i am wondering if i can change my valve springs in the car...cuz im puttin in stiffer 1s?...i dont want to take the head off if not nessasery..???can somone help me out??

 

bump?

 

Yes you can, get a Valve Spring Compressor the type that bolt to the top of the head(I recommend the SnapOn Schely one) and feed Compressed air into the cylinders to keep the valves from dropping, its simple

 

Takes alot of effort and time if you have not done it before.

 

ok sounds good..thanx guys

 

It was a piece of cake on a H23 head we did. Just put the cylinder at tdc so the valves can't fall into the cylinder. Plug the oil drains with rags so the keepers don't fall into the oil pan if you drop them. Get one person to compress the spring and the other to put the keepers in. The valve seal has enough friction to hold the valve up. I'd imagine a VTEC head is harder because of the deep head and dual springs, but it should be possible. I think pirate mcfred has some pics of how we did it on his engine.

 

This is the exact method I've employed in the past.

It's easy to talk about, but when you're sweating away in the middle of the night with these things - it's never fun.

But yes, it is doable. PITA, but doable.....

 

It is a pain in the ***, but can be done. I did mine with the schley valve spring compressor ( part # SP 91400) from http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net. cost was around $75-$80.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rocket &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Takes alot of effort and time if you have not done it before.</TD></TR></TABLE>


and MORE PATIENCE than a mother with 20 1 year olds!!

 

it was really easy for me, i made my own tool to install the springs (rocket springs) in my LS and did it with the head on.

heres a link with pictures https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1269823

 

when i 1st attempted to install springs and retainers in my LS head with it still in the car, it took me the entire day. i mean i started at noon and finished at like 11pm (with me taking a **** load of breaks cuz i got frustrated) i made my own tool to look like the snap on overhead compressor. my tool looked really crappy and was hard to work with, but it got the job done. I find it much easier to do a head with it off the engine. i use the big C-Clamp style compressor and it works like a charm. no muscle work is involved unlike the snap on tool. i did about 5 heads so far

quick an easy way to get the stock springs off:

take a 19mm socket with an extension. then take a hammer and hit the extension attached to the socket. the keeper will pop right off and be kept in place inside of the socket. i use to think this method was bad for removing the keepers but it's not. u dont need alot of force when u hit the socket/extension with the hammer. it comes out rather easily. it took me about 1-2 minutes to remove the stock springs from my head compared to usual 15 mins with the C-Clamp style compressor. (the head is off in this case, but u can still use the hammer trick with the head on the car. just get compressed air into the cylinder or stuff it with rope)