem to have a much more affordable machining industry! i was quoted $330 PER SIDE for mine up in calgary canada for a simple hot tank (which i did by soaking them in a tub of old gas) and decking the head surface.
12-28-2016, 03:31 PM
i used blue felpro intake seals on both.
Came off easy and the gasket looks fairly new. Hmmm. 
