Pickle fork/ one piece front seal?

36tudordeluxe

36tudordeluxe

Well-known member
Having trouble pulling down valve guides to install the retaining clips, 11 out of 16 were cake but the other 5 I can't get a good hold on the guide groove with the pickle fork. I have two forks and neither doing the job, one is MCF and the other no-name; they're about 20 years old, have they made improvements with the new forks?
Have one piece rubber front crankshaft seal, does the tapered side go on first?
 

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You want the lip of the seal facing the way you want to keep the oil in...so the taper if i understand you right should be facing outwards.
If the guides are the same brand it´s odd that you have trouble with just a few...they should be machined the same.
 
Another way to describe seals is that the sharp part of the seal edge goes toward the oil or grease to keep it in. If you run your finger in the seal both ways you can tell which side would scrape more oil off.
 
With the guides you're having trouble with; if they are inlets, you should be able to use a bar in through the ports to push the guides down sufficiently to install horseshoe clips. Exhausts, I'm afraid you're stuck with using a pickle fork or assembling from bottom [very fiddly]
 
Agree on the seal. I had the hardest time getting mine on. So I took a piece of aluminum foil and wrapped the step on the crank snout (8BA). It slid right on.
 
Good on the seal now, will continue to struggle with the guides, never thought about going through the intake ports. Thanks everyone.
UPDATE: Never could get the fork to engage the other guides, guides chewed up now, order new fork and guides.
 
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Hi Bob, I believe you'd find it much easier using a conventional valve spring compressor.

It's how we assemble them all the time here. We have an air-operated tool (photo below) makes it a 'breeze" but a hand-operated one will work.

Thanks, Gary in N.Y.

P.S. Here's a shot of one being assembled, you just need to make certain the "fingers" are straight and not offset. Our method (with the air) takes about 20/30 minutes or so to get all 16 installed. The hand-operated would be slower but still easier/safer than the "fork" method.
 

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GOSFAST said:
Hi Bob, I believe you'd find it much easier using a conventional valve spring compressor.

It's how we assemble them all the time here. We have an air-operated tool (photo below) makes it a 'breeze" but a hand-operated one will work.

Thanks, Gary in N.Y.

P.S. Here's a shot of one being assembled, you just need to make certain the "fingers" are straight and not offset. Our method (with the air) takes about 20/30 minutes or so to get all 16 installed. The hand-operated would be slower but still easier/safer than the "fork" method.
Click to expand...
That's interesting, but I don't see how that moves the guide down, only that it compresses the spring leaving no room to install the clip. I know I'm wrong, just can't see how it works.
 
The valves and guides go in disassembled. Put your guide and spring in place, insert guide lock, insert valve, Then use the compressor to compress the spring and install the keeper/locks in place.
 
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