62 144ci Valve stem seal replacement

**dkutz** · October 25th, 2020, 07:29 PM

Need some help and encouragement. We pulled the pan off the motor today to replace and main seal and reseal the oil pan and timing cover.. all looked good EXCEPT there was little pieces of plastic in the oil pump screen. I could not figure out where they came from, then it dawned on me... valve seals. Hardened and broke apart. I HAD NO PLAN TO REPLACE THESE.
And seriously considered to leave them and live with a little first start smoke, but I know the right thing to do is replace them, especially now with the motor out.

How hard are they to replace? What tools do I need? How much work involved?i have to pull the rockers. Compressed air into each cylinder to hold valve, then compressed springs to pull springs and drop in new seal. I then have tore adjust all the valves right?

This is a job I have never done before. Am I over my head doing it myself?

**Luva65wagon** · October 25th, 2020, 10:40 PM

Well, you have the sequence of events correct - BUT you can remove the entire rocker arm assembly as a whole and not touch the adjusting nuts. This means you should be able to reinstall it and no adjustment is needed - though doing one might not be a bad idea, since it's not very hard to do. If it's a mechanical valve tappet, it's a maintenance thing anyway. Not so much if hydraulic lifters. Plenty of videos on YouTube University, I'm sure.

But yeah, you need to compress the springs enough to remove the keepers - and not let the valve fall into the motor. Compressed air is usually all that is needed. Use a compression tester hose with the correct spark-plug hole adapter. Makes a lot of noise since the air will blow past the rings, but most compressors can keep the pressure up. When the rockers are all off all valves are forced closed, so piston/cam location is not an issue.

This is the correct style spring compressor to use since it all is done on the spring side. It's $25 on Amazon (OTC 4573) or maybe if you are local you can borrow mine or get a loaner from your local auto parts store.