Am I screwed? valve guide

[Mobetter]

I was trying to put on a valve guide seal and was have no luck at all hammering it in, so I tried to press it on.
By the time I realized that the cap was pressing on crooked
I had already screwed up the journal that the valve guide is set in.
On one side its pressed lower than the valve guide itself.



Question: Am I screwed or can this journal (I don't know the real name)
that the valve guide rests in be replaced or is it a permanent
part of the head.

Peace
Mo

[bgk]

It's your lucky day! You're not screwed!

But, you've got a date with a machine shop to have your old valve guide removed, and a new one pressed-in.

You can actually pull the old one out yourself, but you definately need a machine shop to get the new one in. The replacement valve guides are a larger diameter than the original valve guides that were installed when the bike was manufactured (at least this was the case for my 1979 GS1000L).

I just had this job done a few months ago on my bike. The Suzuki dealer wanted $150 to do the job, so I bought the valve guide for about $12 from the dealer and had a local motorcycle machine shop turn it on a lathe and press it in for $35!

You'll probably also need to buy a new valve seal, to replace the one you butchered, probably just a few dollars.

Note that everybody wants to charge big bucks, to "do the job right" including planing the valve head and cylinder case mating surfaces. I just told the machine shop that I had a $300 bike and just wanted to ride for cheep dough and, voila $35 got the job done. They even completely cleaned up the head for me for that price!

[SqDancerLynn1]

Even paying big bucks doesn't guarantee it is done right

[Mobetter]

It wasn't the valve guide I screwed up it was the
journal that the guide is pressed into which is part of the head.
The valve guide itself is fine.
I've just ruined the seating area for a valve stem seal.

I think since it's the #4 exhaust it won't leak anyway when
I have it on the sidestand so I'm just going to go without
a valve stem seal on that valve.
I hear many newer bikes don't even have valve stem seals,
I'm sure their tolerances between the stems and the guides are closer.

Mo

[Dave_A]

It wasn't the valve guide I screwed up it was the
journal that the guide is pressed into which is part of the head.
The valve guide itself is fine.
I've just ruined the seating area for a valve stem seal.

I think since it's the #4 exhaust it won't leak anyway when
I have it on the sidestand so I'm just going to go without
a valve stem seal on that valve.
I hear many newer bikes don't even have valve stem seals,
I'm sure their tolerances between the stems and the guides are closer.

Mo

Just get a new head off Ebay

[Dark Jedi]

I second Ebay. I bought a new head when i didn't even need it, because I saw it real cheap.

Now I need it, and am thanking myself daily. $5 head and $10 shipping is FAR better than $400 for a new one. 8O

[Mobetter]

I actually have a back up head with two broken off
bolts in the exhaust, It may be time to break out the torch
and extractors.
It's from a parts bike that was outside,
Outside of the head looks like crap but the inside is in good shape.
Mo

[bgk]

Mo,

Interesting problem! How you managed to screw-up the journal without screwing up the valve guide itself is beyond me? Sorry I mis-interpreted your original question.

Regardless, if you've still got the valve head off, it couldn't hurt to drive it down to a motorcycle machine shop, and get a quick evaluation and quote for repair for the journal area.

Myself, I'd hate to take the time and spend the money for gasketts, etc. to take stuff apart, only partly fix it, and then put it all back together knowing that something is still wrong inside.

Just my conservative opinion.

[Mobetter]

I know what you mean Brion,
I may end up doing that.
I have an extra head but it looks like a piece of crap
and it would take some serious work before I'd want to put it on my bike.
I was hoping to ride Memorial weekend but it sure doesn't look like it now.

Peace
Mo