Actually as painful as some of this might have been, I've come away from it with a much better understanding of valve springs. I'd like to thank both Jan and Matt for the additional knowledge!!!
The point of most of this... is basic understanding of technology. There's always more to learn, that's for sure..... Matt
thanks for all the info. I don't mean to stir the bee hive, but when is it a good idea to upgrade valve springs? -Jonathan
Depends on what you have and what you're running... I vote for it if you have heavier valves, a cam or a raised redline. There isn't an easy line to draw in the sand that is an absolute boundary. Matt
OK, so a silly question then. Is there a mileage guideline for replacing valve springs? Is this something that will naturally wear out? Loose its bounce, so to speak?
That is actually a good question! and yes, the spring do wear. Look at istara (sp?) thread on hand porting her head, and the mesurements of the springs. One can buy time by shimming back to a proper seat pressure, and that's the cheapest way to go. She was running cams and autoXing as well. On the exreme end, I worked with a guy who built drag boat motors. Big nasty bigblocks that ran big nasty cams. He said the springs had lost temper about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way down the run and he changed springs with each run. That was early 80s though. Like all of this craap, there is no good rule, and we all just ignore it and hope for the best! Matt
WHEN you rebuild, or are going thru the engine .. and the Head is off, and going to the shop to be tested and freshened, THEN test the springs along with everything else. IF you are running a camshaft and beating the mess out of the engine, then of course you should tear down more often. There is NO recommended time for any maintance.. it is an insurance to change befor they break or fail. yes? I had a 289 that was seeing 7500 revs all the time!! I tore down every 6 months and changed the rod / main bearings.. was it too much?? dono.. never lost a bottom end in 5 years of heavey street racing in Socal. As to why up grade the springs.. as Dr O said.. cam/ high revs/ beating the engine!! Just me................................... Thumper