Removing valvesprings while head still on the car?

[sssgtr]

My cylinder no. 2 valve stem seals have been found to be leaking ever so slightly, and as the head is of the SOHC variety, changing them will be easy.
Is there any method that i could use to easily compress the valvesprings to remove the retainers whilst the head remains on the car? Better yet, is there any tool in particular designed for that purpose that shouldn't cost me more than say $80?
I have a supercheap auto spring compressor, but i can't get the retainers out the way i'd have to use it.

[Jim]

yes, you can buy a valve spring compressor from repco, that hooks under the lower coil of the spring. the real problem is preventing the valve from dropping into the cylinder!

gut an old spark plug and weld on an air hose connector, screw this into the spark plug hole. take the rockers off the head, then plug the air line from the compressor onto the adapted spark plug. this'll pump the cylinder full of compressed air and keep the valves shut on that cylinder while you remove the spring.

if the fitting breaks or falls off or someone switches off the compressor, the valve will drop into the cylinder and you'll have to take the head off. :)

[gmh265]

you can also try feeding about 2m of clean rope in through the plug hole then rotating the engine so that the piston jams the rope against the valves holding them up...

[sssgtr]

Thanks for the reply guys, apparently there is a readily available connector to do that job secoh.

[Jim]

damn the times they are a changin' :D

[TA22-3SGTE]

Keep the No your working on on TDC so if the air is interupted the valve will only drop a little and sit on the piston .

[Jim]

good idea, except the air pressure will cause the motor to spin straight to BDC if you arent careful, and may cause momentary depressurisation, allowing the valve to drop in. :)

[mopar lover]

Originally posted by Secoh
good idea, except the air pressure will cause the motor to spin straight to BDC if you arent careful, and may cause momentary depressurisation, allowing the valve to drop in. :)

Thats why you rotate the engine to TDC. Also you aren't like shoving in 150psi (which most single phase compressors would struggle to do), ~70 psi would be HEAPS.