When to replace valvesprings?
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When to replace valvesprings? How many miles are valvesprings typically good for? I have a bolt on cam car with the MS4. It has been street driven alot and beat on every now and then but not abused. Car has not been driven much the past few years maybe 1,000 miles. Cam has probably been in now for probably going on 10 years.
Thanks
Thanks
Last edited by CaMaRo67RS355; May 10, 2018 at 03:11 PM.
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From: Orlando, FL
https://www.google.com/search?q=valv...obile&ie=UTF-8
Measuring install pressure and max lift pressure will actually tell you when to change them.
People that do not have the proper equipment are probably the ones that came up with the whole x amount of miles thing.
Measuring install pressure and max lift pressure will actually tell you when to change them.
People that do not have the proper equipment are probably the ones that came up with the whole x amount of miles thing.
https://www.google.com/search?q=valv...obile&ie=UTF-8
Measuring install pressure and max lift pressure will actually tell you when to change them.
People that do not have the proper equipment are probably the ones that came up with the whole x amount of miles thing.
Measuring install pressure and max lift pressure will actually tell you when to change them.
People that do not have the proper equipment are probably the ones that came up with the whole x amount of miles thing.
the shade-tree "rule of thumb" is to swap them out after x-amount of miles. i don't think there is anything wrong with this method, it's just like changing your oil early. except it's a little more involved because you're swapping valvesprings, lol.
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How many miles are valvesprings typically good for? I have a bolt on cam car with the MS4. It has been street driven alot and beat on every now and then but not abused. Car has not been driven much the past few years maybe 1,000 miles. Cam has probably been in now for probably going on 10 years.
Thanks
Thanks
My test data on valve springs and XE-R cam might be interesting to the OP.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...s-9-years.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...s-9-years.html
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Overall if quality springs were used, I'd be more concerned about how the retainers, locks, etc are holding up. On my TA the retainers were really beat up and needed replaced more than the springs.
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From: PDX-OR-USA
Worst case is a motor that has set without being turned over,, it will have a couple springs that have been compressed the whole time in storage..
On regularly raced road corse cars I change the springs twice a season, I remove the rockers over the winter so all the springs can relax.
do the same with sprint car engines, the rockers come off for the winter..
I don't even start a crate motor ,, it gets opened and new springs when it goes in..
YMMV..
On regularly raced road corse cars I change the springs twice a season, I remove the rockers over the winter so all the springs can relax.
do the same with sprint car engines, the rockers come off for the winter..
I don't even start a crate motor ,, it gets opened and new springs when it goes in..
YMMV..
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From: PNW
I've never heard any story or "rule of thumb" of valve springs going bad after any amount of miles. That's completely absurd. People have half a million miles on some of their bone stock engines. I swear some of you people just make **** up for something to talk about.
OP’s MS4 stick “might” treat valve train parts a wee bit different than a stock cam
Ain't talking stock there hammer.
I swear, some of you people post just for the sake of it.
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How many people get a half-million miles using a single set of springs and .649" valve lift?
aftermarket valvetrains are designed to support a much more aggressive camshaft, but simply won't last as long.
you can have an aftermarket cam and valvespring spec'd to last a long time, but it won't really be a max-effort setup. it also still probably will not outlast the stock cam/spring setup.
even stock springs with the stock cam in a stock engine will loose open pressure over time. it's a spring, it's not magic alien technology that will never wear or fail.
If you have a cam with .600 lift and the spring is rated for .660 lift then the spring should stay within spec for a long time unless their is a metal fatigue issue which causes the spring to lose elasticity. As seen above at 60,000 miles springs were still pretty close to original specs. If you have a .595 lift cam and a spring rated for .600 then the possibility of it becoming fatigued from an over rev or floating is probably higher and wear may occur since the spring is compressed nearly completely. Do you agree?
If you have a cam with .600 lift and the spring is rated for .660 lift then the spring should stay within spec for a long time unless their is a metal fatigue issue which causes the spring to lose elasticity. As seen above at 60,000 miles springs were still pretty close to original specs. If you have a .595 lift cam and a spring rated for .600 then the possibility of it becoming fatigued from an over rev or floating is probably higher and wear may occur since the spring is compressed nearly completely. Do you agree?
Several spintron videos show in slow motion what surge looks like at engine speed. Wrong pressure setups are often the number one cause of broken springs. When the coils are out of control the valve bounces and cam lobes and lifters get beat the hell up.
Theres a good picture in my 368 mutt thread of the fifty down locks for my Lunati duals to max out on my .605” intake lobe.
Valve train is quiet and shift point is 6900 with a tiny 226 @ .050”.
Mod KCS is very good with explaining these things because he sets up all his own heads as well.
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That's really interesting, thanks. I would not have guessed, but it totally makes sense.
On my 99 TA with the 60,000 miles on the 987's my friend that did the install, set the springs up so that they were shimmed within .010 (or whatever the correct spec is) of coil bind for maximum like and durability. From his background as a SAM graduate and NASCAR engine builder he basically said what A.R. said above.
My friend also said the springs needed to be checked occasionally with the other valve train hardware due to the fast ramp XE-R cam lobe. Stock LS1 rockers also wear on the tip with the high lift cams and need to be checked along with the roller bears etc. Short version at the track every week and beating on the car a lot - check more often.
Some folks on here said it wasn't possible for an XE-R cam to have 100,000 mile durability. I listened to my friend's maintenance suggestions and ran that XE-R cam for 132,000 miles with no issues. That motor is still good and looking for a new home
My friend is an engineer for McClaren Racing these days and we don't get to do LS projects anymore but I still agree with his view that new valve springs, lock, retainers, valve seals and occasionally rocker arms etc are maintenance items.
My friend also said the springs needed to be checked occasionally with the other valve train hardware due to the fast ramp XE-R cam lobe. Stock LS1 rockers also wear on the tip with the high lift cams and need to be checked along with the roller bears etc. Short version at the track every week and beating on the car a lot - check more often.
Some folks on here said it wasn't possible for an XE-R cam to have 100,000 mile durability. I listened to my friend's maintenance suggestions and ran that XE-R cam for 132,000 miles with no issues. That motor is still good and looking for a new home
My friend is an engineer for McClaren Racing these days and we don't get to do LS projects anymore but I still agree with his view that new valve springs, lock, retainers, valve seals and occasionally rocker arms etc are maintenance items.