Replacing Valve Seals

[naicidrac]

I am having some smoke come out my pipes when I start the car and when I gun it. I had my turbo rebuilt about 7,000 miles ago because it was smoking bad and my center section was loose as a goose. Now I think that I need to replace my valve seals and I was wondering if someone could tell me how or tell me where to get some instructions to do so. I have heard that I will need to purchase a tool for removing valve springs. Thanks for any help.

[mybuick]

1. pull all spark plugs
2. pull both valve covers
3. remove rocker arms
4. get a long piece of rope to put into the cylinder and have some sticking out
5. turn engine by hand til rope is tight in cylinder
6. remove springs on the cylinder that the rope is in and change seals
7. put back toghether and kill some mustangs and vipers

[Turbo2nr]

Buy the TR valve spring tool from Kirban, or Ron's Custom Auto (same thing), and a spare rocker shaft from a n/a 3.8 from junk yard. Rope works I guess, but pumping up the cylinder with compressed air (110psi) and a compression tool is safer. Torq. for rocker shaft boltz is 30ft/lbs. Buy 12 new rocker retainers, cheap! I also polished my OEM valve covers with a fiberglass wheel, then a rag wheel with polishing paste, Bling Under boost, the pressure should keep oil out of intake valves, even with shot seals. Keep all rockers where they came from, no mix-n-match.

Scott H.

[Keller]

I don't see why you would need new retainers. But you might need new locks. I you are not careful, they have a way of getting away from you. Put a rag or towel around the area you are working on to catch falling/flying locks. Otherwise, they may fall into the motor via the drain areas in the head. Then you will be very unhappy. If you drop/lose one, be sure to replace it with a *hardened* one. Actually, replace pairs instead of single ones at a time.

[Turbo2nr]

If you have the stock retainers, they should be very brittle by now. Scott, they are under $3.00. Why not?! When I pulled a rocker shaft at the junk yard, the retainers just fell apart. I am talking about the cheap plastic rocker retainers, not the metal, spring retainers. Also the stock rocker shafts are known to break at the ends, more chance with stronger springs. Invest $35-$40 in the clamps (braces) that go on the two outer ends of the shafts to spread out the clamping load, and keep the ends from vibrating (you can actually see them get fuzzy at high rpms with upgraded springs) RJC has developed a cool clamp (brace) for the stock rocker shafts. I have two friends that have broken the ends of stock shafts. I think the idea of finding a piece of pipe and drilling two holes in it to use as a pivot point for removing the springs is a little stone-age. Get a real rocker shaft from the junk yard for a few bucks, or even free from a n/a 3.8.

While you are messing around with a compression tool to pump up cylinders (which you should be doing) take a minute to check the cylinder pressure to see if your motor is healthy.

Scott H.