Lost Retainer Clips (Keepers) Need Help ASAP.
10-02-2004, 09:04 PM
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Lost Retainer Clips (Keepers) Need Help ASAP. I lost a retainer while swapping springs. Parts stores are closed. Can I just use a vice grips to hold the valve up? Please help. fast. thanks.
10-02-2004, 09:14 PM
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Will that be enough pressure to hold it up? I dont need to drive the car as i have another as a daily driver. I just dont want that thing to fall. How much pressure is pulling the valve down when u take the air compressor off?
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10-02-2004, 09:50 PM
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Thanks for all your help guys. I got it to stay. It seems like there is just gravity that pulls them down. I thought there would be something trying to pull it down. And I lucked out cause i think that cylinder is alreasy at top dead center casue the valve will only go about 1/2 inch down anyways. Zip tie worked great. Thanks again to everyone.
10-03-2004, 12:34 PM
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I dont know. Thats for making me feel like a complete idiot. I am not that mechanically inclined but with all the good write ups I was pretty confident. I have never done a valve spring swap before. To my defence one of my friends that works on boat motors all day everyday is an idiot. He came over and was pretty convincing that they were gonna fall unless i put vice grips or something on it.
10-03-2004, 03:31 PM
#12
I was just curious, not trying to make you feel like an idiot. Give yourself more credit, if you are changing cams and springs yourself, you are pretty well mechanically inclined in my book. I just thought it was sort of funny thinking there was something else that's going to pull the valve down. It does amaze me though how some people are willing to tear into their engines without really knowing the basic functions of how they work. You did the right thing. It's better to be cautious and be safe rather than dropping the valve and having to pull a head. Learn on grasshopper.
10-03-2004, 03:39 PM
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Originally Posted by HavATampa
I was just curious, not trying to make you feel like an idiot. Give yourself more credit, if you are changing cams and springs yourself, you are pretty well mechanically inclined in my book. I just thought it was sort of funny thinking there was something else that's going to pull the valve down. It does amaze me though how some people are willing to tear into their engines without really knowing the basic functions of how they work. You did the right thing. It's better to be cautious and be safe rather than dropping the valve and having to pull a head. Learn on grasshopper.
Some people just don't sit back and think about how all the different parts work in conjuction with eachother. If you've ever seen one of the graphic simulation tear-aways, you know what I'm talking about. Those things are cool
Sometimes ya just gotta sit back and think a little tho. Somethin people don't do enough these days. Good job tho TAJ, I agree with Tampa...if you can swap valvesprings, you're more mechanically inclined then probably 70% of the people in the US.
10-03-2004, 04:11 PM
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No doubt!
The first part of any install is having a mental understanding, then the mechanical part falls into place.
A good rule-of-thumb is to stay away from the wrenches until everything is clear in your head first. The best mechanics use their brains.
JMHO (even though no one asked for it).
The first part of any install is having a mental understanding, then the mechanical part falls into place.
A good rule-of-thumb is to stay away from the wrenches until everything is clear in your head first. The best mechanics use their brains.
JMHO (even though no one asked for it).
10-04-2004, 07:06 AM
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I am learning as I go. The had done headers and all the other mods by myself and read/looked at the Cam/Spring write up on LS1howto.com a million times. I am pretty confident I can handle a cam swap by myself. I just heard horror stories of dropping a valve and didnt want to take the risk. I have seen the little video's of how a motor works but just dont really realize what some parts exactly do.
, I have a PHD. 
10-04-2004, 07:26 AM
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havent got it in yet. i have a miss in cylinder one and i am trying to fix that before i bother installing the cam. i changed the plug, plug wire and coil; still have a miss. now i am going to change spring, pushrod and injector. hopefully that fixes the miss. if i still have a miss, i will do a compression test. hopefully its the spring or injector since my car has 90k on it. If not I think i am screwed.
10-04-2004, 08:54 AM
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I already have the springs and pushrods. I have had them for a while cause i was planning on doing a cam swap. I am just going to swap the injector with another cylinder so it not costing me anything but labor.
