COMP Cams 5462 Valve Spring Compressor for LS Engine

Got this to do the valve seals on my suburban with a 5.3. It works great, much easier than any universal tool. It's worth the price of the tool even if you only use it one time. Cuts the time in half. Seems very well made and I expect it to last for years.

This tool worked great easy to set up and use, add some anti seize to the threads to meet it moving, works great to change cable springs or stem seals

I purchased this after my 25 dollar cheap one bent the bolts that attach it to the head.... and the one spring compressor you use an extension in the side would not work due to the other springs around it get in the way of it moving so out of the various types this one is the absolute best most trouble free easiest way to swap ls springs with heads on the car. I got this tool and the main threaded hole was damaged and bored at the wrong angle. Once the bolt with the ball bearing at the end got screwed into the "faucet" looking iron piece the bolt would not come back out or move. I torched it and that would not help get the bolt out so I returned tool and got a replacement. (Thank you Amazon) The replacement tool worked great and after you do a few valves your learning curve is complete and you figure out all the little tips and tricks to make this go much easier and faster.For rope method...make sure you feed in about 3 to 5 feet of closeline (stiffer rope the easier to feed it in the plug hole) and then nudge the piston up so it can't move anymore. Any bit of the valves dropping down is that much further you need to compress your springs to get the locks on so best method is air compressor method. lock the crank so piston is at tdc or the air will push the piston down all the way to bdc. This tool is great addition to any toolbox if you plan on doing a fair amount of head valve spring and guide and seal work on ls engines. Once you pass your learning curve you will be able with this tool to swap a pair of springs & seals, retainers and locks all in under 5 min per pair. One unique thing about this tool is you can change out 1 spring at a time or a pair. The one hole is slotted so you can bolt the "faucet" cast iron center piece to strattle 2 springs or bolt it down and be able to strattle the space between pairs of springs letting you get one spring vs 2. In most cases this won't matter but if you lose a lock or forgot to swap a seal or something you can go back and just swap the one spring and not have to do both and potentially lose another lock etc. This tool is made from cast iron so as long as you use the enclosed compression grease the iron threads will not destroy the ball bearing center compression bolt and the tool will last a lifetime. Always use the compression lube or the tool will bind badly and you will be left with big problems. I would give 5 stars if the enclosed instructions provided the little tidbits of info to get past the learning curve faster and if the threads on my 1st one were not messed up and that botched threaded hole was milled or tapped at the wrong angle and would not line up with the springs. I had to weld nuts and Torch the end to red hot to snap the bolt and get it out so it would fit in the return box. But the replacement tool worked flawlessly and had 0 problems and job went rather quickly with the new tool comp sent to replace the botched one.Advice. . If you are not using air method then use rope method and make sure you rotate your crank about 5...10 degrees before TDC and fill the chamber with 5...6.. or more feet of rope...most you can fit and then rotate as far as it will go until it stops.... this will keep the valves up against their seats or allow them to drop only about 1/16th of an inch and you can swap springs safely. If your valves drop any lower than 1/16th you will be fighting to get locks in place. Also use Vaseline on locks to get them to stick to valve stem so when you back off compression bolt they won't move and will end up getting snagged as they should in the retainers with no issues. Good luck with your spring swap cam swap projects and these little tidbits of info should help you get past your learning curve quickly. Don't drop any locks!!!!!Jay

Having a good quality tool like this makes life so much easier. The compressor is really sturdy with good American quality. Don't waste your money on those Chinese versions. They'll cause more grief than the few extra bucks savings is worth. It'll be a life long tool of you look after it too.This tool presses both the stock bearings out and holds the rocker while pressing new bronze or needle bearings in. The magnet works great too. I really appreciate this tool. Great work Comp Cams

I tried to use this tool on LS3 heads with duel valve springs with no luck. First tool I received, the two 8.8 grade bolts bent and the big 10.9 grade bolt was stuck inside the tool.Second tool I received did the same thing. However, this time I greased 10.9 grade, big bolt, for easier thread in/out, with no luck. I had to buy additional 8.8 bolts at lowes as they kept bending once inserted into heads and the tool was put in use.The problem was the angle of of the tool for ls3 duel valve springs, and the strength. As the tool was pressing the springs it kept moving upwards and 10.9 bolt kept going to side and eventually getting stuck in the tool by damaging bolt thread and the tool thread. With duel spring strength, the 8.8 bolts that bolt to heads would bent, and up on removal damaged aluminum heads, which I had to rethered afterwards.Not sure how well it does with single springs, but duel springs, not recommended for the price.

I had the Proform LS valve spring took which doesn't work with the Gen IV motors with the offset intake rockers; so then I tried the old standby which is the single spring compressor with the claws and knob. Forget that as well. So then I ordered this tool and it worked perfectly on my LSA engine. Easy to use, low profile, saves time and good quality make it a must have tool if you swap springs on LS motors.

I bought this to change the valve springs on a CTS-V and it worked great! I did have to turn the plate over to gain the clearance for the double springs I put on. There is a small divot on the back side as well. A couple of tips: Use the right size bolts for you application.(It comes with two sets), USE the provided lube! It make a big difference. Torque the bolts down.If you do these things it works very well and will save the cost of the tool in time savings.

Great tool for the do it yourselfer.

I was able to change 4 springs before the bolt in the picture seized up. Seems like the tool was made incorrectly as the bracket that is used to push the springs down, does not line up properly causing uneven pressure. I believe this is what caused the bolt threads to get messed up. I'd like money back.

Works well won't center on the spring sometimes and must be forced to center sometimes and held there. \overall works well