Replace Valve Stem Seals?

[SHOpar]

Hey All,

I've been trying to find some time to do another 60K on the SHO, and I finally decided to pull the intake off late last week to see what I was in for before ordering anything.

The car has been burning oil for the past several years to the tune of 1 quart every 1K - 1.5K miles; nothing too major, but still annoying. I suspected it was valve stem seals, and when I got the intake off, here's what I saw:





I checked all the intake valves, and every one of them looks dry, shiny, and brand new except for the valve at the very lower right of the first pic. It looks clean, but definitely has a few drops of oil on the top of it.

I haven't pulled the valve covers to take a look at the exhaust valves, but it looks like only one valve has an issue so far. Should I break down and replace the stem seals while I have it apart or do the 60K and switch to a high-mileage oil to see what happens? For the past 12 years and 100K I have been running Castrol 5W-30.

I really don't want to pull the heads, so if I tackle this job, I think it will be with them installed in the car. I've read a few write ups on the process, and it seems like it's really tedious, but certainly doable with the right tools.

Also, any suggestions on what to use to clean up the gunk in the intake runners? I would rather not tear the whole intake apart if I can avoid it.

I did notice two of my plug wells were filled to the top with oil, so that's probably the source of the hesitation issues I've had lately.

At least I detailed the engine bay right before tearing into it so I had a clean environment to work in:



Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[rubydist]

spark plug wells filled w/ oil will definitely cause spark shorts, so will reduce power considerably.

carb cleaner will do a reasonable job of cleaning up the intake for you. just be careful, since it also removes paint pretty well....

you didn't mention how many miles you have. the engine I am currently refreshing (at 175k) had hard but functional intake valve stem seals, but broken/cracked/missing exhaust valve stem seals on 1/3 of the valves. if you have the time and cash, I would strongly recommend changing the seals. and, while you are doing that, a little lap job on the valves is also recommended.

and if you are going that far, it might be worth another few hours to pull out the pistons and clean up the rings, so you know they are not sticking. in my experience, an hour of soaking in parts cleaner will soften up the carbon in the ring grooves enough that you can remove, clean and re-install the rings w/o breaking any. sticking rings cause low power, piston slap, lower economy, etc.

 

[SHOpar]

Thanks for the reply rubydist!

The car has about 160K on it, and I've had it since 50K. It's first and only 60K service was right at 60K, but I've kept up on all the other maintenance and always changed the oil every 3K. The only indication of the car burning oil is the level slowly dropping, as the car doesn't smoke at start up and I only see a puff at real high RPM every once in awhile.

I don't mind going as far as replacing the seals, but I really want to avoid pulling the heads and all that entails, such as possible busted manifold bolts, and dealing with manifold and head gaskets, etc. I doubt there's any issues with carbon buildup in the motor, as the car is my daily driver and it sees a run at least to 5K - 6K RPM every day. It still runs out well and seems to get decent mileage (around 20 mixed driving).

The main reason I don't want to spend a whole lot of time and money on it, is I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep it. It's getting harder and harder to find parts, and I'm sure my Konis are in need of a rebuild soon with 100K on them. I also have my eye on the new Focus ST as a possible replacement.

Thanks again!

 

[pitaSHO]

You can replace the seals with the heads still on. I've done four cars that way. You need an air compressor with constant pressure in the cylinder you're working on. Pull the spark plug and screw the hose into the plug well. Make sure you have a beefy compressor; the smaller ones cant' keep enough pressure in the cylinder. Then when you pull the cams you'll do one set of four at a time. I can swing by some time if you need a hand.

Chris K.

 

[itwonder]

Switch to Castrol 5W-30 High Mileage. It has seal conditioners that may reduce the oil consumption. One qt every 1-1.5K miles is not bad consumption. I'd say doing seals is optional at this point.