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Valve
stem seals installation
guide
Forced4 Motorsports
So you have a little smokin going on when you start the car? I little detonation here and there at high RPM in 4th or 5th gear. Maybe it's time to change out those valve stem seals. The method we used involves compressed air. If you don't have a compressor you can use the "Rope" method and follow this same guide. The only real difference is you won't need to put the car in gear between valve sets or use the breaker bar to stop the engine from turning. Stock replacement valve seals The stock replacements from Ford are the best available. You will receive 8 seals. 4 with stripes and 4 without. The seal material is also different for intake and exhaust. Intake side - striped, reddish color seal material, the letters IN cast into the top. Exhaust side - no stripe, black color seal material, letters EX cast into the top. Tools needed Spring Compressor - K D Tools 3087 Telescopic Magnet tool Medium length, narrow flat head screwdriver Air Compressor or 1/4 inch diameter rope Spark plug compressor fitting Socket Sets - both metric and standard Tire Blocks Crank bolt socket and leverage bar 17mm Slim Line wrench A second pair of hands You can do this job on your own, but it is nice to have a second set of hands when working through the stem seal part of the install, specifically when you get to the last pair of valves. There's not allot of room in that area for #8 due to the EGR tube location. Tips and Tricks
There are several options to think about at this point of the Valve Stem Seal replacement. You can replace everything from lifters to springs to rockers right here and now. Good thing I put this info here instead of at the top of the page. You now have one more reason to take a break and make that beer run on the way back from AutoZone. Important note: At this point in the procedure, you lucky souls with water lines running along the valve cover may have a bit of a time with the rear passenger side valve cover bolt. You will also need to remove the engine hoist eye from the last header bolt. *IF
YOU STILL HAVE THE OIL FEED LINE BRACKET ATTACHED*
Do not try to take
the outer nut off
without holding the header bolt in behind it. If both
turn, you risk turning the bracket and will snap the oil feed line.
You will need the 17mm slim line wrench at this time. This
was such a great idea FordSeal install procedures With the valve cover removed it's time for the fun to begin. Make sure the car is in neutral and the E-brake is on and the tires are blocked. Pull the cover cap from your cam cover and using the crank shaft socket and long handled ratchet, rotate the engine to TDC. This will put your #1 cylinder to the top and close the first two valves. Pull the plug for cylinder number one and install the compressor fitting. Using a breaker bar, wedge the crank bolt wrench to the driver side of the car. Look for the drainback holes in the head and use some paper towel to block them. If you loose a keeper down any of them, you'll be going fishing to get it out of the pan. Using the spring compressor, remove the rockers and put them aside. Remember what one is intake / exhaust. Now it's time to add some air. Note: In our experience it was best to just put the car in gear after moving the given piston to TDC. We used 80PSI and this was about the best balance for holding the valves shut and keeping the engine at bay... it may still turn, so use caution. Using the breaker bar alone will just result in removing your crank bolt. Attach the compressor hose to the plug fitting and open up the valve on your compressor. Fill up the cylinder to 80 PSI and set the compressor to maintain that pressure. Use the spring compressor to test the tension on the valve. If you are confident the valves are being held closed, compress the springs and remove the keepers with the magnet tool. Pull the spring and with some standard pliers, remove the valve stem seal. You can try with your hand first. Try not to scrape the stem with the pliers. You may find that most seals on the exhaust side will come off in pieces. This however does not mean they will come off easily. Place the plastic protector or straw over the keeper grooves and slide your new seal into place. When you push down on the seal it will; for the lack of better word, click into place. Rubber just doesn't click or snap - it kind of thuds, but without sound... ah, you get it! Note: You want to feel two "clicks". If you have trouble getting past the first one, use a 13mm deep socket and a few light taps with a hammer to seat the seal the rest of the way. Pull the straw off the valve stem and reinstall the spring and retainers. This is where the extra hands and good dexterity come in handy; and where you may need the flat head screw driver. While one person holds the spring compressed, the other slips in one half of the keeper pair and then slide it around to make room for the next. This is easier said than done – so I’m right there with you when you start to get aggravated. With luck you’ll have it so easy you’ll wonder what the hell I’m talking about here. If all else fails, open the passenger door 6 inches. Pop the hatch an let is rest ajar, let 5 PSI of air out of the right rear tire and eat a cheese ritz… You should be ready to try again now. Move on to the next seal in this set. Once complete, turn off the air compressor and disengage the line. Compress each spring again, and reinstall the rockers. Make sure the valves move with the spring this time so the keepers don't come out, this is probably the part of the procedure that dropping a valve is most common. Once the rockers are in and you have verified they are seated on the valve stem and lifter properly, reinstall the spark plug and move on to the next cylinder. Make sure you take the car out of gear and rotate the crank so the next piston is at TDC. You want the valves closed or you’re going to make your life hellish while you remove the head to retrieve the valve. One more tip - the telescopic magnetic tool we used was quite strong. If we had dropped a valve - there was a good chance this wonder tool would have saved the day. The key here with TDC; with the piston up, the stem will not fall all the way into the cylinder if things go bad. So now the rest is up to you. Do the same thing with the next 6 valves and you'll be set. Just a heads up for when you come to #8; be prepared to have some minor difficulty compared to the others. There is enough room to compress the spring to get the retainers in, just not as much to make it "easy". You can throw things around in the garage if you want to. Or just have a beer… ONE beer. Then try it again. Just remember to get at least one half of the retainer in to hold the valve up if you do decide to take a break. Reassembly Once you install the last rocker, check your work - keepers fit flush with retainers, rockers are seated in the lifters and valve stems properly... Make sure there is nothing left behind in the head. Tip: You should run down the cam pouring a reasonable amount of your chosen brand of engine oil over the lobes on the tappit side. This will cut down the slider chatter a bit on startup. Reinstall the valve cover and go back through the list above in reverse order. Starting the car up A note on rocker noise: Even if you chose to use the oil on the lobes tip, you are going to hear some tappit noise. We did not run oil over the cam, but I did add some after installing the valve cover. The vehicle we used for the install idled with quite a chatter for about 5 to 7 minutes before it settled down into normal operation. It actually seemed quieter than before the install once all was said and done. Do not rev the engine or drive the car until the noise subsides. Just be patient and let it idle for a good 10 minutes. Good luck to you in your project. We hope this article will help get your 2.3T a little closer to perfection. |
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