Thread: How to install Cams and Springs and/or Retainers in the VE

wow I will use it to install my N1 Cams thanks

i bought the 32600 lisle tool and was practicing spring/removal and installation on my DE head yesterday. I noticed that removing the springs, retainers, and keepers is a piece of cake, but reinstalling the retainers and keepers on the valve are next to impossible. what's happening when i try to install the keepers on the valves is that only one of the 2 keepers installs properly--the other keeper barely slips onto the valve. the keeper that doesn't install properly sticks out so far, that i can't even put the shim back into the retainer. it seems like the black part on the installer part of the tool is too small, allowing for it to only push 1 keeper onto the valve. i'll take pics later, but all i gotta say is this tool is extremely annoying to use for valve keeper/retainer installation.

^your valves must not be completely up. Having them as far up as possible makes it a lot easier!

Jeremy, that will happen occaisionally. Sometimes you can put the tool back on and whack it. If it's too far off, you gotta reverse and start again.

make sure the tool is lined op with the angle the valve is in at. that also makes a big difference.

javcrodgz, the valves that i worked on were pretty much all the way up--the head is off the block, and i just put a towel underneath the poppets to keep them from moving, but i noticed that they still are moving maybe a few mm when i try to reinstall the keepers and retainer.

greg, i figure i've tried over 30 times to reinstall the keepers properly, with no luck. i've tried both the hammer and push-on method. it seems the push-on method is the easier way (considering the head is out of the engine bay and i could easily put all my weight onto the tool/spring), but both keepers never want to go on all the way... i'm gonna try a valve spring compressor tool that i have later on today, to see if that works better for installation of the valve keepers and retainer. if i could just push the spring far down enough to where i can slip both keepers around the top of the valve, then all i'd have to do after that is let go of the spring tension until the spring pushes the retainer back over/around the valve keepers. i'm hoping the valve spring compressor that i have will allow me to do this. will let you guys know, thanks

I forget I have a dead SR20DE laying in my backyard.

Is it exactly the same procedure from the VE other than the rocker removal right????

yeah pretty much, you take the cam caps and camshafts off, then the rocker arms are just sitting there loosely. take them out by hand, as well as the shims, and you're ready to remove/install springs/retainers

hey guys, i gave it another shot today, with much better results. i first tried using a valve spring compressor that i had. what a pos, the thing actually came apart while i was using it. so i scrapped that and tried the 32600 tool again. And this time, I made sure that the valves could not move at all, by stuffing a microfiber towel underneath the valve/cylinder i was working on. The same thing was happening again--only one keeper slipped onto the valve, while the other went on only partially. so what i did was position the tool right on the keeper that stuck out, gave it a good whack, and it went on completely as well. I did this with success on 3 different valves, doing them over multiple times just for fun. as long as one keeper is in well, and one is partially on the valve, then no need to remove both keepers and install again--just place the 32600 tool on the keeper that's partially on, give it a good whack, and both keepers will be on the valve properly. awesome!

the key, i noticed, is to prevent the valve from moving at all. the few mm of movement that the valves had yesterday when i was trying the 32600 tool out made it impossible to get the keepers on. but if the valve is completely shut and immobile, that gives the keepers just enough height to slip onto the valve stem up top, with the 32600 and a good whack of a hammer (i used a 3 lb drill hammer). i even got both keepers to slip onto the valve stem perfectly with just a single whack, a few times. again, the key is to prevent the valves from moving at all. makes me think the rope method of installing springs/retainers might not be the better solution after all, unless you have a really good valve spring compressor tool: one that can compress the spring to the point where you can slip the valve through the spring/retainers just enough for you to stick the keepers on the stem, after which you can release the spring tension on the compressor so that the retainer makes its way back up to surround the keepers.

edit: if the keepers look like this, you can still place the 32600 tool on the keeper that's sticking out, and whack it down into place with the 32600 tool and hammer:

Exactly right. Good job Jeremy. I guess my compressor that keeps between 80-100psi is sufficient for the job.

BTW, the key is to make sure you have the tool straight! If you have it tilted just a little bit, you'll get the 1 keeper in/1 keeper out thing you're getting.