Oil in exhaust port, how bad is this?

[masospaghetti]

All ports except one were dry. This was from cylinder #2:



Bad valve stem seals?

[cp[mike]]

strongly points to valve stem seal. this is likely the first one to go bad, they are probably all brittle though.

if it were the rocker o-rings, it would be wet in the spark plug tube(s).
if it were piston rings, it would be burning off and not depositing so much wetness. Plus, it would be distributed across both ports.
if it were headgasket, it would be coolant, not oil.

i suspect a compression test would yield all-good results.

you should probably get a Felpro valve cover gasket set (one that comes with spark plug tube seals) and a nice set of Viton rubber valve stem seals (usually colored blue).

They are relatively easy to replace using the nylon-rope-stuffed-into-the-cylinder method of holding the valves in place, though you could use compressed air if you have it. I *HIGHLY* recommend the "ToyoTool Valvemaster #VMT68" tool for removing the valve springs, available from http://www.toyotool.com/ Personally, I found the most annoying part to be the actual removal of the old stem seals themselves - they are so stuck that they dont pop off like they should. Trick that I have been using? A mini blow torch!! Roast the metal frame of the seal, and the brittle rubber guts will soften and cook/melt. The seals pop off really easily at that point, and it doesn't hurt any of the other metal parts. Spray a rag with brake cleaner and give it a good wipe-down, then pour some fresh oil over everything, and pop the new ones on. Reassemble everything and make sure you do a valve lash adjustment on each rocker.


(note: removing the head is NOT necessary with this tool)

[masospaghetti]

Thanks Mike! super helpful.

In your opinion is this more of a nuisance or potentially a serious problem? You're correct in that my compression readings were normal. However I have been getting oil out of the breather vent, more than expected, enough to overwhelm a small catch can during a track session.

I suppose this valve stem leak could be allowing exhaust gas and pressure into the valve cover?

[masospaghetti]

I decided to pull the head given 1) I had to pull the exhaust cam anyway to get to this valve stem and 2) I continued to be concerned about my #2 intake valve which had lost almost all of its valve lash. (I had previously adjusted it as loose as it could go to get a little bit of lash but it appeared to have gotten worse)

Pulling the head was really not as bad as I'd imagined. #2 intake valve was definitely bad, the valve itself had worn itself to a knife edge. Will post pictures as soon as I get the head back.

I'm taking this opportunity to go through the entire head and get my a 260 cam regrind(sent to Delta this morning). The machine shop guy recommended stiffer valve springs after I told him that this was my track car and also that I was putting a mild cam in it. Thoughts? I figured a 260 cam would only push redline to ~6800 RPM, so its nothing crazy.