Valve stem seals, puff of smoke

[zpinch]

Hey guys, I am pretty sure I have one or more bad valve stem seals in my 2003 Honda CRV with the K24A1 engine. Upon startup there is a brief puff of white smoke and quickly subsides, the engine runs fantastic otherwise, and I wouldn't think that there is anything wrong with it, it runs very smooth, quiet, responsive and powerful, all the signs of a healthy engine. My question to anyone with any experience changing out valve stem seals in the Honda K24 engine, I am unsure whether I should go with OEM seals or aftermarket seals such as 'Skunk2' racing seals, where both the exhaust AND intake seals are made from Viton, not just the exhaust seals as in the OEM's case.

Makes me wonder though, how does the engine stay in such good shape while the seals get worn out? Perhaps a certain brand of oil that has good properties for the rest of the engine but not the valve seals?

I am currently running an Amsoil dual remote bypass setup running amsoil 5w20 SS oil since 185,000km, it now has 188,500km... I have owned the car since 171,000km, running amsoil 5w20 SS oil in that time also. The smoking has been there since day one.

 

[MobilinHyundia]

Viton seals are the best.
Im using Amsoil 5W20 in both my Hyundai Sonatas now...24000 km on oil already.
wanna push it to 30 000km. Both engines are in excelent condition.

 

[Johnny248]

Yeah...if you can get Viton seals, I would chose those for sure. I had an G54B Mitsu engines which was good for seals. I replaced them with Victor Viton seals and never had an issue afterward.

I'm not familiar with those engines, but do they have any issues with guides wearing? That will cause your seals to wear out quickly.

 

[Volv04Life]

My honda has bad seals and I smoke out the whole block every time I leave from a dead stop.

 

[19jacobob93]

I've never really bothered with stem seals to be honest, and depending on the material theyre made from, its normally age related rather than milage as they can shrink or crack over time.
We've had 4 mitsubishis now with the same problem, one got a full overhaul, 2 got scrapped and the remaining one is now smoke free with the use of LiquiMoly oil saver.
We're steering clear of mitsys now though haha replaced with a ford and a dodge which have been flawless.

If I were you I'd be switching to Maxlife to replenish the seals, but if changing them is an easy job on the k24 then go for it!
And deifinitely use a popular after market brand! Japanese engines although reliable, tend to use some pretty short lived components as engines are taken off the road by law at 40,000km in japan

 

[19jacobob93]

Also i'd budge up to at very least, 5w30 in that engine. Although NA agencies and the like try push everyone to use 0-5W20 oils, those engines are still japanese and were most likely designed for something thicker

 

[Clevy]

I've never really bothered with stem seals to be honest, and depending on the material theyre made from, its normally age related rather than milage as they can shrink or crack over time.
We've had 4 mitsubishis now with the same problem, one got a full overhaul, 2 got scrapped and the remaining one is now smoke free with the use of LiquiMoly oil saver.
We're steering clear of mitsys now though haha replaced with a ford and a dodge which have been flawless.

If I were you I'd be switching to Maxlife to replenish the seals, but if changing them is an easy job on the k24 then go for it!
And deifinitely use a popular after market brand! Japanese engines although reliable, tend to use some pretty short lived components as engines are taken off the road by law at 40,000km in japan [/


I just don't even know what to say to this.

 

[19jacobob93]

Then don't say anything

 

[Vikas]

white smoke? oil burns blue. why should valve stem seals leakage would give out white smoke?

 

[ddrumman2004]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
white smoke? oil burns blue. why should valve stem seals leakage would give out white smoke?


That's what I'm thinking. White smoke is usually moisture or could be ATF if it's an auto transmission.

 

[zpinch]

Well, I purchased a valve spring keeper tool and a seal remover/installer tool off amazon.ca, as well as a Fel-Pro valve cover gasket set which includes the cover gasket, bolt grommet gaskets, and spark plug tube seals. I also invested in an Ultra Pro torque wrench for the job. I hope to do the seal job in the next 3 weeks, I will take some pics of the process if I can remember...

Cheers.

 

[Quest]

Originally Posted By: zpinch

Makes me wonder though, how does the engine stay in such good shape while the seals get worn out? Perhaps a certain brand of oil that has good properties for the rest of the engine but not the valve seals?



valve stem seals will eventually go (bad) regardless of what oil you use. you can put in super-exotic full syn oil up the ying-yang and those seals will still go bad, maybe just a few extra thousands of miles more.

Most imports have their intake valve stem seals made of poylacrylate; exhaust seals mostly with viton.

Once the sealing part has become hardened due to cyclical heating and chemical attacks from contaminants in motor oil, they'll lose their ability to seal (better terms should be: " effective oil metering/controlling")

You'll need to get the valve stem seals replaced with viton (both intake and exhaust), if the rest of the engine, etc. are all in good shape.

That should give you another easy 150~250k miles more of trouble-free engine service.

Q.

 

[zpinch]

Yup, they are a high quality, tighter fitting, full Viton units.

Does anyone know if I would need to use assembly lube if I am just taking the camshafts out and reinstalling them? I am on the fence on this one.

 

[zpinch]