Hi!

What I know about valve spring removal, which isn't much, you compress the spring to be able to remove that small ring on top of the valve and then pull the valve out, right? Well, tried it with different tools and I have a problem.

First I tried it with something looking like this:

http://www.kctools.com.au/images/TOO...COMPRESSOR.jpg

Problem was the side holding the valve would slip away while I was killing my hand trying to get the stupid thing to compress.

So I went to ebay and got something like this:

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/OBJECTS/33500/33432.JPG

Now the compressing part of the job actually worked like a charm but it seems that the vavle is so stuck in the spring mount that I am well able to move the whole valve including spring and compressor (due to the available space after compressing the valve...) but not the spring along the valve...

Perhaps I should mentioned that it's a 350 engine out of a 69 Camaro. So basically that baby is 37 years old. Do you guys think some WD40 might do the trick or is this some other common problem that is easily solved if you just know how?

 

Bring the cyl that you're working on, to TDC. Then try it.

You don't have to do the work. Make the work do itself.

 

ok, I just kinda skimmed, but I used a cheesy "fork" style compressor. The $6 style.

Trick is, use a 3/4" socket or so, set it on top of your retainers, and give it a whack with a hammer. The keeper is locked into the retainer from years of use. You just want to release it. If you can hold the valve from moving here, that would work too.
Then just pry down on the retainer (using your tool), and try to fish out the locks aka keepers. Try and hold the valve from moving. One thing I did, was put the heads on the table, and put something below the valve. This way, when I compressed the spring via the keeper, the block of wood or whatever, would hold the valve from going downwards, and force the retainer to break free of the lock, then I can fish it of, and release the pressure. No, the springs won't "go flying" or anything, they'll go from 1-1.5" tall, in a rather anti-climactic fashion.
If you push

 

Sonix: Sounds good, I'll try that.

sofakingdom: Not an option. I live in Switzerland. While you probably find dozens of workshops in the US that do that we have just a few here. And you'd think they're plating your stuff with gold judging by the prices they ask.

 

He meant "don't do it the hard way". Like when you put your money in the bank and "let it work for you"? (As a swiss guy you should relate to that eh? )

You're doing it the hard way, so pick the easier way, and let the spring force, work itself free. Like tripping a fat guy. hahah, hooboy...

If the heads are on the bench, my way will work. If they are on the motor, sofa's way is the way to go.

 

I also use the wood block & $6 dollar fork. After jamming up the threads
on a couple of rocker studs, I got a small length of tubing (fuel hose, etc.)
over the stud for protection.

 

TDC = Top Dead Center ... it's not a shop or anything. Sorry.

In other words, make the valve run into the piston as the compressor does its thing, and that will help break it loose.

 

Sonix: Ah, well as you might have guessed English isn't my first language and engine work not my profession . I actually don't quite get what he meant yet, though. Doesn't matter because the heads are off so your method should do the trick.

sofakingdom: Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Worst thing is I think a year ago I would actually have understood it . I'll be hidin' in that hole over there if you need me .

 

haha, well every now and then there's a break in understanding. Best it is in good spirits, and not the start of an unfounded arguement.

Ah, chunk of hose, good idea! I made sure to use a washer over the hole in the compressor, but a hose is good as well, gotta remember that.

 

Ah...

If the heads are off, it's even easier.

Make sure you do this indoors, so that you don't lose anything. Set them on a piece of wood. Set a socket on top of the retainer, about 18mm is perfect. Hit it with a hammer... HARD. All the parts will just fly off. They won't SPROING into space or anything, but you might lose some of the keepers, if they can fall into the grass or something.

 

Well now I've tried that... and you know what? Either I'm too weak or that stuff is stuck stronger than any weld. I'm going to try WD40 on that thing and hope it comes loose a bit. If that doesn't work... well if you have an idea, I'd gladly hear it because if you don't I'm gonna be in need of new valves and springs

 

well, if you constrained the valve, (ie, put the wood under it), you should be able to press down on the retainer, and watch it move relative to the valve. The spring and retainer will slide down the valve.

You wack the socket with a hammer, I think I used a rubber hammer, and i'm not a big guy, so nothing drastic. Just to break it free, WD-40 might help. Maybe do it a few times, then use the fork type compressor, and remove the keepers. Release the pressure, and you're done, just lift off the springs and go on to the next one. I couldn't hit it hard enough to get sofas way to work, personally.

Also, if using the fork compressor, you are trying to rotate the cylinder head, so you'll have to clamp it down to your work bench. I used a c clamp, or a ratcheting bar clamp, and clamped it to my cheesy 1/2" plywood table, that was good enough.

 

I'm not sure which part the retainer is... on the spring, there is a cap with a kind of socket on top. The cap will move but the socket won't. Well, I've had another idea thrown my way today: Perhaps heating the socket up might change its size enough to loosen it.

Anyway, those are some strong bastards. I'll see what I can do.

 

DO NOT HEAT IT UP, the heat will damage the spring, the retainer is at the top of the spring, it should look like a disk whith a hole in the middle of it, the hole is cut at a 7* angle (or 10* in preformance apps.), the valve stem and 2 keepers (also caled locks) go inside that hole, the keepers have a bevel that matches the hole in the retainers, and they squeeze the vlce stem, the pressure of the spring wedges the keepers inbetween the valve stem and retainers, try putting somthing hard like a block of wood under the valve and then using the removal tool compress the spring, the valve and keepers should only go as far as the wood will let them, ut the spring and retainer should compress until you get coil bind, once compress the spring and retainer seprate of the valve stem and keepers you will have to get the keepers off the valve stem W/ the spring still compressed, they SHOULD just fall off, but years of gunk may make them stick, a tap on the top of one of them at a time W/ a blunt object will uasally make it fall off, then you release the spring pressure and the spring and retainer should be free and the valve should just slide out of the combustan chamber side of the head

 

A "tap" with a blunt object will not help me. I know that because I have tried taps, hits, hard hits, and something akin to murderous violence on them. I have also tried it after applying some WD40 and I have been successful in removing one (one!) valve .

I'll try letting the WD40 do its job overnight. Perhaps that will be more successful. if that still doesn't help I'll clamp the block o' wood to the head hoping that it will stop the valve from moving completely... and then I'll hit that damn retainer some more.

By the way, right under the dents for the keepers there's another dent with a ring of whathever in it. Is there a way to remove that without damaging it? Or will I want to replace them anyway (37 years seem to have made them crumble at a mere touch of a screwdriver...).

 

If you use the first type of spring compressor that you have shown, you shouldn't need to use any violence on your keepers to break them free.

The ring of whatever you're seeing is the original O ring valve stem seal. You'll want to replace them, preferrably with something better like a positive seal.

 

I think you are really underestimating how strong they resist my wish to get them loose . With that valve compressor I'd need to be Schwarzenegger to do anything useful. When I tried to apply force to the spring the part holding the valve started to slip. I'd have needed to hold the tool in place with muscle power at a really unadvantagious angle. As I said, perhaps I lack knowledge of the proper trick to do it but the way I tried it it was just impossible.

I've tried, while the spring was compressed, to rotate the valve while holding the whole spring side with large pliers. No chance in hell, I tell you. I'm still hoping that WD40 and time will help. Because if I need to use more force then it will definitely damage something.

 

You're not wishing hard enough.

If you adjust the tool right it won't be so bad. It should be compressing the spring only when it's already almost closed.

 

The C-clamp style is the best method (picture 1) to use when the heads are off the engine. Make sure the plunger end is seated properly against the valve face and the forks are over the retainer (but not covering the valve stem). If the lever is too hard to compress, back off the pressure a bit until it will compress, then turn the adjusting screw in enough until it compresses the valve spring.

 

I've taken apart dozens, maybe hundreds, of heads with the socket & hammer method. In every imaginable condition; from new and pristine, to a hundred thousand miles on the same motor oil. They ALWAYS come apart.

I've taken apart springs with 4 to 5 times the tension of your stock ones, with the C-clamp style of compressor. They ALWAYS work. If you have the right one, of course; there's little bitty ones (chain saws), and there's great big ones (diesel trucks and construction equipment), you need one somewhere in between.

It's just not that hard. I think you're being too timid. You got to step up your game a little bit, show it who's boss, speak to it in its own language. I'tll come RIGHT apart, believe it.

 

sofakingdom: Well, only way to find out who of us is right would be for you to try your luck and I believe that's out of the question, right . I will give you an update on these matters. I'm gonna try tomorrow or the day after .

 

You people were right... the hammer method doesn't fail.

Unless, of course, that stupid valve is so stuck that instead of the spring the whole head starts jumping up and down .

After I clamped the block of wood to the valves to make sure they wouldn't move the springs and valves came off pretty easily.

Thanks for your input .