Can anyone give me some tips on breaking down the valves to replace the valve seals? Some searches revealed that it can be done with "Large C-clamps." I have some 6" C-clamps that look like they might do the trick, but can't seem to get it done with the tricky angle and such. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 11/27/10 at 21:48:27:

yup, head off.

well,, IDK, man, mite have to buy a tool..or figure a way to get the clamp on it & protect things from getting pushed sideways. This mite just be a good place to ask for ( & pay for) some pro level help.

I'm the one who wrote the stuff about the "C" clamp and the socket.  You can't readily buy "C" clamps with enough depth to do the job now-a-days, but in the days my wife's grandfather was a carpenter you sure could (and he did).   I scarfed up the old man's tools when we cleaned out the basement -- and I've kept them oiled and usedful for all these years now.

Granddaddy Davis's biggest (deepest) cast iron "C" clamp did the trick for me for free, but for the same (or less) money today you could buy the appropriate valve compression tool.

With a solid socket you put a piece of 2x4 on the inside to take the solid end of the "C" clamp then you compress things on the spring side under a socket until there is a good bit of  looseness then you tap on the valve head on the inside, rattling it back & forth until the keepers both come out of the groove and fall free inside the socket.  Getting it all "balanced" so you can move the valve freely is tough.

Then you can take things apart and catch all the loose pieces.

Number valves and seats on the inside so you know what went where, baggie your keepers with the springs seats and valve for a particular seat number so it all matches when you put it back.

Putting it back together is a lot more fun, I have used two pieces of key stock over the top spring cap to provide some maneuvering clearance, got one retainer in place then rotated the rig to get the other retainer in place.   I didn't sweat the lateral forces involved, I just wanted to "get her done".

But when you are young and broke, time is something you have to burn and lateral forces don't get a lot of attention.

A real valve compression tool would be a lot easier to use .....   less likely to damage things and likely be cheaper than a huge "C" clamp too.

Seals are not noted as a failure items on these bikes until you get way up in mileage,  35,000 to 50,000 is earliest failures noted.

We have oil consuming bikes due to rings, blowby etc etc etc -- but seals have never been noted as a failure item.

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Watch out for that spring compresser you found on Ebay  -- because of the large size of our head you must have REACH larger than a standard dirt bike or atv -- reach to go from fins to valve center.   Looking at the picture I don't see enough throat reach to the clamp action.

You likely need a car sized compressor to do our head.

Might have to buy a part that requires that tool to install.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 11/28/10 at 12:19:21:

No, they have free tool rentals. Great program, just have to leave a refundable deposit. I couldn't find one at autozone that fit the head. I'll have to check a few other places here in the OC (pep boys, O'reilly, kragen) thanks