valve seal replacement

[3XBrownCutty]

my 3.8 smokes quite a bit, and I was wondering how much of a job it was to install new valve seals. how much work is just getting wires and crap out of the way. specific info about a 3.8 car would be awesome, but i'll take what i can get :lol:

 

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

if you have an air compressor you can remove the park plug from the cylinder you're working on and thread the air hose into the sparkplug threads, you can find an adapter easy for this. then take the valve cover off, remove the rocker arm assembly and then the springs, etc then put the new seals on and reverse the process and repeat on the next cylinder.

its not hard but does require you take your time and pay attention to what you're doing, valve springs, even the weak buick ones can shoot out and hurt you. otherwise you could possibly drop a valve and then you'll really be unhappy.

then torque the rocker arm assembly back on to the recommened specs and do the other head the same way.

im so glad mine doesnt smoke, well it does but a valve cover gasket fixed that. lol

 

[3XBrownCutty]

I know the drivers side should be pretty easy. But do you think I will have to remove any of the A/C stuff on the pass. side, because I know it's pretty crowded over there. It was a big job to replace the plugs. Thanks for the quick reply. I've been a very busy lately....Girls :x

 

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

the passenger side isnt as easy to get to but it can be done without removing much. just the heater tube from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner and the rest is pretty easy. i have big hands and ive never had many problems changing plugs. after a couple times you get a feel for it. extensions for your ratchet and a swivel makes it much easier, otherwise it is a PITA.

 

[3XBrownCutty]

Cool thanks for the info!! any reccomendations for brand of seals? don't want to end up doing the job twice.

Yeah, trust me, I definately pulled out the toolbox full of swivels and extensions for the plugs. just took a while to find the right place to put the swivel :lol:

 

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

get the ones they use for turbo engines, they're made to handle higher temps and dont cost much more than regular ones. the material is viton and even though you may not have a turbo engine these are recommended over the regular stock stuff they normally use. recommended by my former auto tech teacher who knows lots about turbos and GM's and g-bodies specifically. he's well versed in the buick V6 so i trust him. he's an ASE master tech, not master auto tech bust master tech, he has all but a couple certs from ASE so his word is gold.

also when you remove the valve covers you will have to remove the air pump on the drive side and something that hangs over the valve cover from the intake and on the passenger side the alternator i believe. i havent taken a valve cover off in a while i forget what might have to be removed on the passenger side. oh yeah, you'll have the wiring harness right in the middle of everything...that's gonna be fun. i had a bear of a time removing and then replacing the valve cover with that thing in the way.

 

[3XBrownCutty]

Thanks for all the helpful info!

I'm not sure when i'n going to end up ding this. probably right before the end of winter, i have to do valve seals, oil pan gasket, and rear main. might as well do it all at once.

 

[Uncletruck]

The good part is you only have to do the 6 intake valves, as the exhaust valves on the 3.8 don't have stem seals. They are relatively easy to do with the air compressor adapter and spring compressor tool you can rent or buy at parts stores- except as you guessed on the #6 cylinder by the climate box- but the spring tool I had when doing mine fit, just barely, it was a b*tch getting the keepers back in on that one. I used Fel-Pro stem seals, they worked fine. The seals I pulled out on my 30+ year old engine were hard as rocks. Overall when I did this it wasn't as hard a job as I thought it would be.

I don't know about the stem seals, but the Viton rear main seal (when you get around to it) for the turbo 3.8's will not fit on the N/A engine, it's considerably wider. You might want to check the fit with the stem seals also, not all the turbo stuff works on the N/A engines.

-UT-

 

[3XBrownCutty]

Are there other methods other that the air compressor to keep the valves up? My uncle told me I could just feed a piece of rope in the spark plug hole, and turn the engine over by hand until the "roped cylinder" is putting slight pressure on the valves. would that work in this situation?

How do the exhaust valves seal then? if they dont have stem seals.

Thanks UT!

 

[dan2286]

I have never heard of the rope method, but it sounds like it should work.