Engine Head Techical Question

I wouldn't think keepers or springs would matter but my mechanics instructor had us each build a numbered rack to hold each valve and push rod so they would go back the same. If you are removing guides it would be to replace with new ones and of course we would check each spring for free length and amount of pressure required to compress to a given spec.

Lonn wrote: I wouldn't think keepers or springs would matter but my mechanics instructor had us each build a numbered rack to hold each valve and push rod so they would go back the same. If you are removing guides it would be to replace with new ones and of course we would check each spring for free length and amount of pressure required to compress to a given spec.

Its only good for one end of the push rod if you don't keep track of the rocker arm positions too.

From 64 to about 71 I drove a new VW 1200 beetle bought new. In 95K miles it had 3 or 4 valve jobs, always a notch in the number 3 exhaust valve. Valve was supposed to rotate by the valve adjustment screw being off center. But didn't and that number 3 corner of the engine got poorer cooling because of the oil cooler in the air shroud. I suspect the VW mechanics were careful to keep the keepers in the same place too and never replaced keepers or rocker arm. While I was in the army I ran it too low on oil from a worn flywheel seal, and wrecked that engine. I picked up a 1500 engine from a sideswiped 67 VW from a junk yard and with some modifications put it in. It really ran well, but about 71 or 72, I did a valve job just in case and put in steel valve guides in place of the proper aluminum bronze guides hoping for longer valve guide life. One day it went, "BRRRAP" and locked up. And I hadn't wound it out hard that day. When I dragged it home and took the engine apart again, I found #3 exhaust valve had broken and the head of the valve was stuck in a hole in the middle of the piston on edge. Couldn't turn that engine more than about 300 degrees between where it would stop. Being it was a sodium filled valve, it made heating the piston to get the wrist pin out rather sparkly using a propane torch. I went back to aluminum bronze valve guides in the one head I could save and the new head and I removed the oil cooler from the housing replaced by an aftermarket cooler at the fan intake. When Sears delivered the rebuild kit a few weeks late it was a big bore kit. That engine ran at least 50K miles without being out again, of course with  the added displacement it was never run continuously at full throttle because with the front wheels in the air from aerodynamics above 87 there wasn't any steering at high speeds.

The oil cooler change dropped the oil temperature at highway speeds from the dip stick melting a mark in my finger, to being just hot to my finger.

I suppose I kept the pushrods in order, but when the valves needed adjusting every 4000 miles, I'm not sure it mattered very much about keeping the pushrods in the same mating parts of lifters and rocker arms. Eventually it did get old changing plugs and setting valves. But both were ten times easier than changing plugs on my '98 F-150.

Gerald J.

Lifters yes. The rest if its getting a valve job, no.  Tipping and facing the valves along with new guides and seats won't matter with position. Valve spring poundage should be checked via the mfrs specs, and shimmed accordingly to meet those seat poundage specs. Milling the head flat is a good move also...
Steve@B&B