Motorator Experts - Racing Valve spring, how long can they sit installed

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Motorator Experts

Question Category:

Engines & Components > Intakes, Heads, Water Pumps & External Components

Racing Valve spring, how long can they sit installed

This is an interesting questions that I started getting worried as I put a motor into service that had a mechanical roller that was dormant for 7 years. I decided to replace the springs as it seemed too long for them to be stuck on one position on some of the valve (ie. open ones) and on top of that it was a pretty good sided roller in a Big Block Chevy. I have Small Block Ford with a similar cam and started thinking I had better roll the motor over. When I pulled the springs off the BBC I put them on the pressure checker and some but not much difference between a fully open valve and one closed. So just wondering what peoples experiences might be. It is another reason to get moving on projects...

Asked by: TheRipper

Asked on: August 06, 2008 02:30

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Answers

Motor8rMatt (3 months ago)

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This is a good question. I too have an engine that I built and has been sitting for years. I spoke with CompCams about this issue. They said that there is no pre-determined shelf-life for valve springs in a built engine. They recommended that you fire up your motor, let it warm up for a little while, then shut it down. Once the motor cools, use a spring pressure tester to check the valve springs. That is the only way to know for sure. In any case, make sure you pre-oil the engine well before firing it up the first time. Given how durable aftermarket valve springs are these days, my guess is that a spring would last a long time and maybe even "remember" its static pressure once its heated up and running in a motor.

TheRipper (3 months ago)

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Thanks for the info. It is good and bad. I was hoping to say that you need to get moving on the project so the valve springs don't need to be changed. Now I have time and yet another excuse ;-)