Fellow Volvo lovers:

The following(long)post describes the "ultimate" valve spring compressor that I built to remove valve springs on any B230F/T engine without removing the head from the block.

Having already removed the cam in my newly-acquired 1990 740 wagon (180k)in order to replace the valve hushers, I decided to change the intake valve stem seals while I was in there. My local independant Volvo mechanic loaned me his VW valve spring compressor (VSC) tool, which was an aluminum tube with the sides milled out, and a fulcrum bar made to bolt onto a VW head. The tool was designed to be used with a big pry bar to push the valve retainer down.
Unfortunately, the VW fulcrum widget doesn't fit a Volvo head, but after studying a couple of clever VSC's fabricated by other brickboard members, and finding in my toolbox an old steering wheel puller, I decided to rig up my own valve spring compressor. The problem with any lever-type VSC is that one must push it down and at the same time fish out the valve keepers without losing them. Without a helper, this is not an easy task. By combining the best ideas I found on the web, I came up with what I consider the ultimate valve spring compressor possessing the following features:
1. Easy to use -- Rails screw directly down by hand to the cam bearing studs.
2. Puller is automatically lined up with the valves to minimize fussing around.
3. Rails are high and out of the way to make extraction and installation of the valve keepers easy.
4. Screw type compressor gives the user both hands to work with the keepers.
5. (Masking tape covered) aluminum pusher prevents any accidental damage to cam follower bores in aluminum head.
6. Tube shaped "pusher" has a rim which prevents wayward valve keepers from falling down into the engine.

The following pics tell the story:


Tube, steel disk, and steering wheel puller used to make a B230F head-on-block valve spring compressor.


Exploded View of rails cut from 1/2" x 3/4" 6061-T6 Aluminum bar stock. Rails are 5.5" long and have an 8mm hole on one end and an 8mm wide slot to accommodate B230F cam bearing stud spacing on the other end. 8 mm x 50 mm flange head bolts, 8 mm coupling nuts, 8 mm regular nuts, washers and spring complete the rail assembly as shown.


Bottom View of Valve Spring Compressor Rail (one of two). Note the 1/4-20 x 1/2" Socket Head Hex Capscrews which are precisely located over the Intake and Exhaust Valve locations. The screw heads fit into the puller slots and make proper alignment easy and quick.


This is the top view of the rail assembly (one of two). Note that spring is on the fixed-hole side of the rail - not the slotted side. The regular hex nuts are jammed against the coupling nuts so that the bolts/coupling nut assembly can't come apart. To use, simply screw the coupling nuts down over the cam bearing studs finger tight until they stop turning. Height is automatic when 50 mm bolt contacts top of stud.


With the rope trick holding the intake valve in place, the rails have been mounted to remove the #1 intake valve spring. Rails must be mounted with the spring loaded bolt on cam bearings #2 and #4 in order for the puller locating screw heads to line up with their corresponding valves. The slotted side of the rail installs on cam bearings #1,3, and 5. To move from cylinder #1 to cylinder #2, just unscrew the slotted end from bearing #1 and swing the bar around and screw it into bearing #3.


Wrap the aluminum tube "pusher" with blue masking tape to prevent any accidental scraping or dings to the cam follower bores. Place the pusher over the valve retainer.


Place the steel disk on the puller, and place it under the rails and over the pusher tube.


The spring-loaded rails stay up out of the way by themselves and allow clearance for the puller to slip into place.


The hex-head capscrew heads fit into the puller slots for perfect hassle-free alignment.


With everything now lined up, and the rope trick holding up the valve, turn the screw just a little to put pressure on the retainer. Rap the end of the screw gently with a plastic mallet or a piece of wood to loosen the keepers without them coming off. Turn the screw several more turns to push the valve retainer down enough to remove the keepers with a pick or tweezers.


In this close-up you can see how the pusher has a continuous lip which prevents the keepers from sliding off the valve retainer and falling into the engine. Replacing the keepers is really easy because you can just drop them onto the retainer and move them into position with a pick. This type of pusher makes keeper removal and replacement easy and safe.

It seems a shame to let this thing sit in my tool box when others might be able to use it. Feel free to contact me off list if you want to use it to fix a broken spring or to replace your old, hard intake valve seals.

By the way, when you replace the intake valve seals, I recommend using the Volvo installation sleeve to cover up the sharp edges of the valve. This makes sure that no harm comes to the new seal when it is installed. I cut the threads off a 1/4"MPT x 6" galvanized pipe nipple from Home Depot to make a valve seal installation tool which evenly pushes the new valve seal down until it snaps into place. Make sure the pipe nipple you purchase does not have a welded seam ridge on the inside. Some nipples have no ridge at all and others have nasty knife-sharp ridges inside. Just pick one that has a smooth bore.

SH