I have heard a few people say that if you have your CR head off that you should check/replace the valve seats, and stake the new ones in. Is it necessary? I know how staking is done, but does anyone have a picture of staked valve seats in a 24v cummins head?

 

I'm watching this thread here and elsewhere and waiting for an answer too...

Maybe I should call my head guy and see what he says...

 

cummins make oversized valve seats. there a good idea to replace . everytime my head has been off mine either dropped or were loose ready to drop.

 

Will staking newly installed valve seats fix the dropping problem? Or just install the oversized seats and be done with it?

 

I am confused as to where one would stake them. Where the need to be staked it would cause interference where the valve seals/meets the seat.

 

Me too, may be somethin for me to do when I really start gettin into this motor.

 

If you have the head off you may as well replace the valves,seats,guides, and retainers...I did and within 20k the valve seats were still good except for the one that dropped a valve and beat the crap out of the piston. If you hear a little miss in the engine...Pop the valve cover, Check the valve lash, and if you have a bent valve you will measure it...If you have a valve that has dropped...you will measure it... Takes less than an hour...everyone should do it more often. ATS puts in bigger valves, ETC, ETC for a very good price....so I'm sure others do to. ks

 

Are you saying you replaced everything and withing 20,000 miles you dropped a valve and/or a seat??? Is there anything else besides what you have done to avoid this in the future?

This isn't rocket science... these seats shouldn't be that hard to keep in place.

 

Schied did mine for me when we redid the last motor. I took a new head and had them press in oversized seats and they ping them so they don't fallout if they loosen up.

 

That is what I want to know...where exactly they "pinged" them...and a picture if possible. As Pourin said above, looking at the head it doesn't look like there is a good place to skate the seats. Hopefully someone has a picture of a head with staked seats.

 

Sorry for they hijack but does anyone had the valve lash specs?

 

for your 03:

intake 0.010
exhaust 0.020

 

The valve seats dropping are a problem...but they are usually an indication that the guides and retainers are about to flop. If you put in new valve seats all good shops will insist on new valves so that they will mesh and wear in together... worn valves will not mesh well with new seats. Dropping a valve seat is less of a problem then dropping a valve. When I dropped my vavle seat....I bent a valve and put a little dent in the piston....when the valve dropped....carnage. ks

 

Mine looked great at 125k...maybe I was lucky?????

I did nothing...

 

The fix is oversized seats, press fit for interferance of around .006" and good valve springs. Valve seats can work free from hysterisis behavior of the cheesy stock springs. Never had a seat wiggle out with good springs yet.