Valve spring retainer clip removal
 

Okay, is there a trick to this?
I have the valve spring depressed and am trying to pull the valve stem up so I can remove the retainer clips and can't get it.
WTF?
Do I use a magnet to pull the clips out?
I think I see the seals and the look like they are seated.
Would a bad oil control ring show good compression?

Those little extendable magnets work great if you have fat fingers like I do. I cant ever seem to get those out when Im taking a set of heads apart. Putting them back in isnt any where near as hard.

Those little extendable magnets work great if you have fat fingers like I do. I cant ever seem to get those out when Im taking a set of heads apart. Putting them back in isnt any where near as hard.

Another theory...
 

Okay,
The valve seals and guides look okay.
Is it unheard of for a cylinder to "suck" oil from the lower intake manifold gasket?

My symptoms are this:
1 quart of oil consumption per 200-ish miles.
no, and I mean no smoke whatsoever, ever.
no oil leaks at all, none.
number 5 cylinder plug "coated" with wet oil after a few days and becomes fouled quickly.
compression check dry and wet looks well within limits of other cylinders
valve seals and guides appear intact and properly seated

The latest brain trust theory is that I am consuming too much oil for it to be a valve seal/guide anyway. A good modified dirt track racer buddy thinks I am pulling oil in from the lower intake manifold through a burr or bad gasket. Says I am not seeing smoke because the plug is fouling right away and not burning, thus no smoke.

The motor is only 15k old after a very meticulous/competent rebuild.

I had a friend's car, that did suck oil from the intake. But it did blow a lot of smoke on decell. After pulling the intake and had things inspected, we found that the oil was coming in from a section on the intake that was warped. After milling the intake, the smoke and bad oil consumption went away. I have to tell you that we honestly thought it was bad rings and/or bad oil seals. I guess a little lady luck was on his side.
Good luck

Isn't there a test to see if you have bad oil rings? I thought if you put a little oil in the cylinder and performed a compression test that it would tell you? I don't remember but, I think if the static compression goes sky high, then that means the oil rings are bad.
I might be completely off base or confusing this with something else but just trying to help.
Good Luck

Test...
 

Well,
Things just aren't going well. I busted a o-ring on a fuel injector while replacing the intake manifold after the valve seal/guide troubleshoot. What a PITA.
No hint as to what is causing the prob. I know I must remove the heads now in order to finally see what is going on.
Best thing I can think of is a bad ring now. I'll post it when I find out.
Still amazing though, no freakin smoke.
Compression is within 5 percent on all cylinders including the known "bad" one, number 5.

This getting stragner by the minute. I suspect a bad oil ring. That will affect compression a little but I dont think you would ever see it in a compression test, not as much as the Compression rings obviously..

Oil additive
 

Yeah,
Several guys have mentioned the oil ring scenario. The only thing I can do is try an oil additive called Rinzoil or something like that. It might "free up" a stuck oil ring although I am sure that the problem requires a head teardown.
I'll keep you posted....I'll give it another couple of days, then I'm taking the heads off.

Try Lucas Oil Stabilizer. I use it in everything I run. WOrks well for me with oil consumption in my truck with 157xxx miles on the clock.

Brad