Valve Spring Replacement

chavez45 · 08-22-2004, 05:36 AM

My Car: '78 911 SC w/ Paxton Supercharger.
I broke a valve spring on the #1 intake. I found the valve spring compressors on Pelican Parts website. My question is can you use these P7 tools to remove the valve spring without taking the cam housing off and if so can this be done with out dropping the motor???

I tried to catch someone at PP on Friday to order these and find out know before I dropped the motor. There was something up with the phones because I kept getting disconnected.

Next question. I bought this car almost a year ago and it had 52,000 miles. I have put another 10,000 miles on it. These springs shouldn't have but about 15,000 miles when the engine was rebulit. Oversized valves a new stock cam and the paxton added. Can I put another stock valve spring in #1 and get back on the road. I just don't have the dollars right now to get a complete set of springs.

All comments welcome.

chavez45 · 08-23-2004, 04:31 PM

After the flaming about posting a vague question with the 80 3.0 sc and 81 3.0 sc enigine swap, I would have thought this would be specific enough. I do want to do the work myself. I think I have the expertise. I just haven't researched everything before I start.

This would be the warning to buying a engine with mods that you didn't spec and blueprint yourself.

john walker's workshop · 08-23-2004, 05:12 PM

the tools make it fairly easy to do the swap with the engine in the car. you still have to be a bit nimble, and good at working with a mirror, stick magnet, and a maglight in your teeth. the rear ones are the easiest anyways. when it's time to insert the keepers, put a little grease in the notches, and use a bit of point grease or something thick and sticky to glue it to your finger tip so it can be inserted by feel. carefully rotate it around out of the way and do the other one.

wswilburn · 08-23-2004, 06:53 PM

When I did this, I used an air compressor to pressurize the cylinder to keep the valve closed. I had the engine out with cam towers off, so I'm not sure I can offer anything else useful.

chavez45 · 08-23-2004, 07:32 PM

I appreciate the help. I decided to go ahead and order the intake and exhaust spring compressors.

John, Do you know if these will reach without pulling the cam housings?

john walker's workshop · 08-23-2004, 09:55 PM

same thing i use. the intakes are easier that the exhaust because there's more room to get the spring in and out. you just have to get the rocker shaft loose and out of the way. don't completely remove it, just enough to get the rocker out. the cam tower stays put. you do the job with the piston at TDC firing position, so the valve can't fall into the cylinder. the stem seal holds it pretty well, but occasionally you have to catch the keeper grooves with a screwdriver and pull it up a bit.

89911 · 08-24-2004, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by chavez45
This would be the warning to buying a engine with mods that you didn't spec and blueprint yourself.

I think you just summed up most of your problems right there. There is not enough history with these motors to come up with any realistic longevity even with the additional safeguards. Perhaps 15,000 miles isn't to bad.

chavez45 · 08-28-2004, 05:58 PM

I got the valve compressor yesterday. And had a beautiful day to work on it today. I did get aggrevated but you can do this without to much headache with the motor in the car if you have the right tools.

My problem started with the 5mm and 8mm allen wrenches being to long when trying to remove the rocker shaft. So i went to Wally World to fight the afternoon crowd to get some more tools.

Then the 5mm just would not break loose. So I took the sheet metal of between the intake and exhaust covers. I still couldn't get them loose so I put them some PB pentrating buster on them and about 3 minutes later it just slipped loose. I was able to get the rocker off and then put the compressor on.

When I got the spring compressed I could find my magnet so I had to go back the store again to get a magnet and a small mirror. The mirror turn out to be essential.

I was able to get the spring out and sure enough the outer spirng #1 intake was broke in two places and the bottom retainer lip has been broke off.

I am going to replace both springs and the bottom retainer. This should get me by until I drop the motor for a big check out. Just have the money or time to do that right now. And now that I have the right tools it really shouldn't be that bad if I lost another spring.

I will try to take some pictures when I put it back together so I can send in for the tech junkies.