valve stem oil seals - changing...

[ade]

My Nova is smoking a bit - been told it the valve stem oil seals (thought they may have been done when the head was off getting a new gasket???)

Anyway - question is - how easy is it to change these and it is simething I could do - not being mecahnically minded but a quick learner.

Does the head need to come off or it just the rocker cover?

And if a garage did it roughly how much and how long?

:wtf:

its white smoke by the way - notice it when accelerating...

[Adam]

Head needs to off, valves need to come out.
95% sure they wouldn't have done them when they did a headgasket.

And smoke under acceleration doesnt really sound like stem seals to me, has it recently started happening? Sure its not just the time of year

[Will F]

white? its not oil then - will be water!

Sure its not just cos its really cold = condensation in the exhaust?

Does it do it all the time?

Stem seals will be when you back off the throttle or sometimes when you first fire it up - but the smoke will be blue not white!

:)

[Lee]

white? its not oil then - will be water!

Sure its not just cos its really cold = condensation in the exhaust?

Does it do it all the time?

Stem seals will be when you back off the throttle or sometimes when you first fire it up - but the smoke will be blue not white!

:)
Yup, its the time of year Ade, mine is smoking white like feck whilst it warms up.

Its also difficult to start and smoking blue on startup in the morning so my stem seals are definately going :(

I have spare 1.2 head with valves in it though :) WIN

[ade]

mmm - smokes when starting up - white - water isnt dropping.

garage noticed it about 3 months ago at service and said it could be seals. Smokes a little when idling once warmed up.

You can smell it - like burnt fuel but not greasy like burning oil if that make sense...

I'm also going through a fair amount of fuel (average just over 300 a tank!) and is pinking...

Prob weather like you say but I tend to get paranoid when engines are involved...

[burgo]

might be worth getting a tune up ade

[meritlover]

sounds like it needs a tune up and a compression test before you go 'ripping the head off it'

also check the timing belt was timed properly after the head gasket was done.

[ade]

oddly the garage by me did check the timing and said it was slightly out - but it was done - might pop it back down for another check over...

[Benn]

Seal wont be in the gasket set, but are easy to by.

And a garage service your car? Dude.*raise eye brow*

[burgo]

bare in mind that novas very rarely run right when set to the timing marks, so if that is what the garage did then that could explain the pinking

[mikey14sr]

Stem seals do come with the gasket set, I've just binned 3 sets worth!

Just keep an eye on the coolant and oil levels ade, if either starts dropping more than could be deemed normal, something's up.

My vectra's been contsantly emitting a little white smoke at idle in the recent cold weather, but the levels haven't budged at all, my old saloon used to exactly the same when the back-box was on that.