1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Engine was out of the car, which made it no doubt a little easier.
For that car, I popped the keepers off with an old trick - - put a sparkplug socket on top, whacked it with a hammer. Depresses the spring and the retainer, and the two keepers pop out. I didn't lose one but they can kind of go flying. If one blow doesn't do it keep whacking. You can get a head apart quick this way, and if it's off a car, you don't even need air holding the valves up. They don't seem to pick up on the spring not being there, it goes down so fast under the hammer blow, and they don't drop.
I was holding the valves up the same way you plan to, a compression tester extension hose with the same quick release fitting as I use on my air tools.
To replace them I made my own spring compressor out of a big wrecking bar with near right-angle head. That car had twin cams but had rocker arms off the cams to the valves. I took them off and worked the wrecker bar under two wide washers on the rocker arm shaft bolts to squeeze the springs while I put on the retainers and the collets or whatever the keepers are called.
I looked around and found a deep well socket that was a nice fit on the seals and used it to push them down into place. My only regret was, I think I pushed a few of them all the way on, then picked up on them stopping just shy of all way down where a rib on their ID fitted into a groove on the valve guide. But no problems afterwards so I guess it didn't matter.
This was a Nissan as I said but I offer my experience so you know that if you look close you might not need to spend much on a tool. If you've already bought that one, make sure there's a place for it to sit and press from before you dirty it up trying to use it.
posted by 64.222.223...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |