I have a tapping sound. I thought it was rod bearing but checked the inside of the cylinder I was getting misfire from. And with an endoscope I seen a slight valve mark on the top of the head. Biggest thing is that is runs fine most the time just sometimes it gets sluggish and wants to die and throws the misfire code. If its just the valve spring is it OK to replace it with the head on and will it still be OK. It looks like the mark is on top of the carbon build up and doesn’t look bad.
Timing Belt! Timing Belt! Timing Belt!
Did I mention Timing Belt, lol. Labor time for the timing belt on a1.7 L engine is about 2.7 hrs. I would recommend replacing the water pump at the same time.
To answer your question about the valve spring, Yes. You can replace the valve spring without removing the cylinder head.