So i gathered most of my parts together to do my VSS and started stripping the engine down. I removed all of the valvetrain components including the camshafts, roller rockers, etc then brought home my valve spring retainer remover/installer tool i use for Toyota engines only to realize that it wont work for a Mits engine. After talking to all the techs in the shop today- i compared different tools of the same design and borrowed a few to take home to try. Low and behold- i found the right tool- perfect for the job.
Blue Point GA317 (WORKS GREAT!!)
Comparison with other tool of similar design- spring loaded installer tip is too thick to fit between the keepers when installing. Attempting to use this tool only pushes down on the valve (which is something you DON'T want to do)
Note : Put the cylinder being serviced at TDC and apply 100PSI into the cylinder to hold the valves up against the valve seats. I used my leak down tester to do this.
The remover works well- removing the retainer and keeper in one hard push. Its magnetic so it holds the retainer and catches the keepers into the tool- no worries about loosing the small keepers. Simply center the remover over the valve spring retainer and push down. With the retainer and keepers in your possession, you are now able to pull the VSS off of the valve guide and install a fresh set. I used a 13mm Snap On deep socket to seat the VSS onto the valve guide.
Once the VSS is in place you can now reinstall the retainer. Position the valve spring back into place. Load the keepers into the retainer and position the retainer over the valve spring. The keepers will fit snug around the top of the valve stem. Using the installation side of the tool- place the spring loaded tapered tip in between the keepers to center the tool. Then push down in one hard motion staying inline with the angle of the valve. As the outer edge of the tool pushes down on the retainer- the spring loaded center will spread the keepers while simultaneously pushing down on them. Once you push far enough, the keepers will snap into place with a definite click and your done.
As you can see- the tool simplifies the whole procedure. 1 cylinder (all 4 valves) in about 10 minutes- with no set up necessary aside from finding TDC and pressurizing the cylinder. I apologize in advance for the poor video quality. I employed both of my daughters- one to take the video and one to hold the flashlight. It took several attempts to get the video right- and you can kinda hear my frustrations.
Hope this is helpful!
Joel, CA
VSS installation removal/installation tool tips
Paul -GT-
