Quote Originally Posted by pat mccarthy View Post
the keeper some times lock in you may have to hit the retaner just a wee bit to unlock the valve locks use a rubber or plastic face hammer
Or use a socket that equals the o.d. of the retainer and tap the socket in the center with a hammer. That's the method I use when disassembling a motor. If you hit the socket hard enough with the head on the counter (not recommended in this case, only used on tear-down for a rebuild) the retainers will dis-lodge themselves and the whole mess will be loose with the retainers inside the socket if you're lucky. If not, one of the retainers will go airborn and begin orbiting another planet somewhere. You'll never find it.