Remove valve guides from 650?

Removing the valves and springs from the head with a C clamp and a vacuum switch socket worked great. Thanks KaZooCruiser and mountain for that cheap valve spring compression tool thread.

Question: is it necessary to remove the valve guides? I'd like to thoroughly clean the head, maybe even shine the outside with an abrasive blasting agent, but in order to do so I'd have to take out everything such as valve guides. The factory service manual instructs that the head needs to be heated to about 300F and the valve guide knocked out with a valve guide arbor. I'm kinda' nervous about pounding something out of the head and applying heat, although I could heat the thing to that temp in the oven.


Can anyone offer suggestions/methods for getting the valve guides out?

Thanks!

Removing the guides is not required, only if they need to be replaced. When you get your valve springs out, put the valve in the guide and wiggle it back and forth. If they wiggle more than just a tiny bit, then they should be replaced.

If you have the equipment to measure the amount of wiggle, your service manual should list the tolerances.

When I did my top-end overhaul recently, I did not remove the guides. There was almost no wiggle, so I left them alone.

I also used a glass bead blast on the head exterior, combustion chambers, and exhaust ports, and it looks brand spankin new now. Just make sure you flush it well aftwards to remove all grit from the passages.

Post edited by: Skyman, at: 2007/02/16 18:49

Great. Thanks for the advice Skyman. The valve guides have very little to no "play" or wiggle, so I'll just leave well enough alone. The engine only has about 14000 original miles.

Glass bead blasting is great advice, as I'd like to have my bike look brand spankin' new, too. Dont' mean to seen paranoid, but what about the fate of the valve guide oil seals during the blasting process? Could they be degraded? Can the valve guide oil seals be replaced without removing the guides themselves?

The valve guide seals are removable, but not reusable..

Just pluck them off with a pair of needle nose pliers.

new seals are cheap, but get a few extra as they are easliy damaged while putting them back on the valve guides... Z1 enterprize has them..

I would not direct any blasting down in the holes where your guides, springs and buckets go.. probally best to plug the holes up..

1045

If I could chime in on glass bead blasting, can I get a setup myself to do this? I've got my engine on my work bench and lots of accessability to dull and aged looking engine exterior surfaces. I really want to clean the alluminum, but getting in amongst the fins is darn near imposible. I've been shoving small tight wads of steel wool in and moving it around with a small screwdriver, but this method is too time consuming. Some one mentioned "soda blasting" to me. Whatever works to get back to shiny new. What do I need? On the valve stems, I've been warned not to remove them unless they are way worn. Mine were tight at 30K, I'm doing my cylinder head and valves now, too.

You could get this one, it's on sale for $799 at TP Tools


(Requires 10-15 cfm air @ 80 psi.)

Post edited by: steell, at: 2007/02/16 21:13

An usual, I'm learning a lot with this message board.

Thanks 1045. I'm pretty cautious about removing stuff from the engine if the removal of same is not really clear.

A buddy of mine has a table-top blasting cabinet with the associated equipment which I can likely use to run the glass beads through. Interesting information on glass beads here:

www.kramerindustriesonline.com/blasting-media/glass-beads.htm

plug your valve guides before you start glass beading the head,glass beads play hell on valve guides!

I used one of these from Harbor Freight Tools:

[img size=150]C:\Documents and Settings\sskyles\Desktop\SHOT0000.jpg[/img]

Sure, Wireman, thanks for emphasizing plugging the valve guides. I had planned on doing just that in addition to being VERY careful about not directing the blast stream against sensitive surfaces such as gasket mating surfaces. :woohoo:

Yeah Skyman, I'm pretty sure that blast cabinet is the exact one my buddy has. Now I just need to find a source for the glass beads here in Lansing.

Harbor Freight and Tractor Supply both have glass beads in stock here locally, NAPA may stock them also, but I don't know for sure.

If you remove the guides, you'll need professional tools to do a valve job. They are not cheap.

Just out of curiosity, I see a lot of posts here where guys are going 98% on overhauls but not going the extra 2%. It's a shame because that last 2% can yield your some of the best performance and insurance. That 2% being a valve job.

It's rare that I take a head apart and not find it to be in need of a better valve job.