Valve seal install?

With the advice of some folks here, I ordered some valve seals from Joe Hooper for my 750-4. Is there a special tool for installing these (which I don't have) or can I make one or use a substitute? Or will they simply push on (I've done a bunch of car seals but never a Kawa)?

And should I use some kind of protection sleave when I push them over the valve stems? Thanks!

I pull the old ones off with needle nose and simply push the new ones on with my finger

Yep, no special tool required. They should push right on. Sometimes they can be a little stubborn, but they should push on without too much difficulty.

i just put a bit of assembly lube on them and push them into place. now removing the old ones can be fun.

You weren't kidding! I nearly had to chisel them off! They were so hard and brittle, and wouldn't hold the valves in even from gravity. I'm getting pretty good clearance numbers from the guide/stems so I'm betting the seals had a lot to do with my smoking engine problem (other then the rings).

By the way, in cars we usually get a clear plastic sleeve with the seals. It is put over the stems to protect the seals from sharp edges when installing. Is this necessary with bike engines?

Some have the small spring around the top and they can pop off when pushing the seal on. We use a valve with no head inserted in the seal then inserted in the guide. Then we push the guide on with anything that clears the spring and pushes the seal body.

Once on the guide, valve stem is removed and springs does not pop off.

polkat wrote:

You weren't kidding! I nearly had to chisel them off!

I use one of those hook & pick tools to get under the lower lip of the seal and pull it up.

polkat wrote:

By the way, in cars we usually get a clear plastic sleeve with the seals. It is put over the stems to protect the seals from sharp edges when installing. Is this necessary with bike engines?

I never used anything like that, nor have I ever seen them.

the plastic sleeve is used to slide over the keeper end of the valve and then slide the seal over it, supposed to keep you from nicking the seal with the keeper end of the valve.

they only seem to last on a couple of valves.

I pulled the old valve seals off with a finishing nail that I bent at the end to make a hook out of. The new seals are easy to push on with your finger.

i use hose pliers my self never fails to get them off in one shot.

A use a dab of assembly lube on the inside of the seal.....push the seal on with your finger. Just like Tim said. It doesn't get any easier.

OEM seals are the only way to go IMO. They won't deform from installation and the clip does't pop off either.

Most aftermarket seals are 100% junk and not worth the time & money to install if you expcet any life out of them.

OEM Kaw seals cost more and they'r worth every extra dollar

I recently got a head in with metal jacketed valve seals like Suzuki uses. They are a bugger to get off sometimes.

With Kaw seals, to remove, push the clip off the seal first. Then grab the seal with needle nose pliers, twist it to brake it loose, the twist & pull it right off the guide.

larry you should try small hose pliers you will be a changed man after trying them. they are just the right size have decent teeth on the jaws and are bent just perfect for valve seal removel in fact they should be called valve seal pliers instead of hose pliers most times they just chew the hose up.