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valve guide seal removal and replacement

C

charlie27

Forum Apprentice
Hi, what are the suggestions for removing the old valve seals and putting in new ones. I am not able to remove them with just my fingers. This is on a gs550 engine and bucket hole is a bit small. Figured I would ask first before doing it the hard/wrong way.

TIA
 
You won't get them off with your fingers. Try some thin nose pliers and gently wiggle and twist them before pulling.
 
Agree. A tool is necessary. I have seen pliers that had "teeth" on them that would reach under and grab. Think about it like a dog's fangs, without all the rest of his teeth. Wiggle, twist, rock, pull them off. There is a groove around the top of the valve guide, a lip on the rubber seal fits into it. Over the years, the rubber has gotten hard, you just need to convince it that it wants to leave that location.
 
a old spoke is great, Hook the head under the oil seal and pull up. Be carefull u dont snag the valve guide lip. This works great for the genuine steel seals. Maybe even bend the spoke 4 inches from the head for better grip
 
I bought some long nosed pliers and use them on my 550.
You will wreck the seal but it is not usable again anyway.

like the idea of a bike spoke - will try that next time
 
Sometimes they can leave bits behind hidden in the groove. Make sure it's all out before fitting the new set.
 
I gave up on the pulling and used a propane torch. It's a little stinky but you don't risk breaking those brittle cast iron guides. You need to burn that stiff old rubber.
 
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