Did valve seals with head still on the car using Rope Technique

I have read several threads on how you can change the valve seals with the head still on the car by stuffing a 2 foot piece of nylon rope in the cylinder and cranking the piston to TDC, so that the valves dont drop. It sounded to easy, so I put it to the test today.

IT WAS THE EASIEST VALVE SEAL JOB I'VE EVER DONE!!

I just crank the piston to the bottom, then filled it with the nylon rope. Keep about a foot additional out of cylinder to grab a hold of when you are done with each cylinder. Make sure its thick enough to just fit into the spark plug hole. Do not use the skinny rope!

Then I cranked the piston to the top. You can tell when the piston is at TDC because the crank will lock while cranking it around. I then tested each valve to make sure they didnt drop by pushing the spring down using my Esslinger bar, and the pushing down on the valve to see if it would stay in place, all the while keeping the keepers in place just in case. None of them dropped AT ALL!

I have never changed seals with a head on a 2.3 car before, but from now on, this will be the way I do it. SO FRIGGIN SIMPLE!!

Here were the seals I took off.They came off with ease and were like jello....
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...ealtop.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...alside.jpg
I think it says part# PEP 38500

I was told they were good for turbo cars but in less than a year the car was puffing smoke.

I'm going to stick with the blue Nylon ones they sell at Esslinger.

OH FYI: Not all 2.3 valve seal seats are the same size! I had to special order the valve seals from Esslinger because the seats I had were bigger, so I needed the 9/16 valve seals.

Hope this helps someone

Nice! Thanks for sharing this!

Nice write up Chip. Thanks

Thats the way I did my first valve seal change. I did mine with vacuume hose. I perfer air now adays but those without, this is the next best option.

Chip, I just did mine too using the rope method. Piece of cake! I used 1/4" nylon rope and stuffed it in really good with a long, thin screwdriver. Sure did solve my 'smoke at startup' issue!

Originally posted by evintho:
Chip, I just did mine too using the rope method. Piece of cake! I used 1/4" nylon rope and stuffed it in really good with a long, thin screwdriver. Sure did solve my 'smoke at startup' issue!

Everyone was trying to scare me away from doing it, but I had to because I'm currently living in an apartment/mobile home unit and am not allowed to work on cars. I literally have to time myself and make sure my neighbors dont see or hear me working on the cars. My air compressor would have been a dead give-away an instant eviction.

I personally also was worried that if my compressor gave out, the valves would drop, and a rope stuffed in a cylinder was less likely to allow that to happen.

When I move to my new house, I think I will still do it "the rope" way. Again, so friggin simple!