Taking wagers on whether my valve seals are toast and/or the valve guides are worn... Car only has 15,500 documented miles so I tend to think the seals are dry or shot. I noticed a bit more 4V tick on the driver's side than normal since I bought it, (noticeable in a drive-through). The first 500 miles this spring I went through two quarts of oil, I'm noticing an oil burning smell at times and I'm oiling a sparkplug or two down. Anybody know if the valve seals can be changed w/o removing the cams? I have no problem pulling the valve covers/rockers to do seals, but if I have to pull cams or the heads to do guides I'm just going for full port/polish/valves while I'm at it.
Well I answered my question regarding the valve seals - I can replace them w/o removing the cams w/ the Rotunda valve spring compressor. My "tapping" noise might be the lash adjusters (lifters). I'm debating whether to just replace them while I'm at it, they're going to cost around $250, the seals just under $100. Anybody done this or had their dealer do any of this?