How to NOT Change Your Valve Seals

fry

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I'm no expert technician, but I sure am becoming an expert on what not to do.

Today I began changing the valve seals in my car. I'm not taking the heads off, so I'm doing this in the engine bay of the car. With the valve covers removed, you need a special tool to remove the valve seals.

dsc01804kpw.jpg


This is the tool you need, I found this picture on another forum. Basically, the hooks that have the round shape cut in them hook on to the camshaft (around the lobes, obviously), and the flat hook pushes down the valve spring. If you want to find out how to actually do this, just google it, there's plenty of good tutorials out there. It's really a simple idea behind changing the valve seals, but actually doing it is a completely different thing.

My teacher showed me how to do the first one. He made it look so easy, but I'm guessing he's done probably about 8 million of them. I did the next couple and they were rough but I got them done. At this point, its the evening and I'm hot, sweaty, pissed off, tired, and all my knuckles have been busted (popping the valve seals out is where the knuckles got busted, if you've done it before you probably understand why). I'm on the 5th one, that's right I was only half way done with one side, and the valve seal doesn't wanna pop out. I had been using a screw driver to pop them out, after I removed all the other crap. But this particular seal was not ready to leave the head. I pried on it, slipped off, busted my knuckles, pried on it, slipped off, busted my elbow, etc. Don't worry, I wasn't hitting the cam or anything, it wasn't as bad as it sounds other than my ducked up hands. After a while the shop foreman guy (idk?) tried to help me for a while. That stupid seal wouldn't budge. Finally my teacher came around and worked on it a while and go it out. It's late at this point and I'm really pissed off. So I decide to finish the last two valve seals and go home. I go to put the spring retainer clip on and tried to rush through it. I didn't have the clip in all the way and let off pressure on the spring a little too much, the clip flung off and fell in the head. The clip went down the hole in the head and now I'm officially ducked.

At this point the best thing you can do is throw your safety glasses at the wall and walk away.

I'm Liz Fry, and this is how you DO NOT change your valve seals.
 

Marvin97

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It's not an easy job, I changed the valve seals in my cobra heads on my workbench and it was an ordeal.
 
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fry

fry

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cant you pull the clip with a magnent on a stick?

I'm gonna try Monday, but if it fell all the way down it leads to the oil pan. Not a huge deal, I guess but I really would suggest to anyone doing this to put a rag over the holes before they start lol. You live and learn.
 

CC'S95GT

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^^^ what chris said
You did the right thing by walking away. Sometimes ya just need to walk away and come back in an hour ar even the next day.
Take your time..,. you'll get it.
BTW glad you back.
 

Musturd

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I've never been so mad at myself, I came so close to tearing up after it happened.

Similar thing happend to me while pulling my intake manifold on my fox because it leaked a bunch Cus of vintage air timing cover . At first dropped a washer in the head . I instantly started pouring sweat freaking out at this time the lower was still on I had just pulled the upper . I calmed down luckily a magnet got it.


That's awesome you tackled the valve seals ur self and I hope you can get it out like I was able to missy. Super glad to have you back .
 

the.greg

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Sorry to hear your pain. I've had a few similar moments working on mine. For example I once installed a throwout bearing backwards(doh), and only realized it after I drove the car around the neighborhood... Had to re-drop the tranny in my driveway on jackstands and buy a new tob! Best of luck getting it fixed!
 
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fry

fry

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Glad to know I'm not the only one that's ducked stuff up before! I've done valve seals before, but never on an over head cam and never while the motor was still in the car. It's definitely a lot more difficult this way, but not the hardest thing in the world. Torsion bars on Chevy 1500 really made me hate my life, compared to that this isn't so bad lol.
 

Slykin

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I can only imagine what i'd do if I dropped a clip into my engine... I popped a spider gear race off into the front of the rear end into the oil passages where the driveshaft connects and about had a heart attack.
 

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