Making your own Pilot Bearing puller

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May 17, 2015 | 12:45 PM

#31

christiandk

Racer

Joined: Oct 2010

Posts: 321

Likes: 1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hilton

Last weekend, Jon928se came over to my place and helped me with my first clutch removal.. well, I say "helped", but basically I was tool caddy in a "pass me the 9 iron please" type of role

When it got to the Pilot bearing however, the Harbor Freight 1/2" puller just wasn't fitting right, so after a bit of creativity and trying different sizes, we came up with this.

Ingredients:

1x M8 50mm bolt and nut
1x 5mm hex key
1x short 1/4" extension bar (anything that fits into a flywheel bolt hole will work)

Oh, and of course a 13mm socket to turn the bolt

Put the nut onto the bolt, far enough that if can be tucked over the inner edge of the pilot bearing. Then wedge the 5mm hex key in there too.. you might have to turn the bolt a bit until there's space as the fit is close.

Then just tighten the bolt and it'll start pulling the bearing out

You may need to pause halfway, loosen the nut, and twist the hex key and bolt until the bolts on the opposite side - to pull the bearing out evenly.

So, forget the fancy Harbor Freight puller and behold..

Here's how it works in operation. You can see the 1/4" extension is just to stop the hex key from spinning as you tighten the bolt and the nut pushes on the key.

Here's the back-side after the bearing popped out, so you can see what goes on in there.

Thanks to Jon for the help.. it was hugely appreciated and I dropped off my flywheel for resurfacing this afternoon

Well, that did not work for me. The nut kept slipping out and the area is cramped. The supid wet newspaper method was even worse. 10 mins of removing wet newspaper in tiny bits with household pliers after realizing that it did not work. I guess it could have worked if I had hands like a 2 year old or the engine was out of the car.

Will buy a proper puller tomorrow.

May 17, 2015 | 12:52 PM

#32

wanginj

2nd Gear

Joined: May 2015

Posts: 2

Likes: 0

Hilton, you can persuade the Harbor Freight Pilot Bearing Puller to work. This is how I did it when Jon928se helped me with my clutch a few years ago. Jon was working on the Release Bearing at the time, which was probably why he didn't suggest the same solution this time.

May 17, 2015 | 12:56 PM

#33

Rob Edwards

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Joined: Sep 2002

Posts: 18,870

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From: Irvine, CA

What size allen wrench did you have wedged in there against the flat of the nut? If 5 mm isn't big enough, try a 5.5 or 6 mm allen. Whatever will barely fit in there.

May 17, 2015 | 01:07 PM

#34

christiandk

Racer

Joined: Oct 2010

Posts: 321

Likes: 1

Thanks Rob. Does the allen have to be alligned with the nut when inside the cavity or should it just jam up the bolt and fix it? I could not do that with a 5mm too little space. Will try again after dinner.

I guess I just lost my patience......

May 17, 2015 | 01:21 PM

#35

Rob Edwards

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From: Irvine, CA

You have to have an M8 bolt at least 50 mm long, and an M8 nut, whose parallel flats are 13mm apart. That (obviously) has to fit through the hole in the pilot bearing. The 5 mm allen key also has to fit through that hole, far enough so that one of the flat sides of the allen key ends up jammed against the flat of the M8 nut. Then as you tighten (clockwise) the M8 bolt, because of the allen key, the nut _doesn't _ turn, so it ends up pushing the pilot bearing out of the crank.

May 17, 2015 | 01:40 PM

#36

christiandk

Racer

Joined: Oct 2010

Posts: 321

Likes: 1

Thanks Rob. Yeah, thats what I have been doing. Just pretty hard to get the flat sides to meet when space is so cramped. I have busted up the threads on the bolt and will buy a new tomorrow. Will probably try going up one size.

Plenty of WD40 in the cavity now....soaking the little bastard