people have said it can be done, and some say it can't..i'm gonna be swaping out my valve train and don't want to remove my head.is there a special springs compressor needed? please let me know!!

 

you have to remove the head to remove the valves, cams and springs can be done with it on the motor

 

valves is the only thing that you can't change without removing the head. But all the other things can be done with the head in place, just connect 4 connectors on the spark plug place and maintain it with a compressor, i think 80 PSi works perfect, just try it

 

a guy had mentioned he didn't know of a tool that could compress the springs enough without head removal -but i posted in another forum and they told me snap on made a tool..

 

http://buy.snapon.com/catalog/pro_de...re&dir=catalog

 

Either harbor freight or Northern tools has a knock off of that snap on compressor for under $40. I have one, works perfectly, comes in a nice case too.

 

Yeah, the 80 psi will keep the valves from falling- this will allow you to replace the valve springs/retainers/keepers, etc. But to actually remove the valves- you will have to remove the head.

 

I greatly prefer to take off the head. This spring compressor really helps out allot, but you're still fiddling with those tiny keepers. You have to plug up the oil holes or one of the keepers will almost certainly end up in bottom of your oil pan. No as much as I dread taking the head off my cars, it's really not bad on a Honda as long as you're not taking the stock IM off a GSR before removing the head. I did this the first time(as per the helms instructions) NEVER again. Took longer to remove the manifold than the rest of the head. Now I just leave it on the head and take the whole thing off. It's tougher with ARP head studs, but still only takes an hour or two.