I do NOT have the Churchill official tool but this thing seems like it would be useful. I did stumble across a reviewer who said he tried to use it in a 4.2 liter Jaguar engine and the valve springs were too stiff.
Anyone else try this? I do have the “C” valve spring compressors and I could slit a socket or pipe to use with that setup but this Lisle tool looks so cool!
Ron that looks like it would need longer handles for an XK engine–BTW the beauty of the Churchill tool is you can use it with the head on. BTW that is in the JCNA tool loan program! I think we have 3.
Thanks George, I wondered about the JCNA tool loan program.
There are some videos of this tool on YouTube; it’s pretty ingenious, you place the point over the valve stem and smack the top of the tool with a hammer. The momentary depression of the spring allows the keepers to pop off and they are collected inside the tool’s magnetic chamber.
I’ll be checking into the Jcna program; that will be immensely helpful in the really expensive items like the tools needed for the rear suspension!
You can make one out of 3/4" flat bar and a pipe coupling.
A “T” shaped foot with a pivot hole which you fix at the studs, a handle pivoting at the foot end on a bolt to give you some leverage, and a drop arm with a 3/4" pipe coupling welded to it and an inverted “Y” shaped slot to depress the spring.
I’d post a photo, but I can’t remember who I lent mine to.
Here’s another home made contraption. Difficult to see, but there’s a two prong fork welded to the end of the threaded rod. The fork teeth are stepped and fit precisely over the spring collar. Advantage is that it holds the spring in a compressed condition and frees both hands to insert valve and then collets. Time consuming, but relatively precise.
Ratchet wrench helps.
The Saturn head structure around the valve is not dissimilar to the XK head so it appears the tool will work - but which of the two sizes do you need? Stock XK springs (2 per valve) total about 80 psi so they are not stiff compared to most. You might consider building the tool (wood) shown in the Jaguar manual for holding the valves in place while you whack on them.
Neat tool. If it works as advertised it is much faster than the C clamp type or the Churchill tool. Lisle tools are professional mechanic’s quality-their stuff usually works very well. You should be able to source one at your local parts jobber if you don’t want to buy it online.
I’ve used this many many times on Jaguar heads and many others.Its the greatest thing since the invention of air.Looking at the picture the top part with the knurling is used to release the valve springs.Same as a deep socket whack it with a hammer only the tool is magnetized inside so the keepers won’t go flying.The bottom tool in the picture is used to assemble the valve springs.Its inserted into top tool.Assemble springs and keepers the small cone which is spring loaded is inserted into the keepers. A good whack with a hammer and your done.Its super fast and a real time saver you can do a complete head in a matter of minutes.FYI it will only work on keepers that have 2 ridges.Wouldn’t work on VW’s their keepers have 3 ridges
That’s a lot like a Zelenda collet extractor/installer and it requires the board with combustion chamber blocks as shown in the workshop manuals.
I have both the Churchill and the Zelenda but I prefer the Sykes Pickavant C-clamp.
Yes I have several types of spring compressors I have used over the years. Some work better on certain engines. If you use the Lisle hammer type tool on your XK head be careful not to hit the tappet guides. This tool also allows you to change valve springs or guide seals with the head on the car. But you will need compressed air in the corresponding cylinder with the piston at top center and the crankshaft locked in position. Just be careful the springs , retainers, and locks like to fly in all directions when you smack it with the hammer.
I also had a board with 6 half hockey pucks screwed to the top which I inherited from my dad. the pucks were spaced to hold the valves up.
Alfa has special tools for the 4 cyl engines which are quite similar. The tool for holding the valves up is just a chunk of Al with a threaded rod sticking out - the threaded rod goes through the sparkplug hole and a wingnut with a large captive washer goes onto that, thus holding up the valves.
One other Alfa tool is a swivel head which you put in a vice. It has two threaded rods sticking up which pass through the head, with nuts holding the head to the tool. The tool has a clamp arrangement so you can spin, swivel and tilt the head. This probably wouldn’t work for the Jag head as it is so large, but the Alfa tool really does make valvework a snap!
I was about 7 when dad made it, and I remember him explaining how dangerous the radial arm saw was.
He either made a clamp which held the pucks to a board, or possibly screwed them straight to a board with 4 screws. Knowing him it was a clamp which took 4 hours to design, 2 hours to make, and was used for 6 minutes.
Lol
