valve seals

5

55Crown

New member
Can you change the valve seals on a 55 272 with the heads on the engine, and if so, how do you keep the valves from falling into the cylinders when the springs are removed? Are the seals a soft material like neoprene?
 
first use a air adaptor with the spark plug removed with low presure with piston up top thanwith valve spring made for the job cmpress the spress remove the keepers retainer and spring remove the oring and use somthing like aclothto gather upold oring goodluk.
 
buy the spark plug adapters,buy or rent the valve spring compressure from your parts store, it looks like a mini gear puller two legs, one shorter than the other so they can grab different coils on the valve spring ,a screw knob on top, unless you have a stick shift that you can put in first gear forget about putting the piston on tdc, with an auto matic the air pressure will just push the piston to the bottom, every thing will still work the same tho, you really only need seals on the intake valves, they are the ones that suck oil into the engine, but you can replace all of them tho , i just do the intakes, and i use the umbrella type seals they work the best, before you start take a ball peen hammer and tap on all the valve retaines to free them up from the valve keepers, hit each in a drifferent place around the valve, makes the job much easier, make sure you have a compresser capable of holding at least #80 of pressure, have a friend help its faster that way, get every thing laid out so you can remove the spring and place a seal on the valve and re install the spring and keepers in a hurry
 
Might also be sure that you are not close to needing a valve job, now is tha time. If you are sure that the valves are OK, then go ahead. Good luck. Gerry
 
Follow the very good instructions of Ford 1 above with two exeptions. After the spring is compressed, tap the retainer down with a hammer to release the keepers, but have a well magnetized screw driver laying next to the keepers to pull them out. It may also be a good idea to put a rag in the oil drain back holes on each end of the head just in case one of those slippery little buggers happens to get away.
If you dont have an air compressor, you can try this; remove all the spark plugs, and thread a three foot piece of soft clothes line rope in one cylinder at a time. Turn the engine slowly with a long ratchet and socket on the damper bolt untill the motor will turn no more. Remove the springs on that cylinder. Turn the motor the opposite dirrection to loosen the rope and proceed to the next cylinder.
 
Old Don, you are so right about plugging any holes that the keepers can fall into, and you are also right about them being very slippery
 
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