Hi guys,
Can anyone explain the cost of oem valve stem seals ?
i did a parts run at a honda dealership
The seal was at 2.5k which was more than the oem water pump ... what am i missing?

 

It's a lot of work. Even more if a valve drops into the cylinder when the seal comes off being the head has to be pulled.

Even with proper tools, getting the old seals off is a real pain. I still tend to torch them and they still fight to come off. I think besides part cost (OEM is not cheap for the little buggers) you are paying a decent amount of labour.

Water pump is pretty easy and doesn't take much dissassembly or time. Valve seals you take the whole rocker assembly out of the head and begin work. So everything you undo for the water pump must be undone before you even crack the valve cover to go after the rocker arm assembly.

 

Thanks for the reply @TomCat39 ..
Im actually going to diy .. im sending the head to engineers to do an overhaul.

My first post was purely based on the cost of the actual valve stem seals,( no labour involed) .. 2.5k just to supply frm a local honda dealership .. but the water pump from the same dealership is 2k ..is the cost in general more for valve stem seals than a water pump??

 

I am guessing those numbers are not in USD. What currency are you using?

 

Zar ... south african rands
but where is the logic .. a mechanical part like a water pump is cheaper by R500 than valve stem seals ?

 

Yeah something isn't adding up. Water pump here is about $120. Valve seals are about $3 each, $48 for all 16 seals.

Aftermarket or mail order might be a better option?

 

Yeah they shouldn’t cost more than a few dollars each.
Try https://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com
or Supertech (valvetrain company) www.Supertech performance.com

 

Now this makes sense .. a water pump is more expensive than seals ... yeah maybe the dealership is just trying to rip us off here ...
Will def look into online order now ..

Thanks

 

This is Canada dealership pricing. As can be seen, not always created equal. Depends on the duty and taxes the country applies.