valve spring compressor

[Jordan]

Interesting idea, and welcome.

Can you provide a little more info?
Do you use both tools at once? Dimensions and locations of pins in the bars?

[Sam]

Looks good, Sam.

Cheers! works a treat.

[Sam]

Howdy all, new guy here. I made up a couple of valve spring compressors based off of another post here at Motoscrubs (can't find the thread now...)

They are simply a couple of .25" pins through a piece of 1" x 12" x .25" thick flat stock. Pins are held in by o-rings so they don't fall out and get lost. I had to grind off one corner of each where it interfered with the guide at full compression. To use them you take out the bottom pin, slide the tool through the spring and reinsert the pin. Easy and cheap!

valvespring_tool.jpg

An even more simple solution.

[Recluse]

Here you go Jordan.

Found the thread that inspired these. The images are gone but if you do a Google Image search for 'ducati single valve spring compressor' it's about the 6th image in.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=783

valve_spring_tool.jpg

Picture helps clarify this a bit...

The pins are located on the front and back edges of the flat bar, maybe .125" in from the edge for strength. The distance between the edges of the pins on the length of the bar should be the diameter of the valve spring. You take out the lower pin, insert the bar into the spring, and reinsert the lower pin, capturing the valve spring between the pins. Then you use the bar as a lever, rotating it towards the valve (clockwise in this case) to compress the spring. When you lever both bars towards each other, you can hold them with one hand while putting in the holder and collets.

[Jordan]

Thanks Recluse.

[tobydmv]

I bought the expensive tool from Eurotrash Spares. Its an amazing piece of kit and worth the extra cutter. Looks exactly like the factory one posted above.

[blaat!]

Well I think I figured out an easier and cheaper way to compress valve springs with about $10US worth of items from any hardware store. I used two 1/4-20 (or could be M6) eye bolts and a couple flat plates with a hole in the center cut from a plumbing mounting bracket:

IMG_3248.jpg

IMG_3249.jpg

I cut part of the eye away so I could fish it around the lower part of the valve spring. The nice thing is that they hold the valve springs compressed while you put the retainer clips and shim in place. Then just back off the nuts until everything seats in place. The sleeves were only necessary for me as the eye bolts I found were not fully threaded and I couldn't be bothered to go to another store.

[Jordan]

Good.