Avionics86

I plan on upgrading my valve retainers from AP1 to AP2 leaving the head on the car. I will probably be using the Buddy Club valve removal tool. I know it's expensive but I will be selling it after the retainers are done. The question I have is what PSI do I need to set my air compressor to so the valve dose not drop and the motor does not spin. I did the search and the person stated 30-40 PSI, is this right?
Thanks

drewmob

I went 30 psi, but up to 55-60ish psi at one point so I could beat on a jammed spring. You really don't need much. Just set each piston to TDC and you won't have to worry about losing a valve into the block. Just be careful not to knock the valve into the piston when you're using a mallet to persuade things.

I'll go ahead and start the trash-talking about your choice in tools: I used the $20 model from AutoZone so I could modify it as I saw fit.

Your real concern should be ensuring that you don't drop any cotters into the oil pan.

marcucci

I don't use any air pressure to do them- I find I can do them just fine without. You should always have the piston at TDC anyway, in case you do have an issue with the air supply or whatever during the install (dropping a valve would require head removal to fix).

With the engine at TDC, you really don't need to worry about the air supply. Even if the valve drops some you can still get the spring on, or just pull the valve back up. The seals provide enough resistance to hold them there fine, usually.

Slows2k

No air is required.

I put a long piece of string trimmer line down the plug tube. Even without it the valve won't fall into the bore with the piston @ TDC

innovation

after hearing no air is needed...i may do mine

marcucci

I can't stress enough how delicate this is. The keepers are incredibly easy to lose, and lose them in the wrong place... well, you don't want one of them wadding up in your valve springs and breaking it, or catching in the timing chain and snapping it.

It's also easy to confuse the keepers. Side by side you can tell them apart, and if you know where the wear occurs, it's pretty easy, but people still mix them up. do so and you're asking for retainer failure.

You also need to make sure that if you remove the rocker tower that you don't lose any of the VTEC pins or if they come out, you put them back in the proper order. That's easy enough to check but people still have problems with it sometimes. If you lose one of those pins and don't notice it, you could have some serious issues. Likewise if you lose it up in the head or down in the chain case.

Also if you remove the rocker towers, you need to make sure you keep the rocker shafts aligned (or re-align them when reinstalling them). This can be tricky. People seem to have an issue with this, putting in the rocker/cam cap bolts and chewing up the threads badly. Strip these or the threads in the head and you might be in a world of hurt.

Finally, you need to make sure that there is NO OIL WHATSOEVER in the holes for those bolts. If there is any oil in there, you run the risk of hydrolocking (oil-locking?) the bolts on installation or distorting the torque reading. And I can guarantee there is oil in there, as it collects on top of the bolt threads (around the shank) on the inner bolts that go through the rocker shafts, since they are filled with oil when VTEC engages. It drains into the holes when you remove the bolts and MUST be removed. If you torque those bolts and notice the bolts still "wiggle" some when you apply some pressure with the wrench... take them out, clean the holes, and start over.

It's not that hard of a job but there is a LOT that can go wrong for the n00b or the less-than-very-experienced shadetree mechanic.

Slows2k

Very well put. A retainer swap is very easy to phuck in half than do it the right the 1st time.