Outer Limits 4x4 Board

whats the best cheapest way to fix my leaky valve stem seals?

mike.

Replace them - sorry
But if their not too far gone you can try some Nulon engine treatment crap, sure keeps my tappets from clacking away.....................

An overhead valve spring compressor, that will let you compress the valve springs without the heads coming off.

A bag of rope, and the seals.

The biggest expense is your time.

dough is that a common way of fixing it? whats the rope used for?

I've heard of the rope getting stuck in the cylinder
I'd prefer to use compressed air to blow the valve up, you need a connection that fits in the spark plug hole I think.

I was lazy and went and got mine done by someone, cost me $600 to get them done, new tappet cover gaskets and a hydraulic lifter at the same time.

Doug's beat me to it! Essentially, remove the spark plug, feed in a length of rope, crank the engine to bring the piston up and compress the rope. The rope will stop the valves falling into the cylinder when you take the springs off.

Disclaimer: I've never done this, only heard about it on more than one occasion. The only potential problem I can see is if you use a crappy piece of rope, which could leave stuff in the cylinder.

Cheers,

Scott

omg this sounds so dodgey. how much do reco heads normally cost?

Yes, it does sound questionable, but it's a simple concept. Maybe line up some replacement heads, try the rope trick and if it doesn't work, take the heads off. I'm guessing there's more to gain than there is to lose (unless the valve stems are stuffed )

Scott

If you use good rope it isn't dodgey at all. I have more of a concern using air pressure to keep the valve from dropping.

First my compressor is pretty good, but what if it hiccups and for some reason doesn't turn back on when the tank pressure runs low.

What if the girlfriend accidentally unplugs the extension cord, and you run out of air.

Then you drop your valve and your going to feel kind of silly.

Personally when I have replaced valve stem seals in the past all I have done is wind the piston up to the top of the cylinder. Using compressed air is the go but if the piston is not quite on TDC then it will push the piston down & you will lose it. I did this in my first year of my apprenticeship on a Valiant, I thought it was ok but then I bumped the spanner in the bolt & off it went .... two valves & all . Geez the boss was pissed .

so fom then on I just wound the piston up & bought a Snap On spring compressor (the type that winds up) & have not had any problems.

are there shops that do this or is it considered to be just a home mechanic type jobby? would it be possible to get some 24 valve triton heads and bolt them to my 12valve motor? do they use the same inlet manifolds and exhaust manifolds?

Most mechanics will probably do it for you with no warranty bacause it is really only hiding the symptom not the cause. The real reason the engine get smoky is the valve guides. When you replace the seals the soft rubber will move around with the valve & keep it sealed but when the seal starts to wear or dry you will have problems because of the misalignment of the valve stem.

Sometimes it works as a reliable repair and sometimes it does not which is why a lot of mechanics will not perform a cheap quick fix over a reliable more expensive method. I have done this repair many times wiht mixed results. After a while you work out which vehicles it can be done to & which it can't.

I hope this helps.

[quote="mkpatrol"] I have done this repair many times wiht mixed results. After a while you work out which vehicles it can be done to & which it can't.[quote]

is my vehicle one that be done with good results?

Sadly I have not had the pleasure. It works well on old Falcons, Valiants, Magnas etc but is does not work on lasers at all. It is the sort of job which does not come around all that often because by the time the owner of the vehicle realises their vehicle blows smoke the engine is stuffed or it has burnt a valve.
I still have the problem of trying to explain this to people, they don't think its a problem because the either don't look in the mirror (common problem here in canberra ) or the think its ok because it clears out as soon as you rev it.

This is why I am being a bit vaugue, if it was my car I would try it because it would only cost me parts but with a V6 there would be quite a bit of labour involved & if it doesn't work then the customer gets cranky, even if you explain it to them first. Sometimes its better to spend that money on repairing it properly.

Your choice, it can't hurt, all I'm saying is be prepared for it may not work.

should i get the engine checked out first to see if it is alright before doing anything with the heads?

Yeah thats the best bet. If it is using a lot of oil as then it won't fix it. If the compressions are ok and oil usage is ok then it should fix it.
Get the mechanic to compression test the cylinders dry and wet or better still have him perform a cylinder leakage test. This will tell you exactly the condition of the engine.
You are thinking along the right lines to get the best results.

Hey frank what is the stuff you put in your motor for the tapets. I am doing a night run this saturday and wanna give it a temporary fix.

mike.

I've tried the Wynn's stuff, engine stop leak I think it is but the Nulon stuff I found is better, about every 10,000K's the tappets start to rattle and I chuck a bottle of the Nulon stuff in and it instantly shuts them up.
It says on the back of the bottle that it's meant to quieten noisey tappets and it certainly does on my pos.
For $10-12 a bottle you got nothing to loose.

righto. ta for that i will wack a bottle in sarvy on the way home.

redrocket wrote:righto. ta for that i will wack a bottle in sarvy on the way home.

Stop leak is never going to fix your valve seals, if you get a chance to get the new parts in your hands you will see what I mean. That stop leak GARBAGE is just ATF and some other crap that swells your seals.

yeah i know but for a one weekend temporary(?) fix it will do what i want it to do. then when i have some money i will fix it correctly and permanently.

Bitsamissin wrote:I've tried the Wynn's stuff, engine stop leak I think it is but the Nulon stuff I found is better, about every 10,000K's the tappets start to rattle and I chuck a bottle of the Nulon stuff in and it instantly shuts them up.
It says on the back of the bottle that it's meant to quieten noisey tappets and it certainly does on my pos.
For $10-12 a bottle you got nothing to loose.

what are you calling a pos??
might have to get some of that tappet stuff. my paj is nudging 185k and it is really starting to go thru some oil, and the tappets are very noisy when cold.

awbeattie381 wrote:

Bitsamissin wrote:I've tried the Wynn's stuff, engine stop leak I think it is but the Nulon stuff I found is better, about every 10,000K's the tappets start to rattle and I chuck a bottle of the Nulon stuff in and it instantly shuts them up.
It says on the back of the bottle that it's meant to quieten noisey tappets and it certainly does on my pos.
For $10-12 a bottle you got nothing to loose.

what are you calling a pos??
might have to get some of that tappet stuff. my paj is nudging 185k and it is really starting to go thru some oil, and the tappets are very noisy when cold.

ummm a pos is short for "piece of sh1t"

i know what pos stands for but i was wondering why the "jabber" was being called that!! i take offence on its behalf

Mate I have worked for mitubishi for about 9 half years and have had heaps of v6 magnas and pajeros mainly pajero come in blowing smoke I have done the valve stem seals only and every one that I have done has fixed the problem and still to this day are all ok as they get regular services and are not blowing any smoke at all

approx cost? mine has been regularly serviced and runs fine apart from its increased oil usage. mainly blue stuff on startup when cold and after idling.

Sorry been late getting back to you i will have to work out approx what it would cost and get back to you

thanks.