Keepers stuck in retainer?!!
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,175
Likes: 19
From: London, UK
No longer stock '06 E55, A3 3.2 Quattro, GLE 400d, R107 280SL, Golf Polo
Keepers stuck in retainer?!!
So managed to do twenty valve seals but bank one exhaust is a no go. I cannot get to them with the Lisle tool - which is great btw - but you need to give it a good wack - no way you pushing these valves down.
Now cannot access the exhaust valves using this tool and using a leverage arm style to try and unseat the keepers but with 8bar cyl pressure not enough to break them away. I beat on it as much as I dare - wiggled it - a LITTLE heat, penetrating oil etc … rope inside cyl … no dice. Somehow bank 2 was way easier 🤷♂️
So any bright ideas on how to get around this?
Old valve seals were pretty hard fwiw - and cannot let these 4 valves get a bye.
TIA
Now cannot access the exhaust valves using this tool and using a leverage arm style to try and unseat the keepers but with 8bar cyl pressure not enough to break them away. I beat on it as much as I dare - wiggled it - a LITTLE heat, penetrating oil etc … rope inside cyl … no dice. Somehow bank 2 was way easier 🤷♂️
So any bright ideas on how to get around this?
Old valve seals were pretty hard fwiw - and cannot let these 4 valves get a bye.
TIA
Last edited by stevebez; May 8, 2026 at 03:34 PM.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,175
Likes: 19
From: London, UK
No longer stock '06 E55, A3 3.2 Quattro, GLE 400d, R107 280SL, Golf Polo
Yep this is what I did for the valves that can be accessed with a blow hammer but the exhaust valves are so close to the frame there is
so little access to get to it with a clean and vertical blow… intake valves were a doddle.
so little access to get to it with a clean and vertical blow… intake valves were a doddle.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,331
Likes: 586
2005 e55 AMG
OK you can try this. Bring the piston up to top dead center so that the valve will hit then push down on the retainer. You will not damage anything and I have done this many times in your same situation. Unorthadox but works well. The keepers just have a good bite on the retainers. As a matter of fact we have done all cyliders with out air pressure this way and it's impossible to drop a valve.
