Club 80-90 Forums

Hi hope you all well

Have my engine completely stripped at present following dropped valve shattering a piston into crankcase etc. Am basically doing a diy recon including new valves but have found valve movement near or just above the bentley spec of 1.2 mm. so don't really want to go to all this trouble without taking care of same. However, am broke and can't really afford a workshop job so would like to do valve guide removal and replacement myself. Have searched wiki and archive and lots of useful stuff but nothing I can see about techniques from anyone who has actually done it. Very good video on youtube of someone removing Aircooled guides with thread tap and bolt and hammer but again nothing on installing new ones. Don't have a press but do have a bottle jack. Secondly, if I'm doing that, shall a replace seats as well, is htis a diy job too? Any suggestions/experiences very welcome as have been off the road for 3 weeks now and am losing heart a little. Many thanks in anticipation. This is the second valve in 12 months.

cheers jim

I think you may be taking on too much here....as an ex VW main dealer mechanic working on VW/Audi's back in the late 80's.... we would send our heads to 'Bobs Spares' (Engineering Machine Shop in Nottingham) to have heads re-faced, crack tested and new valve guides fitted.
Every City has 2-3 similar businesses
I'm sure simple valve guide replacement isn't too expensive.

Martin

Would agree - pass the work on to a machine shop. I too am comfortable stripping and rebuiliding right up to high performance standards but I still give that kind of work to a pro.

Cheers for that, have acquired two spare heads in far better nick than existing so have done a straight replacement with those (valve guide wear low and faces etc in good nick) but may well get them leak tested as suggested. Thanks for the help