need help on this one............ i like to change valve springs on my 1985 350 chevy. they come equipped with rotators, do i need to put them back or can i go with regular aftermarket retainers.
if so, when do we need to place rotators on valve springs and when can we use regular aftermarket retainers. all the help is welcome on this issue thank you for your time
Rotators are generally only used on exhaust valves and came about when unleaded fuel was mandated by the EPA. Valve seats were failing miserably with the introduction of unleaded fuel so automakers created hardened steel valve seats to combat the problem. Valve rotators tripled the life of the new valve seats by rotating the valve in the guide and allowing it to return to a different place on the seat every time it opened and closed. With the advancements in metallurgy commom place today rotators are no longer required to retain valve seat life while still using unleaded fuels. ................now you know.
rm in not using them
Just to let you know....valve spring rotators have been around a lot longer than the EPA.
My old 1967 Massey Ferguson tractor has those. And it's just a small thing, but the valve springs don't rotate. Only the valves themselves, I believe.
Garrett Fulton
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