Valve seal replacement?

Is it possible to replace valve seals without removing the heads?

The front sparkplug is always oily so I'd like to try valve seals in the front head to see if it helps. I've heard of a device to screw into the plug hole and put compressed air to it to keep the valves up while you remove the spring retainers. Has anyone done it this way and if so, what tool did you use to compress the spring?

Any help would be appreciated.

tom

Do a compression and leak down test first, you might ansewer question. If it was a vavle seal it would only smoke when you first start it up. Then it would soon clear up.

Tom

Good ideas thanks guys,

You reminded me that I actually have a spark plug that I gutted because I was getting ready to weld a 14milimeter nut on it so that I can connect my compression gage, because these SE heads have a 12milimeter plug and I didn't have an adaptor for this size. The compression gage also has a quick connect that will work on my air compressor. So that's cool, I can do it all with this and I just got to get my neighbor to tig weld it for me.

I think the valve leak is small enough that it's hard to tell if I have any smoke out the exhaust, but every thousnd miles or so I swap plugs on the cylinders and the back cylinder will clean the dirty plug. The oil gets on the threads too so I'm not sure whats going on.

The other problem I didn't mention is a rapping sound from the front cylinder at cruising speed that sounds like the front rockers that started a few weeks ago, so I got to dig into this too. So I got some slow and deliberate trouble shooting to do for the next week or so.

I'll take some pics and let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

I wasn't very successful compressing the valve springs to get the keepers off. The funny thing was I had the front of the bike strapped to a "T" rig to keep it upright and put the trans in 5th gear, lifted the back end up to rotate the tire so that the front cyl was at TDC, but the back tire back on the ground and went to connect the compressed air to the cyl to keep the valve from falling in, and when I did that the bike shot forward:roflmao: It didn't crash, it just slid across the floor. So that didn't work. I tried lower and lower pressure to the point the bike won't move put it wasn't enough to keep the valve in place while I compressed the valve springs - so this is kind of a bust. this problem ain't bad enough yet to take the head off so I think I'll live with it.

The good news is I got 170psi compression on both cyl. when I did the compression test.

And I just found out that HD has changed the rocker cover gaskets to a new material for EVOs (maybe twinkies too). The are also white instead of black. I think the reman division found a problem with them.

When air was forced threw the plug hole the piston will go down, just remember that will happen. Start out by being just past TDC then have bike in neutral and connect tank pressure to cylinder, engine will rotate and chamber should be pressureized to allow you to remove valve spring. How did the leak down test come out for you??

Tom

Funny you should ask, I just bought a leak down kit from Harbor Freight because it had the adaptor I needed and I fiqured I'd try a leak down for fun. If I did the leak down correctly it looks like the cylinders are equal and healthy.

I didn't change the valve seal cause I was too afraid of dropping a valve and I didn't want to get into removeing the head. The bike runs good the way it is so unless it gets real bad I'm just gonna ride it like I stole it, like I always do.

Just remove the spark plug and stuff some rope in the hole until you have filled the top of the cyclinder and the valves can't drop.