Make your own valve spring compressor for $15

[skunkworks]

Wonderful!!! that is exactly what I wanted to hear.

sam

[cbatters]

Originally Posted by skunkworks

Wonderful!!! that is exactly what I wanted to hear.

sam

TDC plus strings on valve stems provides the redundancy necessary to keep a single failure from dropping a valve.

I wasted at least 4 hours fooling around with retreiving a dropped valve so I can speak from first-hald experience that it is critical to have piston at TDC when the cylinder is pressurized.

And I wasted another 2-3 hours trying to fix a "problem" with zero compression that would have gone away had I simply waited for the valve lifters to bleed down on their own.

Hindsight 20/20 ...



Clint

[skunkworks]

[cbatters]

Originally Posted by skunkworks

I think we're all left wondering what was on your mind....

[skunkworks]

Sorry - I had edited it but didn't actually send it - then got side tracked.

I got my valve stem and cover gaskets last night. I will dig into it this weekend and see what I can do.

sam

[cbatters]

Originally Posted by skunkworks

Sorry - I had edited it but didn't actually send it - then got side tracked.

I got my valve stem and cover gaskets last night. I will dig into it this weekend and see what I can do.

sam

I found this tool at AutoZone and it might make it easier to remove the seals. (Although I am not holding my breath - This would not be the first time I saw a topol that I thought would work only to realize that it is WAY too big to fit into the confined spaces of our heads.)



If that tooll does not work I am going to buy/build something like this.



I am going to finish changing my rear VSS this weekend and then we can work out something with the tools.


Clint

[skunkworks]

Originally Posted by cbatters

(I don't think there is any harm in using the camshaft bolt / timing belt to rotate the engine but the approved method is to use the crankshaft)

Ooh ooh pic me - pick me.
I just tried to turn the engine over with the cam bolt and managed to skip a tooth on the cam. . I used your method to get it back except I use a wood dowel to do it. 1/4 diam - I had 3 spark plugs in still so maybe that was the problem.

sam

[cbatters]

Originally Posted by skunkworks

Ooh ooh pic me - pick me.
I just tried to turn the engine over with the cam bolt and managed to skip a tooth on the cam. . I used your method to get it back except I use a wood dowel to do it. 1/4 diam - I had 3 spark plugs in still so maybe that was the problem.

sam

I just noticed the forum was back online... I will ping you some more info in the AM....

Remember - TDC or bad things will happen to you.....



Clint

[skunkworks]

my experience so far replacing lifters/valve stem seals with cams installed.

well spent a day working on it. Wow - so much nicer if the cams were removed. anyway. Talked to Clint and he gave me some pointers on doing it. (Thanks again Clint) made my own tools and dove into it. I ended up doing intake and exauste separate because the intake valves require the piston to go down further to get the valve spring out.

Here is what I did.
1.) run the piston a little off TDC - compress the valve spring and remove the rockers for the 2 exaust valves. A little off tdc lets you compress the spring a little further so that the rocker is easyer to get out otherwise you hit the top of the piston with the valve.
2.) run the piston to TDC and pressurize. Break the valve retainers loose with a tap of the hammer. compress the valve spring and remove the valve spring retainers using a magnet. Then remove the valve spring washer.
3.) run the piston down pushing down on the valve. Run the pistion down until the valve retainer groove is just above the valve stem seal. remove valve springs.
4.) pull the valves back up and run the piston to TDC.
5.) Pull the valve stems off - ened up making a forked tool like in Clints picture and also hooked the seal on the oposite side. Those suckers are on there. I ended up heating them up with a very small torch (butane soldering iron). Then just yanked then strait up. They where very hard compared to the new ones. (the ones I didn't distroy with heat)
6.) X2 put the straw on the valve stem and put the new valve stem seals down on the guide.
7.) I made a aluminum strap bent a 90 at the end with a hole in it to push the valve stems down. It is hard to tell as they push down without you really fealing it. Leaves you wondering if it is seated but it is.
8.) Install orings with strings to the valve spring groove. Drop the piston back down until the oring is just above the valve stem seal.
9.) X2 fish the string though the valve springs and install the valve spings.
10.) pull the valves up and run the cylinder to TDC
11.) pressuerise cylinder and pull the oring/strings off.
12.) X2 install valve spring washer
13.) X2 compress spring and install keepers. I found grease on the end of my finger holds the valve retainer on it to get it into position.
14.) run cylinder off of tdc - compress the valve spring and install rocker - at this point I also installed my 3rd gen lifters - boy the hole was small on the old ones.
15.) do the sam with the intake valves for that cylinder.

Sounds like a lot of steps but it goes quick - I think I did one cylinder in about 15 mins once I got my ducks in a row - also this is a 2 person job with my tools.

Now I am going to have to make or modify my tool as I don't think it is going to work on the rear or where the front engine lift point is. It just needs to be made shorter.

It looks like Clints tool will be the cats meow. --

I did not get nearly as far as I wanted today becaus doing the second cylinder I ran into problems. When I tried to break the retainer looks on one of the exauste vavles it stopped sealing. At first we thought that either a peice of junk got under the valve of we bent it trying to break it loose. well we decided to run the engine to see if it would clear out. I ended up putting the valve cover back on and ran the engine for 5 or so minutes and it sealed back up. Maybe a piece of carbon got under the valve - I don't know.

Tomarrow I will try to do the last 4 cylinders.

sam

[BLACK94TT]

That does sound like a lot of steps. In step #3, is it safe to push down on the piston by using the valve?

I guess unless you're already doing a 60K, this method sure beats pulling the cams.