GLPoomobile 958 Posted March 27, 2006 Really sorry, I know I could find all this by searching, but I dont have much time at the moment and I really need to get info so I can order stuff I need. Need to get the seals done ASAP. Do I need a particular valve spring compressor for doing the job on the head? Recommend me a suitable compressor - where from etc? Apart from new seals and a rocker gasket, do I need anything else? I have a basic idea of how the job is done, rope down the spark plug holes, compress spring and release valve, pull the seal out with pliers etc. Can anyone give a detailed bullet point guide on this? Also, the whole idea of coiling rope in the cylinder to catch the valve concerns me. Is this something that can easily go wrong and lead to losing the valve and having to remove the head? Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PumaRacing 2 Posted March 27, 2006 The seals are hard enough to remove when the head's off the engine and stripped down. The guides have a lip at the top to prevent the seal coming loose which makes them almost impossible to remove with just a straight pull. With the valves in place I wouldn't even bother. You won't be able to get stem seal pliers down the tappet bores, normal pliers won't do the job anyway even with the valves out and certainly won't go in with the valves in place. There are engines you can do this in situ such as the CVH, A and B series where the guides sit proud of the head and the seals can just be levered off with a screwdriver but guides down at the bottom of tappet bores are a different matter. Also if the seals have had it then the exhaust guides probably have too. Best to take the head off and get it refurbished properly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLPoomobile 958 Posted March 27, 2006 Oh balls! Not that I wish to question your advice given your reputation, but I'm sure other people on here have claimed to have done the job with the head in situ. I have a spare 1.9 head that I was going to refurbish, but I wanted a quicker and cheaper alternative for an immediate fix (bearing in mind all the other costs when you start talking about a full refurb). Plus I'm paranoid about snapping a head bolt again. Guess I'll just have to do this and stop cutting corners! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simonb 0 Posted March 27, 2006 (edited) I have done this in the past myself with the head on. I borrowed the compressor from a mate of mine. It attaches to the lips at the beack of the head. I had to drill 2 more holes in the lips so that I could lock the compressor in place. Next, I used some rubber tubing in the spark plug holes to keep the valves up after the spring was removed. Getting the old seals off was no problem as they literally crumbled anyway. Getting the new ones on was done with a socket and extension bar. All in, took a few hours but the car didn't smoke at all after and stopped using any oil. As puma says it can be tricky, but it depends if anything else on the head needs doing. HTH Edited March 27, 2006 by simonb Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
