DIY_EFI Digest V4 #491...valve keeper probs

[EFISYSTEMS at aol.com]

Hi Ross,
        First of all, forget about the gently bit....even stock retainers are 
chrome moly on a chev.....take a decent sized  steel hammer and WHACK the 
corner(edge) of the retainer (repeated if neccessay) do this without the 
spring compressor on it and even without the air in the cylinder....you will 
here a difference in tone when the keepers "break loose" from the 
retainer....this is very common of stamped steel keepers(especially the heat 
treated ones) and if you plan on running high rpm alot, spend the $35.00's 
and get machined keepers.......as for your shims wearing through......at high 
rpm any spring that has a damper will wear through the shim.....you must use 
heat treated shims to avoid this....most machine shops don't carry them, but 
can order them.....if you have trouble I have plenty....hth's
-Carl Summers

In a message dated 8/27/99 2:20:46 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
DIY_EFI-Digest-Owner at efi332.eng.ohio-state.edu writes:

<< Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 22:13:27 -0700
 From: Ross Corrigan <zxv at istar.ca>
 Subject: help! valve retainer/keeper welded?? sbc how to separate?
 
 Not EFI but I"ve exhausted my 5 other lists on chevy's etc and have always
 gotten great info here so please tolerate my NC.  Here's my EFI content, a
 spare car is coming my way so I should finally be able to build my stout sb
 replacement and setup my 4Di finally to enjoy the EFI benefits.  Now onto
 my problem...
 
 Just to update since I didn't run the original q's past this list, tranny
 problems w/ my 700R4 led to some missed shifts and 7000rpm a few times this
 last Sun. night.  A hardened pushrod went thru my #2 intake stamped steel
 rocker arm on my edelbrock performer rpm heads.
 
 ******************* question here ****************
 
 Just to update for this question, some of my valve spring shims got sheared
 during some valve float lately so I'm trying to R&R them all  I only got
 one done easily before I got stuck and bought a dead blow hammer on
 reccomendation.......
 
 >  Ross,
 >  Use the dead blow but carefully. A small wack is all it should take.
 
 well it hasn't turned out that way... as mentioned I R&R'd the spring shims
 under #2 intake fairly easily and #2 exhaust wouldn't come apart, I hit it
 gently and then w/ more force side/side and on the top, then placed 5 shims
 on top of the retainer (to distribute the downforce of the compressor jaws)
 and hit on the top of the valve compressor tool itself, pushing the valve
 down in shots etc........no dice whatsoever, I even oiled it just in case
 (the keepers/retainer)
 
 so v. annoyed and hot/tired I figure lets see if #2E is an oddity or the
 norm, #4Intake goes v. easily and then #4E is same as #2E, do these exhaust
 ones get welded together???
 
 FWIW, the #4Intake I replaced the valve spring shims on: the top shim was
 worn right thru in one spot but no sign of any pieces being sheared out.
 THis is probably the magnetic 'dust' I've gotten in my heads for a while
 I'd guess.
 
 So I'd really like to R&R all these valve spring shims but am at a loss as
 to how to separate the keepers/retainers on the two exhaust valves
 encountered so far!!!  (and probably the rest) Please someone have an easy
 timely solution for me.....any hope that heating it would help (probably a
 huge no-no I assume)???  I do have a small tiger torch and a pen torch????
 Or icing it???  I lose my rental car tomorrow night.
 
 Oh yeah, the good news is my oil drained w/o a smidge of metal on the drain
 magnet so that was the good part of this eve. 
 
 thanks in advance .....
 
 Ross Corrigan  /  Vancouver, Canada 
 
  '80 327ZX   IZCC#255, Edmonton Z-car Club #44, British Columbia ZCR        
 Life's a journey, not a destination.. Enjoy the pitstops and maximize the
 straights
 
 mailto:zxv at istar.ca     *New ICQ # 11549358
 http://home.iSTAR.ca/~zxv/index.shtml
 http://207.212.212.139/~corrigan/gearheads/pics/wheels/sirbg.jpg    where a
 Z belongs
 
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