A Newbies Adventures in Maintenanceland!

9am53 wrote:

PLUMMEN wrote:

my ultra cheap technique for checking guides is to wire wheel the valves and stems.then shove the back in valve guide maybe 1/2-3/4 the way and try rocking side to side,if the move noticably its time for guides.if they check out ok id atleast have a valve job done and install new seals,remember if guidesare bad valves will not sit flat on seats wasting the valve job.

OK, dumb nube question here...what exactly is a "valve job"

around $200.00 :laugh:

The oil on one of the valves in your picture above, shows at least new valve stem seals are needed. What do the spark plugs look like?

Ball-type honing of the cylinders is not at all difficult to do, as I've done it, on two of the many 550 cylinders I own.

Measure before you start, with a telescoping bore gauge at north and south, then east and west at 3 elevations where you see the rings have been traveling in the cylinders.

Take your time. You can do this.

9am53 wrote:

PLUMMEN wrote:

if the bores/pistons are in spec you should be fine just honing reringing it,ive got a bad feeling looking at the pistons though

damn, you're scaring me now!

looks like its been blowing by those rings for quite awhile,clean up the pistons and boresbefore you order rings

ok, so when I remove rings from the piston I can put them back on? I just thought that once they are off I need new ones...

CoreyClough wrote:

The oil on one of the valves in your picture above, shows at least new valve stem seals are needed. What do the spark plugs look like?

Ball-type honing of the cylinders is not at all difficult to do, as I've done it, on two of the many 550 cylinders I own.

Measure before you start, with a telescoping bore gauge at north and south, then east and west at 3 elevations where you see the rings have been traveling in the cylinders.

Take your time. You can do this.

my plugs are all carbon fouled, hopefully because of 10 volts getting to my coils...being taken care of this winter too...and number 1 (the oily valve one) has some oil on the plug always...

Don't reuse the old piston rings. New rings, hone work, and head rebuild. Plan on at least that work to be done.

cool, I can swallow that...thx

I'll update the thread with some more pics and some measurements once I get back in the garage...

stuff some rags in top of cases where rods come through to keep stuff out of there

"I can swallow that".... Choice of words! :blink:

Old Man Rock wrote:

"I can swallow that".... Choice of words! :blink:

WOOPS, you caught me! :blush: all this "valve job" talk got me excited...I thought it was thursday night already :laugh:

I just stuffed clean rags round the conrods in the crankcase openings and took them out very carefully to shake the loose stuff off now and again. Great care is the key.

that sounds like a smart idea, I will do that when I get back to work on it...I have a plastic bag covering everything now...