ENG: F22 Spark Plug Tube Seal Replacement

[FishyMan]

reidc
did u use any selaer fro the gasket (valve cover?) and tube?s near top>

damn keyboard.

[mrhonda]

Hi All-

I bought my gasket set a week ago and finally did MOST of the procedure Saturday. I say most, because I didn't realize there were LOWER seals until I opened the package Saturday and started searching here!!!

I dod the cover gasket, and the upper seals, but never tried doing the lowers, as I didn't have any torque wrenches, and I had NO clue about how or where to look for the timing marks and put #1 in TDC.

There musta been a good inch or more in my wells- I couldn't believe how high the oil was on outside of plugs! I cleaned off outside of plugs, and wiped down the wire boots and cleaned what I could there, and threw plugs and wires back in. Car starts easier now, but I will change them AFTER I make sure I got no more leaks. Sounds like I gotta do the lowers though.

Can anyone point out where timing marks are? Last time I did anything like this had to be 20 years ago on an Olds 403 V8.

Thanks
Chris

Well I'll tell you this, if you didn't do the lowers the tubes are gonna fill right back up with oil again. The thing that most people don't seem to understand is that the upper seals don't leak oil like that....they sometimes seap a little at the top but thats it. The lower seals are down at the bottom and are subjected to much higher oil pressure and leak far worse than the uppers. Basiclly, if you don't do the lower seals, then there is absolutely no point in doing the uppers. It would be like going in and replacing just the balancer belt, but not the timing belt....you with me?

As you asked, to set the engine at TDC, pull out the rubber plug that is located right next to the engine code stamp and rotate the engine until the white mark on the flywheel or flexplate lines up with the pointer. If the pointer is lined up with the white mark, and the arrow on the cam gear is facing up, then the engine is at TDC.

[reidc]

Oh trust me- once I realized what the O-rings were for and where they went-I had that REAL sinkng feeling that I would be right back in there! I needed to put er back together before I had a chance to get some torque wrenches.

I will look around under the hood for the place to look at timing marks- I should probably grab a manual too.

How critical is it to get it #1 in TDC before pulling all this? I don't plan to adjust vavles or anything while I am in there-

Thanks
Chris

[reidc]

reidc
did u use any selaer fro the gasket (valve cover?) and tube?s near top>

damn keyboard.

The only sealant I used was some RTV at the four corners of the camshaft "bump".


Chris

[xtremeskier97]

I only used 4 spots of sealant on the valve cover. That's what it says to do in the manual. If I get a nice weekend, Im going to replace the lower seals and my distributor o-ring. Then clean out the engine bay really good so I can watch for leaks.

[mrhonda]

How critical is it to get it #1 in TDC before pulling all this? I don't plan to adjust vavles or anything while I am in there-

Setting it to TDC has nothing to do with the seal replacement, its just the first step when adjusting the valves. And trust me, you better adjust the valves after you replace the seals and torque those rockershafts down otherwise the valves will be WAY too tight and this can cause a rough idle and worst case burn a valve.

Just buy yourself a service manual, it will tell you everything you need to know.

[xtremeskier97]

For those who asked, Feeler guages are less than $5. I picked this one up today because I will be adjusting my valves tomorrow.



It also has a spark plug gap tool in it (which I needed anyway).

[reidc]

I am still leaking oil, and I figured it would anyway. Over the next few weeks I'll get the tools needed, and a complete and better understanding of the procedure- right now this is a bit over my head and comprehension.

I just did the rotor over hub conversion today, and will need to put rotors and brake pads on tommorrow, and then I'll take a break for a bit before tackling this.

Chris

[xtremeskier97]

Where have people got their in. lb. torque wrenches from at a decent price? I got one from AdvanceAuto for $20 but it starts at 120in. lbs and that is too high. Sears has one, but it is like $60. Found the exact same one on ebay for much less, but it still has 5 days remaining on auction.

Thanks guys.

[mrhonda]

Where have people got their in. lb. torque wrenches from at a decent price? I got one from AdvanceAuto for $20 but it starts at 120in. lbs and that is too high. Sears has one, but it is like $60. Found the exact same one on ebay for much less, but it still has 5 days remaining on auction.

Thanks guys.

Yeah, get you a good Craftsman or something, those autopart store ones are junk. Also, it must go down to at least 100 in/lbs because the torque specs are 108 in/lbs on the 10mm bolts and 192 in/lbs on the 12mm's

[xtremeskier97]

I thought I read somewhere that the acorn nuts on the valve cover go to 85 in. lbs. ?? So I would need one to go lower than 100.

I think I may get a craftsman one off ebay. Doesnt matter that it's used, its got a lifetime warranty.

[mrhonda]

If you buy a used one definately take it in to have it recalibrated to make sure its still acurate.

[xtremeskier97]

How much does that cost?

[FishyMan]

what drive size for the torque wrench would u guys recommend for this job?

i was thinking of using a 1/2 drive? ft/lb torque wrench. i haven't been able to find inc/lb, but.. 84/12 = about 7ft/lb for the acorn nutz.

[mrhonda]

For this job, I like using a 1/4 in drive in/lb torque wrench the best.

BTW, a new little trick I discovered yesterday when doing some tube seals on a customer car. After you torque the rockershafts down, rotate the engine around a few times before setting it to TDC to adjust the valves. I've found doing this results in more acurate valve clearance....probably because rotating the engine allows the rocker arms to "reseat" themselves on the valve stems before you adjust them.