Are valve seals just supposed to.. slip out?

[Patrick Sullivan]

Okie, pulled my valve covers to adjust the valves today.. (made quite a difference, BTW. ). The first thing I noticed was a rubber o-ring, about the size of a valve spring, lying between two rocker arms. Now I'm thinking.. "Hey, that looks like a valve seal, how did that get there? Oh, crap.."

I was under the impression that valve seals are locked in there pretty well, and that they just don't fly out randomly.. am I wrong? None of my valve springs are broken.. I haven't been floating valves lately.. though maybe my Dad was, he drove my Chevy for a week.

So, er, how the hell did this thing come out?! And maybe more importantly, how do I get it back in? There are no big blue clouds of smoke coming out my exhaust.. yet..

[CoryM]

MAybe it was left over from the rebuild? If it has no tears in it thats the only way it could be there. If you find a valve with no seal on it all you have to do is get a valve compressor (the kind you can use with the heads on the block). Its just a lever you bolt down to the rocker stud. THen all you gotta do is pull the keeper clips out, stuff seal in, re-install keepers and adjust rockers.
Good Luck.
CoryM

[Patrick Sullivan]

Engine has never been rebuilt as far as I know, at least not since I have owned it.. and I have had the valve covers off before. It is solid, though hard and worn, it was definately being used before it, er, slipped out.

Now where does the valve seal sit on things? On top of the spring?

[Patrick Sullivan]

Quick pic 1

[Patrick Sullivan]

Quick pic 2 - is it supposed to be taller? It looks like it sheared in the middle or something.. I didn't find another half.. it's rough on one side either way.

[hjalbert]

hey what is the diameter of that thing? not sure from the pic, but if is bigger then about 1/4 -3/8 of an inch, then its not a valve seal.

[hjalbert]

thats not a valve seal, its probalbly your pcv valvegrommetg, or your breather grommet

[Patrick Sullivan]

Oo I am stupid, I somehow connected the rubber thing being the same diameter as the spring with it being a valve seal of some sort..

Except I'm not missing a grommet, either.. hahah.

Was wondering how the stuffed this thing around the valve stem.. :p Thanks.

[hjalbert]

what looks like happened is your grommet ripped in half, and that half fell in, the other half is probalbly still sitting in you valve cover, take a look and see if they mate up

[greasemonkey]

Or, if your truck is like mine, they were probably all old and crusty and brittle, the guy that changed them before probably ripped one, left the piece in there without taking the valve cover off and getting it out, and you found it. That almost happened to me, I was changing the grommets and a piece fell in, but I fished in there with a flashlight and a good pair of needlenose pliers and got it out. If it was during the day, I would have taken the cover off-but this was at night.