changing valve springs on dohc

[pwdart]

i have a 97 2.0dohc that i want to change valve springs on while the head is still in the car because of an upgrade by chrysler to fix a missfire problem. has anyone ever done this? how long did it take? was it worth doing it your self. any info would be great

[2Sweet Neon]

Well i hear that you have to take off the head to change the valve springs but im sure there is a way around it, but if you did change them with the head on the car then you would have to take the cams out witch means taking the timing belt off and getting the cams timed right again is a pain to do,and i wouldnt get the mopar springs i heard that they like to break, go with the crane springs.

[Dan S]

You can't put the valve springs on while the head is on. There isn't enough room between the back part of the engine and the firewall/cowl to fit the tool you will need. You can get the tool from a Chrysler dealer but it is expensive. If your getting aftermarket valve springs, I would go with the Crane Titanium valve springs. I had the Mopar valve springs and they worked fine for me and I ran the Neon around 4500 rpms constantly.

Hope this helps
Dan S

[pwdart]

i wonder if some has a somewhat universal tool to remove valve springs while they are on the car so i can use it for other cars. I wouldnt buy one only for the neon. I saw the update sheet that lists this procedure and they say it take 3 hrs. As tight as the neons engine is in there they must be awfully good. It looks like an all day job to me