Okay, one of the heads is off my car due to a broken valve that thankfully did not fall in the motor. Im attempting to change the springs, but cannot. I have the tool, and the springs are factory double valve springs. What seems to be my problem is it wont reach in enough to ge to the second spring. The outer one is no problem, but I cant seem to get to the inner one. Is there a special method to removing these springs? This is difficult enough with the head off the car, I cant imagine what its like on the other side with the head on. I just cant seem to get the hang of compressing them right.

 

take a deep socket or piece of pipe slightly smaller than the od of the spring and hit it with a BFH, it'll come apart.

 

Those are single springs, not double; the thing inside is a damper, not a spring. If you're trying to do it with one of those claw-type compresors that works a little like a bearing puller, you should get a different tool.

Like ede said, for getting them apart, just set the head on something other than concrete (like a sheet of plywood or something), and hit the retainers with a large socket and a BFH. The keepers will just fly off and they'll come apart. Don't worry about damaging any of that, if it's the factory stuff, it's all going in the trash where it belongs anyway. To put them back together, go "rent" one of the compressors that looks like a big C-clamp. It's about 10,000 times easier to use than that other kind.

 

Ok, so they arent double springs. Learn something new every day i guess. But I hit them with the hammer and the deep socket and got out 6 of them in half the time it took me to get the other 2 i removed out. I appreciate the help, this is my first time ripping into the motor without my father's assisstance, and there will be many more times i will ask a dum,b question here i promise.

 

Here's the one I have that RB is talking about. I also have the one that you tried, and that thing is just BAD.
Click on the pic to see them at Sears.

 

yeah its real fun when it keeps slipping out and scaring the crap out of you. I managed to get all new springs on the head I have off the car. Took around an hour, I finally have the rythym down. The biggest problem was reinserting the keepers, I wasnt compressing the spring enough though.