R/R valve seal questions. 93 Saturn

When I put air pressure into the cyl. I hear air leaking somewhere into
the intake manifold. I've pulled both exh. and intake cams, so I know
the valves are all closed. I can't detect their air coming through any
of the seals... is that normal???

I am putting about 80psi in there, the piston moved down and turned the
camshaft a bit, so there isn't a lot of air leaking, I'm just worried
that when I pull the spring, the little bit of air leaking through
might allow the valve to fall in...

I'm changing the seals because the car is burning oil BIG TIME.

I don't get air bleeding through to the other cylinders, I've put air
into each cyl and they all have the same apparent leaking through to
the intake, but cyl 1 has a little more leaking than the others.

Man I sure hope I am being clear here!

The number 1 cyl spark plug looks oily, and the others look evenly
black.
the car runs fine.

-supa

You can pull the plug out and use something like venetian blind cord to
stuff the cylinder, then roll the piston up to jam the cord against the
valve. That will hold them in place. It is a good idea to tie a stick
on one end of the cord so it all doesn't get inside.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
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supafly wrote:
>
> When I put air pressure into the cyl. I hear air leaking somewhere into
> the intake manifold. I've pulled both exh. and intake cams, so I know
> the valves are all closed. I can't detect their air coming through any
> of the seals... is that normal???
>
> I am putting about 80psi in there, the piston moved down and turned the
> camshaft a bit, so there isn't a lot of air leaking, I'm just worried
> that when I pull the spring, the little bit of air leaking through
> might allow the valve to fall in...
>
> I'm changing the seals because the car is burning oil BIG TIME.
>
> I don't get air bleeding through to the other cylinders, I've put air
> into each cyl and they all have the same apparent leaking through to
> the intake, but cyl 1 has a little more leaking than the others.
>
> Man I sure hope I am being clear here!
>
> The number 1 cyl spark plug looks oily, and the others look evenly
> black.
> the car runs fine.
>
> -supa

If your hearing air into the intake with the valves "closed" your better
off pulling the heads and do a valve job. Sounds like at least one valve
is sticking open, probably due to carbon build-up on the stem or seat.
It also sounds like your rings are worn since you state it is burning a
lot of oil. Valve stem seals usually don't burn a lot of oil unless they
are really shot.

--
Steve W.

"supafly" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> When I put air pressure into the cyl. I hear air leaking somewhere
into
> the intake manifold. I've pulled both exh. and intake cams, so I know
> the valves are all closed. I can't detect their air coming through any
> of the seals... is that normal???
>
> I am putting about 80psi in there, the piston moved down and turned
the
> camshaft a bit, so there isn't a lot of air leaking, I'm just worried
> that when I pull the spring, the little bit of air leaking through
> might allow the valve to fall in...
>
> I'm changing the seals because the car is burning oil BIG TIME.
>
> I don't get air bleeding through to the other cylinders, I've put air
> into each cyl and they all have the same apparent leaking through to
> the intake, but cyl 1 has a little more leaking than the others.
>
> Man I sure hope I am being clear here!
>
> The number 1 cyl spark plug looks oily, and the others look evenly
> black.
> the car runs fine.
>
> -supa
>



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"supafly" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> When I put air pressure into the cyl. I hear air leaking somewhere into
> the intake manifold. I've pulled both exh. and intake cams, so I know
> the valves are all closed. I can't detect their air coming through any
> of the seals... is that normal???
>
> I am putting about 80psi in there, the piston moved down and turned the
> camshaft a bit, so there isn't a lot of air leaking, I'm just worried
> that when I pull the spring, the little bit of air leaking through
> might allow the valve to fall in...
>
> I'm changing the seals because the car is burning oil BIG TIME.
>
> I don't get air bleeding through to the other cylinders, I've put air
> into each cyl and they all have the same apparent leaking through to
> the intake, but cyl 1 has a little more leaking than the others.
>
> Man I sure hope I am being clear here!
>
> The number 1 cyl spark plug looks oily, and the others look evenly
> black.
> the car runs fine.
>
> -supa
>

Understood.
Air leaking into intake means valves not seating correctly. Requires
cylinder head removal to repair. Could be carbon build up, worn valve
guides, or worn valve seats.

Burning oil big time will show up on the plugs.
Valve stems leaking oil will have some noticeable symptoms. The ground
electrodes on the spark plugs will accumulate ash deposits and there will
usually be some blue smoke from the tail pipe when you first start the
engine after it sits up overnight.


Oil on the spark plug threads is from oil getting past the piston rings and
migrating up the threads under pressure. That oil is kept cool enough by
contact with the cylinders to keep it from burning off like oil that is
atomized with the intake air when it leaks though the valve stems.

If you make sure the cylinder you are changing the valve stem seal on is at
exactly top dead center, the valves will stay closed under pressure and the
piston will not push down. Even if the valve doesn't hold it can not fall
all the way down because it will be stopped by the piston. You might be able
to use a thin wire like a brazing rod or coat hanger through the spark plug
hole to tell when the piston is all the way up.

Be careful about stuffing string or rope in the cylinder through the spark
plug hole. I've seen that go terribly wrong.
--
Kevin Mouton
Automotive Technology Instructor
"If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"
Red Green

Thanks so much Kevin!!! I recently replaced the four exhaust valves

That post:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...85bbe7 f11256


I didn't notice any marring or anything with those valves, so perhaps
they are leaking a little but not too bad... I'll put the cyl at TDC,
that sounds more foolproof than holding the valve in with air.

Kevin, I would be happy to pay you for advice, I know this may sound
corny, but I do a lot of work for people and sometimes I have questions
that I would be willing to pay for the answer for... would you
consider?

thanks!

Jesse

"supafly" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks so much Kevin!!! I recently replaced the four exhaust valves
>
> That post:
>
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...85bbe7 f11256
>
>
> I didn't notice any marring or anything with those valves, so perhaps
> they are leaking a little but not too bad... I'll put the cyl at TDC,
> that sounds more foolproof than holding the valve in with air.
>
> Kevin, I would be happy to pay you for advice, I know this may sound
> corny, but I do a lot of work for people and sometimes I have questions
> that I would be willing to pay for the answer for... would you
> consider?
>
> thanks!
>
> Jesse
>

Nah, that would make it like work, and work is no fun. Just e-mail me if you
need help. I will when I can.

--
Kevin Mouton
Automotive Technology Instructor
"If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"
Red Green