I'm doing my first valve seal replace and I read all up on it and got the air chuck and spring compressor. I compress the spring but the keepers seem stuck to the retainer. The spring, retainer, and the keepers are moving freely around in the groove in the valve stem but I can't spread the keepers apart, even with a little tapping with a tiny chisel and a small hammer. Is there a trick to this? Shouldn't the retainer be able to slide down the stem away from the keepers? I tried some light tapping on the spring compressor but it feels locked right there. I'm stuck. Please halp me!
Stuck valve stem keepers while doing seals (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Steamer
- Start date
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When I worked in a motor shop we would take a rubber mallet and give each retainer a good wack. That helped unseat the keepers so the spring compressor could do it's job. Then we would compress the springs, pull the locks and carry on with the overhaul.
Nick
Nick
+1 on that idea
I have also used a socket about the size of the retainer and put it on top and with the air in the cylinder (without spring compressor) smack the socket while on the retainer.......there is actually a tool similar to this that has a magnet in side to catch the keepers when they pop out.
Haven't done it on an F motor but always worked on SBC.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks guys. That did it. I was afraid to whack'em cause I couldn't see how they worked till I got one apart. I used a 8" piece of 1/2" heavy pvc pipe and just gave the reatainer a few hammer taps. Then put on the compressor and the keepers were loose. I wasn't happy with the OTC brand compressor though. It was a fight to compress it enough to get the keepers out of there. After two changes I wound up making a lever tool out of unistrut that worked much better and faster. It compressed the spring further down giving more wiggle room and a magnet plucked those suckers right out of there. I'll post some pics of my spur of the moment tool fab. Thanks again. Steamer
- Thread starter
- #5
This is the compressor with the keepers still stuck to the retainer. Even with the keepers loose there wasn't enough compression to remove the keepers without a fight. I whipped up this tool out of unistrut and a hacked up turnbuckle. It was a quickee with what was on hand but it worked really well. It's worthy of a nail in the wall and I'd use it again if needed.
Ingenuity, the mother of invention! I like your thinking.
