C6 Tech/Performance LS2, LS3, LS7, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Valve seals lifting off?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 10:03 PM
  #1  
STLBLUES's Avatar
STLBLUES
Thread Starter
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,736
Likes: 2
From: Broken Arrow Oklahoma
St. Jude Donor '09
Default Valve seals lifting off?

LS3

Aftermarket comp grind
921 springs
Comp seals
Installed professionally

Lost one seal (made it into the pan) Found the metal during an oil change. ugly mess

I installed a new set of blue Viton seals and now 3 seals are against the retainers. I inspected one seal so far and it has a small chip of rubber missing from the top edge of the seal. Is it possible the inner spring is hitting the seal?

Any suggestions?
Reply
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 10:24 PM
  #2  
HANNY's Avatar
HANNY
Safety Car
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,296
Likes: 156
From: Location: Location: kAnSaS
Default

does that assume then the seals arent compatible with your settup? one to end up in the oil pan is pretty weird, it would have to blow up and rip as well. smoking i bet
Reply
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 10:28 PM
  #3  
HorsePowerAddicts's Avatar
0HorsePowerAddicts
Former Vendor
 
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,353
Likes: 166
From: 19804
Default

Did you press the seals down on the heads while you installed them?
Reply
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 10:33 PM
  #4  
Nasty C6's Avatar
Nasty C6
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,007
Likes: 0
From: Rockwall TX
Default

Coil bind ? whats the lift on the cam?
Reply
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 10:38 PM
  #5  
STLBLUES's Avatar
STLBLUES
Thread Starter
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,736
Likes: 2
From: Broken Arrow Oklahoma
St. Jude Donor '09
Default

Yes sir! They were installed seated to the guide both times. I even cleaned the guides and only oiled the tip of the valve stem.

Cam specs unkown. G6x3 921 spring/seal kit Stock LS3 head.
Reply
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 11:02 PM
  #6  
Nasty C6's Avatar
Nasty C6
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,007
Likes: 0
From: Rockwall TX
Default

Here's the specs. it dont say they are for Ls3,i'll call my machine shop tomarrow and see what installed height is in a ls3. ID is what you want to measure also.

http://www.compperformancegroupstore...de=GEN3Springs
Reply
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 11:12 PM
  #7  
STLBLUES's Avatar
STLBLUES
Thread Starter
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,736
Likes: 2
From: Broken Arrow Oklahoma
St. Jude Donor '09
Default

Originally Posted by Nasty C6
Here's the specs. it dont say they are for Ls3,i'll call my machine shop tomarrow and see what installed height is in a ls3. ID is what you want to measure also.

http://www.compperformancegroupstore...de=GEN3Springs
Thanks for your interest in helping. I thought they were rated to .650 not .625 This may be the problem, I would assume this cam is nearing the max .625
Reply
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 11:24 PM
  #8  
STLBLUES's Avatar
STLBLUES
Thread Starter
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,736
Likes: 2
From: Broken Arrow Oklahoma
St. Jude Donor '09
Default

921 I.D. is .655

PAC makes this single spring.
Outside Dimension:1.290
Inside Dimension: .885
Max Coil Bind: 1.080
Recommended Installed Height: 1.800
Max Rated Lift: .650

I am not sure that the spring is the solution. I hope its that easy?
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-1

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-9

Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)

 Joe Kucinski
Old Jan 24, 2010 | 11:32 PM
  #9  
Nasty C6's Avatar
Nasty C6
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,007
Likes: 0
From: Rockwall TX
Default

Pull your springs and take some pics.measure the boss that the seal press's onto,measure the seal OD installed. Measure the seal ID.a new one, you'll figure it out. most important though. measure your lift on the spring,just rotate the motor.measure installed height,then compressed.
Reply
Old Jan 25, 2010 | 03:27 AM
  #10  
SpinMonster's Avatar
SpinMonster
Tech Contributor
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 12,094
Likes: 197
From: Colorado Springs, CO
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Default

I've had so many people PM me with this issue and when I got the heads from them, I saw they werent seated properly when they swore they did it right. I used new vitons and returned the heads never to hear anything went wrong from then on.

+1 for a pic of the installed seal.

The installed heights with 921 springs on stock heads (no valve job) is 1.74 due to the .060" hardened seat. Anyone installing them should be aware that the biggest cams out there that are over .640 lift are not going in on a 1.74 installed height. So went the spring says .650" max lift, they mean on a 1.8 installed height.

Installed heights are 1.74 - 1.08 coil bind = .660 so if the lift is .640, youre within .020" of coil bind when your safety margin is .060". This is one reason I dont use crazy lift. There is a comfort zone in the specs but keep in mind that if youre doing these things on your own, you really need to be checking with a valvespring height micrometer.
Reply
Old Jan 25, 2010 | 11:30 AM
  #11  
STLBLUES's Avatar
STLBLUES
Thread Starter
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,736
Likes: 2
From: Broken Arrow Oklahoma
St. Jude Donor '09
Default

What would be the approxiamte lift on a ls3 cam that gets you in the 490rw range? I know this is a toss up but there are advertised cams out there that are being used. I will buy an valvespring height micrometer today.
Reply
Old Jan 25, 2010 | 07:20 PM
  #12  
SpinMonster's Avatar
SpinMonster
Tech Contributor
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 12,094
Likes: 197
From: Colorado Springs, CO
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Default

Originally Posted by STLBLUES
What would be the approxiamte lift on a ls3 cam that gets you in the 490rw range? I know this is a toss up but there are advertised cams out there that are being used. I will buy an valvespring height micrometer today.
Lift doesnt equate to HP.

LSL can be .630
LSK can be .646

These are really big lift after a 234 intake lobe.

My 230/234 is .612 lift on the intake side with an XFI lobe.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Valve seals lifting off?





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:59 PM.

story-0
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-1
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-2
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-3
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

Slideshow: 10 major Corvette problems from the last 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-14 16:37:05


VIEW MORE
story-5
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!

Slideshow: 5 most and least popular Corvette model years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-08 13:25:01


VIEW MORE
story-6
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette buyer's guide

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-17 16:41:08


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)

Slideshow: 10 things C8 Corvette owners hate, but won't tell you.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-01 18:36:07


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!

Slideshow: Should you add one of these incredible Corvettes to your garage?

By Brett Foote | 2026-04-01 18:14:05


VIEW MORE
story-9
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)

Slideshow: Every Corvette Grand Sport explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-03-26 07:13:44


VIEW MORE