Tips for valve seals??

I assume you have the stock umbrella seals and not positive seals?

I've had a lot better luck using the "rope" method. It's slower, but impossible to drop a valve, something you could do with air pressure, especially if you have a slightly burned valve seat not sealing as good as it should (or just a carbon chip on the seat). Get some 3/8" or so nylon rope and thread it into the spark plug hole of the cylinder you're working on with the piston down. About 2' needed in the sparker hole, with some hanging out for pulling back out, of course! Once it's in turn the crank by hand until engine stops. The rope will compress some, but not very much.  Pull rope when done, rotate another piston down and start over. Takes longer, but much safer!

I've only worked this way. My brother used to use air, then had a valve drop once. After pulling the head to retrieve the valve I asked him if he'd ever used rope. Got a funny look, so explained. He finished the other side (V-8) with rope and hasn't used air since. Takes less time and effort than having to pull a head! Of course if you run the piston up to TDC that you're working on with air the valve can't drop very far down. Should be bale to grab the end and pull it back up. Even if it won't seal again you can then run the piston down some and stick rope in there.


Edited by farna - Oct/09/2012 at 12:34pm

Guys have actually had the rope knot itself, then you pull the head

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds interesting. I'm thinking the rope trick sounds interesting. I'm kind of cautious about anything foreign getting into the cylinder though, with this method.
The engine was bought by myself and had sat in excess of ten years. It has let out a big pooof on start-up twice now after driving it a while. It's an easy fix so I'll do it on a weekend. I'll also verify return holes are still clear.

Do I need to have any spare items? ie retainers??

Thanks

You shouldn't need anything, unless something id shot of course.