Valve guide tools

[snowman]

Here is a good place to obtain tools for doing valve guides, seats, valves or any head work you might want to do. They do not seem to have a web site so I copied 3 pages showing some of the typical stuff they offer. For example, hand removal drivers, finish reamers, finish hones.

Note the Diesel guide drivers look exactly like the ones for any other guides, including Porsche. I used this page because of the lube and knurling tool. I personally would never use the knurling tool, but some shops do. This way they do not have to heat or cool anything. I kind of think it stresses the head to much. I think cooling the guides is better because they are small and easier to handle cold than a large hot head. If you heat the head you have to keep it hot for the entire operation, with the guides you simply pull them out of the cooler as needed. MB and BMW actually use liquid nitrogen but it dosen't seem to be necessary as so many do without it. Dry ice seems to do ok.


The reamers are very high tech in design, but low tech to use, a simple drill operates them. Other methods such as hardned balls or hones do not produce as good and clean hole as the reamer.


Note all the guide removal and installation tools are basically the same thing, a punch type driver for use with a hammer or a modified punch that works with an air powered hammer. both work the same except the air hammer sounds like a giant fart. Not really very high tech stuff.



The final step is to use a finish hone. This does almost nothing to size the hole, it just produces a cross hatch pattern on the walls of the guide. The cross hatch holds oil to lube the valves. The cross hatch is not really necessary in bronze guides as they are self lubricating. The cross hatch is supposed to help valve guide wear.