valve seal replacement??
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 594
Likes: 6
From: Edmond Oklahoma
valve seal replacement??
My vette is an 05 with a cam, CAI, full exhaust, and 4.10 gears.
At WOT in the high RPM it produces a cloud of smoke behind me and burns probably a quart of oil every 1k-1.5k miles. This is why I'm assuming i need to replace valve seals.
firstly, how much of a task is this? I've seen a few guides on it and it doesn't appear to be difficult; however, it just seems like I'll run into something more difficult than they make it look.
Secondly, a previous owner did a cam swap in my car and I'd assume stiffer springs but i have no info on either (i tried tracing it back owners with no success
)
Anyways, one of the guides mentioned something about what springs you have determine what valve seals you need. I was just wondering if this is correct. Since I dont know what kind of springs i have, should i replace valve seals and springs? This is definitely not my expertise. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
At WOT in the high RPM it produces a cloud of smoke behind me and burns probably a quart of oil every 1k-1.5k miles. This is why I'm assuming i need to replace valve seals.
firstly, how much of a task is this? I've seen a few guides on it and it doesn't appear to be difficult; however, it just seems like I'll run into something more difficult than they make it look.
Secondly, a previous owner did a cam swap in my car and I'd assume stiffer springs but i have no info on either (i tried tracing it back owners with no success
)Anyways, one of the guides mentioned something about what springs you have determine what valve seals you need. I was just wondering if this is correct. Since I dont know what kind of springs i have, should i replace valve seals and springs? This is definitely not my expertise. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Racer
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 250
Likes: 12
From: Manayunk PA
It shouldn't matter what springs you have to replace the seals. It's not a hard task, normally the hardest part is threading in an air line to the spark plug threads to keep the valves closed. However if you're looking for an excuse to port your heads... you got it! Definitely easier when the heads are off the car but not bad on the car, Corvettes have a decent amount of space which makes it a somewhat pleasant job.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 4,706
Likes: 5
From: KY
[...] Anyways, one of the guides mentioned something about what springs you have determine what valve seals you need. I was just wondering if this is correct. Since I dont know what kind of springs i have, should i replace valve seals and springs? This is definitely not my expertise. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Thanks!
And in some cases the aftermarket seal is used with aftermarket beehive springs.
So, you'll probably need to pop one valve cover off and take a look. A very good flashlight or floodlight might be needed to see well inside the springs to see what kind of seal is in there:
OEM GM LS valve stem seal:
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 594
Likes: 6
From: Edmond Oklahoma
Yes. The engine originally came with single beehive springs, which comes with a different valve stem seal than what would be used on an older style double spring. When marketing aftermarket cams, many vendors also push double springs as part of the package.
And in some cases the aftermarket seal is used with aftermarket beehive springs.
So, you'll probably need to pop one valve cover off and take a look. A very good flashlight or floodlight might be needed to see well inside the springs to see what kind of seal is in there:
OEM GM LS valve stem seal:
Typical aftermarket LS valve stem seal:
If this is all Greek to you then you should probably get a pro to do the replacement (and to diagnose your car... I'm not sure that the valve stem seals fit your smoke description).
And in some cases the aftermarket seal is used with aftermarket beehive springs.
So, you'll probably need to pop one valve cover off and take a look. A very good flashlight or floodlight might be needed to see well inside the springs to see what kind of seal is in there:
OEM GM LS valve stem seal:
No harm in taking off a cover and looking for which type of seal I have, I'll just have to invest in a torque wrench. I'll take pics when I do this and report back. It will probably be Tuesday or Thursday
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,904
Likes: 29
From: Vancouver Washington
A cloud of blue smoke at WOT isn't the normal indication of bad valve seals. Typically you get a puff of smoke when you punch the throttle after a period of deceleration if you have bad valve seals. I'd do a compression test and see what's up.
