Replacing Valve Seals
 

Hi All,

I'm after a quick bit of advice.

When replacing valve stem seals in the head, do you need to 'run them in' so to speak? (ie take it easy for the first few hundred kms until they've settled in).

I'm reasonably certain that some on my OM366a are failing causing the old girl to burn more oil than usual, so looking at replacing them for peace of mind.

Cheers for any thoughts.

Dave The Hat

No.

Mezo.

Cheers Mezo!

What oil are you using. There are plenty of reportsxthat these old rubber seals slowly react to synthetic oils and go brittle and fail. As does all the rubbers in the air system which also dont like synthetic oils. Once replaced with modern rubber I think they will be ok with synthetic. If they are the originals then mineral oils are probably the best choice.

Neil

Hi Neil,

I'm interested to hear that, thanks for the information. The old girl is nearly 30 years old, so what you say makes sense.

I've only had her for 7 years, so I can't account for what has been put in for much of her life - though I suspect it has mostly been synthetic.

David