Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting valve removal

Hi, I just removed my head and found out that two of my valves are cracked/chipped (explains compression loss, but the problem is i have no idea how to remove the valves, does anyone know how to do this?

You need to get a manual and study it.

To remove the valve, you need a valve spring compressor (often available for loan or rent from an auto parts store, make sure you get one that works for your engine). The head must be removed from the engine (I assume you have already done this). The valve spring must be compressed so that you can remove the valve keepers, then remove the valve wpring, and then slide out the valve.

thanks, i do have the head off (4cylinder) and i went out and bought a book,but is it possible to reuse the keepers? and should i replace all the valves since i'm already in this deep, or should i just replace the broken ones.

There are several ways to approach this.

Yes, you usually can reuse the keepers.

On low mileage engines you can often get away with replacing the bad valves. You do need to check the valve seats and make sure they are not damaged. At the least, you should get a valve stick and lap in the new valve to the old seat and confirm that the seat is OK.

The more common approach is to take the head to a machine shop and have them grind all the valves and seats. If you have access to valve grinding equipment (auto shop at school) you may be able to tackle this yourself.

Replacing all the valves is seldom necessary as well as very expensive.

Welcome, azs .