Topic: Pilot Bearing Removal
in Forum: C3 Driveline Components
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Went to Autozone and loaned the pilot bearing puller. Connected it to the slide hammer, but the bearing will not budge. Anyone have any ideas? I sprayed with PB Blaster and will give it a try again tomorrow night.
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Cram the hole with thick grease (wheel bearing grease should do the trick.) Then use a punch that is as close as possible to the ID of the pilot bearing. Give it a whack or two with a hammer. The idea behind this is it forces the grease in the hole, which has nowhere to go so it presses the pilot bearing out with hydraulic pressure. You can also try heating it up with a torch to break the hold. Heat the outer area to expand...then use the slide hammer. They also have a three finger puller that works. Lots of swearing sort of helps...
corvette440hp
Once had to resort to air chisel. Cut into it carefully then came right out.
[QUOTE=Whtlitnin]Once had to resort to air chisel. Cut into it carefully then came right out. [/QUOTE] I forgot the cutting.......you can use a Dremel Tool to make a small cut...but as mentioned be careful.
corvette440hp
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I haven't had a lot of good results with commercial pilot bushing pullers....might work on this one, might not on the next one... 
I've got a couple of different ones... neither works on all of them.
If the puller doesn't get it out(once you do tap it forward a wee bit, as Ken suggested), then cutting a slot with a Dremmel tool(or similar) down one side is the only way to go. I'll always try the puller first once...once...after that, it's grindin time!
Not to bag on Larry's idea (I luv ya man...
), but...Heat ain't such a good thing back there, depending on how hot you get the end of the crank...you may wind up replacing the rear main seal after you get it all back together, unless the engine is torn apart at the time...then putting a smoke wrench to it might be just the thing.
btw...if your engine has a pilot bearing, those pullers ain't worth a crap on them anyway...cut a slot down one side and be done with it.
I've got a couple of different ones... neither works on all of them.
If the puller doesn't get it out(once you do tap it forward a wee bit, as Ken suggested), then cutting a slot with a Dremmel tool(or similar) down one side is the only way to go. I'll always try the puller first once...once...after that, it's grindin time!
Not to bag on Larry's idea (I luv ya man...
), but...Heat ain't such a good thing back there, depending on how hot you get the end of the crank...you may wind up replacing the rear main seal after you get it all back together, unless the engine is torn apart at the time...then putting a smoke wrench to it might be just the thing.
btw...if your engine has a pilot bearing, those pullers ain't worth a crap on them anyway...cut a slot down one side and be done with it.
Joel Adams
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as above, use grease in the pilot hole and it comes out the easiest
I made my own little tool. Took a piece of rod stock, roughly the diameter of the hole and cut a square groove back starting about an 3/16 inch from the end. Made the groove wider than the bearing. Then I just insert it and whacked it with the slide hammer while moving it around the bearing. Sucker came right out. I tried a 3-finger puller before, but no luck. just wasnt strong enough. It really takes a slide hammer to get it out (it takes a hammer to get it in too!)
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Finally got that pilot bearing out. It was stubborn. The dremel did the trick.
I put new one in the freezer for a few hours and it went in pretty easy.
Now to ensure that bellhousing is aligned properly as the pilot bearing did have abnormal wear on it.
[QUOTE=jp75vette]Finally got that pilot bearing out. It was stubborn. The dremel did the trick.
[/QUOTE]Jack, I'm glad things worked out. You are a wise man "in freezing" the new bearing. That shinks it enough for an easy install. You know your "stuff"
I put new one in the freezer for a few hours and it went in pretty easy.
corvette440hp
in Forum: C3 Driveline Components
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