Make your own valve spring compressor for $15

[OthercarisaFiat]

Originally Posted by cbatters

So what is the final word... can the VSS job be done without removing the cam shafts?


Clint

I've heard that it's possible, haven't tried it myself. Supposedly you can "pop" the rockers out with a screwdriver, with the crank indexed so that the valves you are working on are closed and the cam lobes point up (more or less). The tool described here would need to be modified a little; the hook I used would never fit around the camshafts, which are in the way of the cast webs I used to anchor the tool. Experiment with different hooks until you find one that works well. The hook needs to fit around a camshaft which is slightly under 1" diameter.

[OthercarisaFiat]

Originally Posted by Alan92RTTT

Post copied to the how-to section.

Alan -- It would be really nice to have the pictures open along with the text -- I didn't know how to do that, I guess you need to host them somewhere.

[cbatters]

I popped off the front valve cover this weekend to form my own opinion about whether it is possible to replace VSS without removing camshafts.

1. I believe it is possible but will require a special tool.

2. Trying to remember where I saw the picture of a tool used to remove the rockers with the camshafts on - one end of the tool pressed down on the valve spring using contact on either side of the cam lobe for leverage.

If anyone remembers where it is posted please advise.

3. I envision a different style tool that bolts onto the head (perhaps using the valve cover attachment points) and uses a bolt to press down on a rod that has fingers that engage the valve spring.

Another option is to have a lever that hooks onto the camshaft (on either side of the lobe) with rod on on one end that pushes down on the valve spring and the other end has a bolt that presses down on the head to compress the spring.

The advantage of a screw over just a lever is that you can take your time to position the device - tighten the bolt to compress the valve spring - and then have both hands free to remove the keepers.

Without a tool that allows both hands to be used, I think the rear bank is going to be a real bitch to do.

Question remains whether it is even possible to remove the spring once the keepers are removed. If you can't remove the spring to get access to the VSS the "special tool exercise" is mute.



Clint

[Boostaddict]

I made this tool last week, and ended up having to modify it a bit to massage it into working for me. What I did was drill a series of 5/16" holes every 0.75" along the length of a 1/4" thick, 3/4" wide piece of bar stock. I did this so that I could position the eye bolt and pipe where ever was most appropriate for the best leverage. Using a bar longer than 12" was too big and often either hit the radiator or the firewall. So what I did was take a piece of 12" long 1" OD pipe to use as a cheater bar on the tool. On the rear bank that allowed me to pull up on the bar and hold it with my shoulder while I had both hands free to pull and replace keepers. This made life a LOT easier, as the tool was much more adjustable. Also, using my modified bar with many holes, I was able to do many of the rear head springs with the tool setup the same way as the front bank (pushing down instead of up). The pushing down method seems a LOT easier. Regardless, the rear bank is a MAJOR beotch and it took me about 12 hours to do all the springs. I was putting in high tension valve springs though, so it was a lot more difficult to compress them than the stockers. The first spring took me over 30 minutes. If I was lucky, the last few springs took 5-10 minutes each. Hope these hints help people! Big thanks to othercarisafiat for the original write-up. Regards,

Wayne

[iguana]

boostaddict, you didn't say if you had to remove the cams, can this be done without removing the cams? i'm about to do lifters and vss at the same time.

[Boostaddict]

I thought this had been confirmed in the previous thread. No, you won't be able to use this tool, or any tool similar to it, with the cams in the car. Believe me, if I could have, I would have (just like everyone else). I didn't really feel like doing another t-belt just to install valve springs, but the only other option (for me) was to remove the heads completely, which I wasn't going to do...

Wayne

Originally Posted by iguana

boostaddict, you didn't say if you had to remove the cams, can this be done without removing the cams? i'm about to do lifters and vss at the same time.

[cbatters]

Time for me to roll up my sleeves and do my VSS. I talked to Kevin (MyKiss69) and he was 99% sure that therew was not enough clearance to remove the spring without removing the camshaft even if you could compress the spring. The good news is that I may have figured out an easy way to remove the camshaft.

Has anyone tried to use either of these tools?

KD 3271



KD 2078




Clint

[OthercarisaFiat]

Those both look almost the same to me.

I have one that looks almost exactly like the second one, and the arms don't fit where they need to. There is almost no room around the outside of the spring coils. That's why I designed and made my own compressor--only after trying everything else I could get my hands on. The only other tool I have heard of that works is the Mitsubishi factory tool. It costs $200, but you may be able to rent or borrow one somewhere.

[cbatters]

Originally Posted by OthercarisaFiat

Those both look almost the same to me.

I have one that looks almost exactly like the second one, and the arms don't fit where they need to. There is almost no room around the outside of the spring coils. That's why I designed and made my own compressor--only after trying everything else I could get my hands on. The only other tool I have heard of that works is the Mitsubishi factory tool. It costs $200, but you may be able to rent or borrow one somewhere.

Appreciate your input. My first choice is to find an existing tool that allows the spring to be compressed using a screw instead of a lever. This would free up both hands to remove/install the spring/keepers. Any time savings gets multiplied times 24 springs so I figured it was worth looking around to see what was available.

Did you ever consider modifying the tool (KD-2078) to allow it to grab onto the spring?


Clint

[Boostaddict]

Pull off your front valve cover (cake) to see what you are dealing with. There is no room to remove the valve springs without pulling the cams. Removing the cams isn't that much work. The timing belt will only take a few hours more and the extra room will make sure you don't drop the keepers into the abys of the head...

Think of it this way... you could probably swap brake pads without taking the wheels off, but why would you want to?

Originally Posted by cbatters

Appreciate your input. My first choice is to find an existing tool that allows the spring to be compressed using a screw instead of a lever. This would free up both hands to remove/install the spring/keepers. Any time savings gets multiplied times 24 springs so I figured it was worth looking around to see what was available.

Did you ever consider modifying the tool (KD-2078) to allow it to grab onto the spring?


Clint