Stuck Valve Stem Seal Advice, please

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Lono
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Stuck Valve Stem Seal Advice, please

Post by Lono »

Hello all,

Head's off my 1.6L, camshaft's off, two valves/springs/keepers are out, but I can't get the valve stem oil seals out.

My timing belt broke at low speed -- thankfully -- and two of my valves were bent. I had to tap them (fairly hard) on the top of the stem to get them out.

So, I'm wondering if the broken belt/bent valves could have made the seals stick.

I've tried to use needle-nose pliers, like it says in the Haynes book (I know, I know) to remove the seals, but all I did was pull the little springs off, and damage the rubber.

I have new seals that I can use to replace, but I need to get the old ones out first.

Should I pull and twist harder?

Any recommendations are MUCH appreciated.

I've looked everywhere, and can't find an answer.

Thanks!
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Fatmobile
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Post by Fatmobile »

The homemade tools thread has a pic of a pair of pliers with a nut welded to them.

Have a shop pull them off with their special tool.
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82vdub
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Post by 82vdub »

If you had to pound out a couple valves, likely the valve guides will be ovaled, or damaged and may need to be replaced. If you're not up to this task, have a shop reman the head.
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Vincent Waldon
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Post by Vincent Waldon »

Yeah, needlenose pliers will generally just remove the spring and just enough rubber to tease you into thinking you just need to try one more time. :wink:

Based on a tip I bought a cheap pair of spark plug boot pliers and they worked perfectly for removing valve guides... best 9 bucks I've spent in a while.
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Quantum-man
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Re: Stuck Valve Stem Seal Advice, please

Post by Quantum-man »

Lono wrote:Hello all,

Head's off my 1.6L, camshaft's off, two valves/springs/keepers are out, but I can't get the valve stem oil seals out.

My timing belt broke at low speed -- thankfully -- and two of my valves were bent. I had to tap them (fairly hard) on the top of the stem to get them out.

So, I'm wondering if the broken belt/bent valves could have made the seals stick.

I've tried to use needle-nose pliers, like it says in the Haynes book (I know, I know) to remove the seals, but all I did was pull the little springs off, and damage the rubber.

I have new seals that I can use to replace, but I need to get the old ones out first.

Should I pull and twist harder?

Any recommendations are MUCH appreciated.

I've looked everywhere, and can't find an answer.

Thanks!
Come on folks, stop spreading doom and gloom too early on without a few checks first :shock:

Stuck valve seals are a natural pain in the butt event.
Unless you have the right tool, or can grind up a pair of pliers, then pulling them off piece meal is the only way.
Cutting them down the side with a sharpened screwdriver, or wood chisel will also make things easier.
Before you buy a new head, take a good valve and try it down the valve guide... :idea:

How bad was the piston top damage?
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Lono
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Post by Lono »

Best web site ever!

Thanks all for the excellent advice.

Fatmobile writes:

[i]"Have a shop pull them off with their special tool."[/i]

Another part of my situation? I live in the middle of nowhere. The nearest shop is 30 miles away, and my [b]awesome[/b] 1981 V-dub diesel truck is my only transportation, so, I'd have to bug a neighbor/friend twice to take my head to town, and drop it off and pick it up. (Last resort.)

V. Wal. writes:

[i]"Yeah, needlenose pliers will generally just remove the spring and just enough rubber to tease you into thinking you just need to try one more time."[/i]

That's hilarious, because that's EXACTLY what I did, and then I damaged them to point of no return.

Q-Man writes:

[i]How bad was the piston top damage?[/i]

Fortunately, not bad... just some slight valve marks on the top.

and;

[i]Before you buy a new head, take a good valve and try it down the valve guide...[/i]

I already did that, even after I chewed up the seals, and my replacement valves slipped right in, no problem. In hindsight, I wish I would have just used the old seals. But now, they're so chewed up I'm going to have to put in new ones.

So, I'm going to go with Q-Man's advice: "... pulling them off piece meal is the only way. Cutting them down the side with a sharpened screwdriver, or wood chisel will also make things easier."

I'll report back on how things went.

Thanks again![color=orange][/color]
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