Broken valce spring

[STREETREBEL]

Anybody have a trick to remove and replace a valve spring still on the engine. It's a 440.

 

[Don Frelier]

Remove the spark plug.
Stick a long wire in and lower piston to the bottom (watch the wire)
Insert as much 1/4" rope as you can.
Turn crank until rope is compressed and crank stops.
Remove rocker arm assembly, compress spring and replace.

Reverse the procedure when done.
Piece of cake.

 

[Curiousyellow71]

We have a fitting w spark plug thread and just hook on the air hose on. Air holds the valve shut. Piston at TDC. Usually go off a bolt and use a valve spring compressor for leverage to compress the springs.

 

[RemCharger]

If you're doing tdc, make sure it's EXACTLY at tdc. Or you will get a surprise when that baby spins over to bdc!

 

[Cranky]

We have a fitting w spark plug thread and just hook on the air hose on. Air holds the valve shut. Piston at TDC. Usually go off a bolt and use a valve spring compressor for leverage to compress the springs.

I used one of those compressors that clamped to a lower coil and that worked pretty good. Use air to keep the valve closed.....

 

[Geoff 2]

A lot of people use the rope trick.

It is greeeeat until you go to remove the rope & it gets a knot in it......

The safest way is to bring the piston up to or close to TDC. Get an old screwdriver & put a 15-30* bend in the shaft. Poke this through the spark plug hole so that the tip contacts the valve. This will hold the valve in place while you remove the spring. If the s/driver slips, the valve cannot fall into the cyl with the piston near TDC.

 

[66Satellite47]

For many years at the drag strip I use the "rope" method. I had nice soft clothes line, a spare rocker shaft, and Lisle lever spring compressor. Worked great every time. Changed one in the staging lanes between rounds one time. The rope method works if you know how to do it. BTW I never had a knot in mine.

 

[PlymCrazy]

Remove the spark plug.
Stick a long wire in and lower piston to the bottom (watch the wire)
Insert as much 1/4" rope as you can.
Turn crank until rope is compressed and crank stops.
Remove rocker arm assembly, compress spring and replace.

Reverse the procedure when done.
Piece of cake.

Trying to think like a fella that has never seen this done before. Don, might I add to this that the wire is merely for observing the position of the piston in the cylinder and can be removed before inserting the rope? I personally remove it when it appears the piston is lowered all the way. And leave a little of the rope hanging out of the spark plug hole after I stuff it in the cylinder. This gives me something to grab onto easily to remove the rope after the valve spring repair is complete up top.

 

[Don Frelier]

Trying to think like a fella that has never seen this done before. Don, might I add to this that the wire is merely for observing the position of the piston in the cylinder and can be removed before inserting the rope? I personally remove it when it appears the piston is lowered all the way. And leave a little of the rope hanging out of the spark plug hole after I stuff it in the cylinder. This gives me something to grab onto easily to remove the rope after the valve spring repair is complete up top.

Yes I left out some of the details.
Note that this is also my preferred method for tightening/torqueing the crank bolt for the balancer.