I cant believe my mistake!
I had to change 12 shims but i turned the engine over with 1 shim missing
on 1 of the front cylinder exhaust side and now the valve spring is touching the cam
so i assume the collets have popped out.
Im preparing to drop the motor and remove the front head.
Unless anyone knows another way

you saying that the valve spring retainer collets are popped off?

or are you saying that the shim has gone walkies?

I cannot quite get it - either way, magnet on a stick is your best friend...and then if no joy, sump off and find the bits...

Ballache man

Just to clarify, i removed the shim and moved it to another location but forgot to put another shim in its place before i turned the engine over, it was the last one to do.
Now the valve spring is hard against the cam follower, even when the lobe is facing away from the valve.
Nothing fell out, but i think the collets are disloged.
Im thinking of removing the exhaust header to hold the valve up then removing the exhaust cam.
Then bolting a plate with a large centre hole using bolts in the existing cam carrier holes to compress the spring and ease the collets back in?
Im trying not to remove the engine, what do you think?

Shit is what I think!

That is a proper mission to get that sorted without removing the head. You'd have ot be steady using the cam carrier bolts as a mounting for a plate - if they strip you are fucked.

If the valve spring is uncompressed then the collets that hold it onto the valve do sound as though they have come out and the spring has popped off.. can you see the valve stem? has it dropped? If the valve drops into the cylinder you'll be removing the head anyway.

Like your trying to do you might be able to compress the valve spring and re-fit the collects with the head still on, just make sure the valve doesn't drop out. Compressing the valve spring will the hardest part.. they require quite a bit of force to compress.

You also have to find both of the collets.. otherwise flush the engien through and get them out of the sump.

I will have a good look tonite/tomorrow ive got a spare motor to practice on first
if need be

You won't be fitting collets back onto that valve without divine intervention methinks

I d better start praying then, but you may be right.
I will check if i can see the valve and collets first and take it from there

CMSMJ1 wrote:You won't be fitting collets back onto that valve without divine intervention methinks

very difficult yes, but i'm imagining it can be done with some tool making.

Usually the vale spring compressor as you know clamps the bottom of the valve to hold it up. However, if you make something to fit over the spring and use the sump or block as a lever you might be able to compress it, like a giant spring compressor that clamps onto the bottom of the engine rather than the bottom of the valve.

Thats assuming the valve hasn't dropped into the bore, getting the valve fully into the head so you can get collets on it will also be very fiddly!

Bit of a buggar. Nice to see how you get on.

When i took a closer look i noticed that the cam rocker had jammed in the spring retainer!
I lifted it out with a screwdriver, no harm done.
Shim replaced, clearance restored. Sorted