The first time I tried to replace my valve stem seals was a disaster. I searched on this site and soon found that paying $200 dollars for the right spring compressor, taking it to a shop, or doing it myself for free with tools I had laying around the garage were my only options. The concept of "free" made my decision for me. I had heard people talking about using a drill press and cutting a little window out of a spark plug socket and using the two together to do the job but I was unsure how it all worked "smoothly". Hours of R&D finally led to a finished product which allowed me to dissamble the head and reassemble in under an hour. Read on...


The first task was to modify the spark plug socket. I found one that was the same diameter as the spring retainer and cut a small window in it to gain access to the keepers.




Next on my list was to find a way to hold up the cylinder head at the correct angle. Here is the frame that I made that tilts the head so that the spring axis is in line with socket axis.





I also had to modify the base of the drill press to accomodate the cylinder head.



These are photos showing the position of the socket over the valve spring and what it looks like when its compressed. In the second pic you can see the valve stem through the window in the socket. The keepers can be installed with a pair of needle nose pliers.





The only tools needed are the needle nose pliers and the modified socket. It also helps to have a little wheel bearing grease to dip the keepers in so they stick to the valve stem (you'll see what im talking about when you try to put them back in) In the pic there are two valve springs. The one on the left is a stocker and the other is from crane. Notice how much beefier the crane is.



My crower 2's. You will be missed. Compare the shape of the lobes on the crowers versus the stockers. Impressive.




Well, I hope somebody can learn something from this. For those of you who have never done this before, at least you have been given an idea of how to accomplish this task. This particular design, in my opinion, is flawless and I will be making changes to it in the future to help speed things up. Any suggestions on what I could do to make it better?

Dave

Thanks el presidente mike for hosting!

so... what's the story with the cams?

Good writeup, but too bad I don't have a drill press.

Those photos look a little old btw. :P

Instead of using a drill press, you can use two people and a nice 2x4. That's how I ended up doing mine.

Originally posted by 9597ShadowClipse
Instead of using a drill press, you can use two people and a nice 2x4. That's how I ended up doing mine.

How does that work? Im trying to picture it in my head and that is funny as hell.

Originally posted by 95_ESi_Person
so... what's the story with the cams?

Im selling them and putting the stock ones back in. College tuition is a bitch!

Thanks for the comment and I didnt even notice the date on the photos. The funny thing is, i took those pics yesterday. Ill go fix my camera now...

i dont see the need for a drill press only. an angle, bench, or die grinder, a cutoff wheel, or a dremel tool (and alot of time) would also do very well.

good info tho! ill have to make one when the time comes near. do you know right off what size the socket is? (they do have some sorta size dont they??)

EDIT: although, if you wanted to start making and selling these perhaps, my suggestion would be to get a milling bit/cutting bit for your drill press with a gear driven vise that you can ease the socket into the bit with careully. it would make it alot cleaner looking..and tons faster

i did the same thing when i was in a pinch, i cut out the side of a spark plug socket

funny to see how some of the rest of you work through the same types of problems :+

Originally posted by 96eclipse2nr
i dont see the need for a drill press only. an angle, bench, or die grinder, a cutoff wheel, or a dremel tool (and alot of time) would also do very well. good info tho! ill have to make one when the time comes near. do you know right off what size the socket is? (they do have some sorta size dont they??) EDIT: although, if you wanted to start making and selling these perhaps, my suggestion would be to get a milling bit/cutting bit for your drill press with a gear driven vise that you can ease the socket into the bit with careully. it would make it alot cleaner looking..and tons faster

He used the drill press to press down the valve springs, i dont know what he cut the socket with, but they are usually pretty hard.

The type of socket I used was a 13/16" spark plug socket. I cut the opening with an electric grinder. To mount the tool to the drill press all I did was slip a bolt up through the opening in the socket and out the top and held it together with a nut; The exposed end of the bolt fits into the chuck. See picture 9

I might make a few just to give to people who dont have the resources to make them themselves. Im sure the design could be better like suggested above, but...eh

Good info man. This'll work out good for me. I've got to get my head back together pretty soon and now I have a way to do it.

Rent the oxygen sensor socket kit from autozone (its free, just leave a $20 deposit which is refunded when you return it) and use one of the adapter sockets to compress the retainer enough to grab the keepers with an extentable pen magnet. You also could use a piece of 3/4" piping cut about 3" long too. I just find it easier to work on TOP of the valve stems instead of thru a slot on the side of a socket.



If you can't rent a valve spring compressor like this somewhere (autozone doesn't rent the overhead cam style) you can buy one at Pepboys for $24.99. Slide the socket inside the end of the valve spring compressor and Viola! I found it easiest to support the head between two chairs to have easy access to the top of the head and the valve heads at the same time when working on the inner 8 valve springs. Simply have the head hang off one side of the chair (or a bench) to work on the four outer valves on each end. When I install the keepers, I simply take some grease and stick some on a small flat head screwdriver. Stick the keeper onto the grease and lower it down onto the valvestem groove. It helps if the tip of the screwdriver is somewhat magnetized.

I always do the the way Jack described. I cut a 5/8 spark plug socket and use the cheap Sears valve stem compressor. Works like a charm!

I use the compressor with a piece of pipe and it works just fine.

I use the spark plug socket trick too, just cut a hole out in it but I welded the socket to an extra adapter for my snap on valve spring compressor.

just about a year old, good job guys :P

Thread needs some pictures..... Just thought i'd give it a bump so somebody could fix this.

Originally posted by 2GeclipseRS
Thread needs some pictures..... Just thought i'd give it a bump so somebody could fix this.

seeing as the OP hasn't signed on in almost 2 years and the pics were linked from a forum that doesn't exist anymore I doubt that's going to happen. :nono

good job on bringing back a highly useful thread though, makes the search easier. :thumbsup

I definatly love the spark plug socket idea. i used a press for mine but its the same thing. i looked all over hell for a tool to take my valves out and couldnt find one that fit. it took less than half an hour to get all 16 out with this idea after i spent all day running around looking for a tool that would work. thanks alot!

I sure wish I had found this site when I was installing new valves. Man, the trouble I ran into. First Autozone---wrong spring compressor, they only had the small ones. I went back to get my deposit back, went to Advanced Auto and rented from there.
I get home and attempt to remove the valves and I find out, I must be missing some sort of adapter. I ended up using a socket to get everything apart. I then realized I would have to cut apart a socket to install, but didn't have a grinder (at THAT time). I ended up taking it to a guy I know who runs a machine shop that rebuilds pretty much anything--he did it for free.
What a process THAT was.