valve guide seal removal and replacement

[charlie27]

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

[hampshirehog]

You won't get them off with your fingers. Try some thin nose pliers and gently wiggle and twist them before pulling.

[phydeauxmutt]

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.

[charlie27]

thanks = I will try some needle nose pliers - don't want to ding the bucket bore.

[sharpy]

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

[ukjules]

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

[charlie27]

needle nosed worked - crucial to give them a spin to break them loose before pulling them - thanks

[Brendan W]

Sometimes they can leave bits behind hidden in the groove. Make sure it's all out before fitting the new set.

[charlie27]

yes - nothing left behind in the groove - that's what she said

[only7bikes]

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.

[exdirtbiker]

search youtube. I saw a video there on how to do it easy.