Great !!!! But glad you got the Snap on.

You have to be pretty crafty getting them back together using the socket method.

 

I walked into a Snap-on truck and gave him my credit card.

Actually, he didn't even have the part listed. He had to look it up on Snap-on's website. They have 2 of the them....they are listed as a "valve keeper tool." The one to get is the "metric" version; it is the one designed for OHC engines. The other one is designed for OHV engines. I can only assume that the "metric" one is smaller so that you can get it into the pocketed sping location on some ohc engines.

 

I am a Snap-On *****....... one of the happiest days of my life was day that I paid off my snap-on line of credit......$10 per week for the rest of your life.

 

UPDATE:

I picked up the tool from the Snap-On truck today.

It is a very cool tool, for sure, and one of the best values on the snap-on truck at only $33.

Basically, the tool is 2 parts. you have the main outside (silver) part of the tool. This part is used for removing the valve springs. Since these springs are so soft, you just place the tool over the retainer and push it down. As soon as you push it down far enough to release the valve locks, the locks get sucked up into the recess of the tool (reasonably powerful magnet in the tool. lift up on the tool, and the locks are stuck the tool, and the spring and retainer can be removed.

Installing the locks is almost as easy. you have to insert the black part of the tool into the silver part of the tool. then, place the locks into the retainer and place the retainer/locks on top of the valve spring. then, place the center of the black tool over the reatianer/locks, and push down on the tool. as soon as you push down far enough, the locks will slip into the groove on the vale stem....and voila, you are set.


on a side note, I found another use for this tool. the magnet in the silver part of the tool is strong enough to pull the valve buckets out of the head. the buckets can be difficult to grasp, and this tool makes removing them very easy.


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

 

So Coool and the price is right, for Snap-On. I mentioned before about keeping an even space between the 2 half moons of the locks so at hi RPM you dont spit them due to interferance and I always rap the assembled Spring/Retainer/Lock assy with a brass hammer on the valve end to seat everything, but I was surprised to hear the springs were so soft on the VQ35

 

that's a good idea....I was looking at that and then I checked the rest of the stock valve locks, and they all had uneven spacing. How important is it? I'd hate to drop a valve due to something so trivial.

 

i found the gaps were uneven when i took the lifters out.. and thats from nissan, so I am assuming it wont really matter too much, if at all?

and I guess those locks will spin around a bit from vibration..?

 

Just an old habit I was taught years ago by Bonney Truitt (Truitt and Osborne) during my Harley Stroker building days. I figure...WTF...always stuck with me.

 

But --as said...with such a weak spring ??????? Hard to say

 

i just got my springs swapped with jwt ones.. i didnt make them even put did split them off a tiny bit, except for one valve which was real pita to work on

 

Like I said ---just an old habit

 

A spring that can support 7200 RPM from the factory isn't "weak" per se. It doesn't need to be as stiff as what you're used to because A. The valvetrain components are light and B. The valve lift in OHC multi-valve motors isn't nearly as high as OHV motor which need significant valve lift to flow a decent amount of air into the cylinders. Keeping seat pressure as low as possible is the name of the game for wear and valvetrain efficiency reasons.

You make it sound so bad...lol

 

No intention of making it sound bad ---It works and took it for granted that what you say is the reason. SO weak is simply a comparison of what was and what is. And I prefer what is.

 

does anyone know what is the safe revlimit with jwt springs? on non-rev up motor that is..

 

woahh!!!! he meant weak as in soft. not like they suck, but they are just soft springs. Keeping the valve train light allows you to run softer springs, but also the am profiles are pretty "girlie" on these cams.

I'm sure I'll take heat for this, but the design of the valvetrain on these engines is like 1960s pushrod style. the cam profiles and followers look like an OHC version of a flat tappet style V8.

it is too bad nissan didn't go with some sort of roller-type follower which would allow for much more agressive cam ramps. with a roller-type cam, you cam have alot more "area under the curve" valve lift/duration compared to what we have, even given the same seat-to-seat duration.

anyway, I am digressing from the topic of "weak" valve springs. these are what we have and they work with a lightwieght valvetrain with slow-ramp cam profiles.

 

Point taken fellas.

 

On another note, I've GOT to get the tool you have. Sounds pretty nifty. I have the bulky one that you have to remove the heads to use.

 

I called JWT they told me 7200 rpms, after you get valve float. Now why thier are higher rate springs and the same redline on my factory revup is beyond me. Yes the revup will go to 7200 rpm according to datalogging from me.

 

revup have different vale springs than the 287 motors.

the JWT springs/shims look to be only marginally stiffer than the revups.
the revup springs are slightly shorter (1.64 mm to be exact) than the 287 springs, but they have the exact same installed height............... so the revup and the 287 are supposed to have the same seat pressure ( approx 40 lbs.) JWT claims to have 43 pounds of seat pressure.

here's where it gets hard to compare.......

the 287 motor has cams with 9.8 mm of lift. at that lift, the stock springs provide upwards of 90-95 pounds.

the revup has cams with 10.2 mm of lift. at that lift, the revup springs provide upwards of 105-110 pounds of force.

JWT list their springs pressure at 12.5 mm of lift to be 136 pounds.

at 12.5 mm of lift, the revup springs would probably be reasonably close (maybe in the 120s.)

I did notice that JWT does not state that the JWT springs/shims are necessary for the S7 Revup cams. they only list the springs as being needed with the C2 cams for the 287 motor.