Valve Seals
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 54
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
Valve Seals I just wanna throw this out there. I did my own cam install and followed ls1howto.com instructions. After it was all buttoned up it used massive amounts of oil and smoked on decell and sometimes at idle. I had to tear it all apart and found that my valve seals were unseated (these are the seals that are separate from the seats). We didn't pound them down far enough. 
So everyone knows the valve seals seem to stop at a point where they are 1/4" to 3/8" from the seat...THAT IS NOT FAR ENOUGH DOWN. They should be more like 1/8" from the seats. I couldn't find this information anywhere so I figured I would share my experience.
So everyone knows the valve seals seem to stop at a point where they are 1/4" to 3/8" from the seat...THAT IS NOT FAR ENOUGH DOWN. They should be more like 1/8" from the seats. I couldn't find this information anywhere so I figured I would share my experience.
I agree, I used an old sleve out of a rubber body bushing as an install tool. I made sure they were down all the way. You're right, they feel like they're down but tap 'em a few more times for good measure.
I have the same exact problem! Uses a crap load of oil and smokes pretty bad. I was going to replace the valve seals but I'm going to be ordering some heads tomarrow so i'll just wait it out untill I can get the heads installed.
The service manual has a dimension for the installed seal that is supposed to be checked after installation to ensure it is down all the way. Also, during installation, the sound will change when the seal bottoms.
