When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So after I noticed the engine was consuming more and more oil i finally committed to doing a full inspection on the motor. I verified there were no oil leaks, so I proceeded with tearing off the valve covers, rocker arms, and springs. To my surprise almost all of my valve steam seals lifted up!
When initially doing the cam install i was very careful to not break any of the springs on the seals, infact they are all in tact still! The included valve stem seals never seated as nicely as the stock ones, and sit a little bit higher. Even if one were to hammer the **** outta them they would not fully seat.
During my initial cam install i messed up one set of the BTR valve stems seals so put in a OEM seal from another LS motor... and surprise they are still seated properly!! I definitely recall them having a much better fitment and sliding on better too.
If your running a BTR spring kit, id highly recommend checking your valve stem seals. It is possible they also just threw the wrong ones in my kit?? Idk, but this is definitely not how i wanted to spend my weekend! I think afterwards im going to seafoam the motor and toss in new plugs. Then the motor will be much happier
Last edited by itsdaveonline; 11-20-2015 at 01:01 PM.
Pics aren't showing up. An I have installed several BTR valve spring kits and haven't had a problem. There are also several other on here an other forms that have installed there kits with out a problem. Did you call them an talk to them before coming on here ? I'm sure they would take care of it an send you the correct set if they sent you the wrong ones.
I have used quite a few BTR spring kits and have never had an issue with any of the valve seals. I would definitely recommend giving them a call as they are very good about taking care of their customers.
Just re-did the pictures, hopefully they work now. Yeah the real zinger is that I did not purchase through BTR directly, I got a complete cam kit through one of their approved resellers / partners... and that was months ago.
Aside from dripping oil into the combustion chamber should I be worried about anything else? All of the BTR valve stems were in tact and there were no unaccounted or missing parts of the seals.
Could be optical illusion, but the BTR seal looks to be larger diameter, meaning a less tight press fit. Tons and tons of people running BTR setups, though. I've heard of a couple other failures, but I'm sure the same can be said about plenty of brands. I have Lunati myself and I've never heard anyone badmouth them.
By eyeball the outside diameter of both is approx the same. Here's an old pic where i stacked them on top of each other for comparison. For reference again bottom is OEM top is BTR.
From just feel - I think the inner diam of the btr seals are smaller and perhaps too tight allowing for a bad seating position. But ill have to get out the digital caliper to confirm that
You would need to add Trick Flow Specialties, Total Engine Airflow, and many, many others to your "****" list, because we all use the same exact seals.
Between those two companies, we shipped thousands of heads, and not a single complaint of a seal coming off. However we used a specific process for installation.
It's obvious from your picture that the BTR seals weren't properly installed, we're working on releasing a inexpensive tool to assist in the proper installation of these seals.
I am still chasing down this problem. The weird part is that it is driver side only and I installed both sides the same way. What has worked for me was using the fuel-pro SS 70945 seals and putting them on with lots of assy lube. So much I can basically push them on with my Kent-Moore tool.
So it's just coincidence that all 7 cylinders which used the BTR supplied seals failed, and the other cylinder which used GM seals are holding out fine? I will add the installation method was the same on all cylinders.
IMO it's hard to achieve proper installation when the part does not fit right from the get-go. The GM part fit on snugly and uniformly, while the BTR valve stem seals will require a tool short of a jack hammer to fully seat. I will also add it's extremely easy for these seals to slide on "crooked" compared to GM ones.
I'll take a picture of all 16 used BTR valve stems if needed. Not a single spring was pinched, broken, or damaged during install. I think the aftermarket valve stem seals have too tight a inner diameter. And yes, i oiled them up during install.
I am still chasing down this problem. The weird part is that it is driver side only and I installed both sides the same way. What has worked for me was using the fuel-pro SS 70945 seals and putting them on with lots of assy lube. So much I can basically push them on with my Kent-Moore tool.
Jmargo, i feel your pain. That's the EXACT kit i have. It looks like your seals did not seat all the way down either and it required incredible amounts of force to get them to cooperate. I did notice in your thread though that one of the little springs is broken during install.
It also must be coincidence that other people in that thread bitch about the same problem with the same product. We all must be idiots...
Originally Posted by jblankenship
Mine was puffing smoke as well. BTR valve seals as well. After reading your thread I decided to pull the valve covers. Same issue as yours to the tee. Except mine had about 12 pulled off.
Originally Posted by DreamKA
How on earth do I get the BTR Valve seals to seat onto LSA heads? They're a REALLY tight fit. Trying to press them on and I've bent my home made valve spring tool....
Last edited by itsdaveonline; 11-21-2015 at 09:47 PM.
I pinched the seal springs trying the socket method. By then I had so many extra seals I would just seat them and replace the springs that got nicked.
So are you still running the BTR supplied seals? I'll report back with the results of the seals im running. My valves looked fine, and the seals weren't destroyed by any means, but i pretty much inspected everything but the springs
I had to install those seals with a properly-sized socket and mallet. I hate using a mallet with anything believe me, but the seals are a very tight fit and require some carefully administered force to get them to seat properly. There was about a 1/4" of clearance from bottom of the seal to the locater after they were installed.
First I would have contacted someone before coming on here. Also I always used a small rubber hammer and a socket and not one issue. Installer error I would think you have to make sure it's seated properly.
Back when I owned Total Engine Airflow we switched from the GM seals to these EOK seals, and I don't recall a difference in the amount of force that it took to install both seals. Bear in mind that these seals are also used by West Coast Cylinder Heads, Advanced Induction, Airflow Research, Comp Cams, Lunati, and even Fel Pro. If the seals say "EOK" on top, it's the same seals, regardless of color.
We still ship several sets of heads per week with these seals, with zero reports of the seals coming off.
I'm sorry that you had issues installing our seals, but understand that over 100,000 of these seals are installed every year by our customers and 99% don't have issues. However that 1% is certainly a large number and we want to accommodate our customers who have issues, that's why I've been working on an inexpensive tool to install these seals with ease.
Also we currently offer the different color seals from EOK, both the black/brown and the blue. Some of our customers feel like the blue seals install easier and stay on better. I will look at offering the GM seals in addition to the EOK seals in the future.
I've been in business for many, many years. Total Engine Airflow was successful enough that Summit Racing bought it from me in 2004. Businesses don't succeed by selling **** parts, and we're certainly not going to sell **** parts. If we truly feel like there's a serious issue with anything we sell, we will change it or discontinue it.
Something to ponder though is, if I want my HVAC system fixed, I call a professional HVAC repairman, if I want my plumbing fixed, I call a professional plumber. Some guys should refer their installs to a professional to alleviate their frustration...
I've been in business for many, many years. Total Engine Airflow was successful enough that Summit Racing bought it from me in 2004. Businesses don't succeed by selling **** parts, and we're certainly not going to sell **** parts. If we truly feel like there's a serious issue with anything we sell, we will change it or discontinue it.
Something to ponder though is, if I want my HVAC system fixed, I call a professional HVAC repairman, if I want my plumbing fixed, I call a professional plumber. Some guys should refer their installs to a professional to alleviate their frustration...
Wow you owned TEA! Good best! You made a successful business by only selling to professionals then, I assume? Since you inherently ragged on do-it-yourselfers with the HVAC and plumbing jab.
Great good! We can build engines but putting valve seals on eludes us!
I used to have a respect for you based solely on the reputation of your products, however, after seeing your take that we aren't qualified to install your products, I have none.
Maybe you should set up a forum specifically for people who want to go and talk about how they paid mechanics to install parts and troubleshoot problems. I think ls1tech is more for the automotive hobbyists (who in more cases than not know the nuances of our particular vehicles more than the 'professional') who like to diagnose problems and help others, and leave a resource available to someone who may have the problem in the future.
I think ls1tech is more for the automotive hobbyists (who in more cases than not know the nuances of our particular vehicles more than the 'professional') who like to diagnose problems and help others, and leave a resource available to someone who may have the problem in the future.
I said SOME guys, maybe I'm still sore over someone calling my products ****, sorry if I've offended you.
11-20-2015, 11:14 AM
BTR valve stem seals...... 
The included valve stem seals never seated as nicely as the stock ones, and sit a little bit higher. Even if one were to hammer the **** outta them they would not fully seat. 
