Okay,
I've given up and need help. I've searched the usual online sources for this info and tried everything I found there, which includes:

First try - the messy grease and a dowel trick = you've gotta be joking man!

Second - bolt head just small enough to fit, Vice Grips and pound with a BFH = busted knuckles and a chip outta the guide tube mounting flange

Third method - same as above with a length of heavy chain attached = more swearing, pain and frustration

Fourth method - slide hammer with a standard hook attachment = golly gee, there's no room to operate one of these up in dere!!!

Fifth method - Go to Autozone and get a loaner tool = Not only are the jaws too big to fit, but to use it, you put it on the end of a... That's right, a slide hammer!

So, any ideas? Left up to me, I believe my next step would have to be a strategically placed dab of C4!

TIA

Regards,
Bill
Saltyrims@aol.com
'88 Marine Blue 5spd
Austin, Texas

 

Greasy mess and dowel. I've done it. It works. The dowel must be very nearly the same diameter as the bushing. Piece of cake.
Oh, one thing. You need to ad grease as the bushing comes out, or the dowel will bottom against the crank.
Hey, you might want to use c4 anyways just for fun. I was reading an article on a machine gun party yesterday. They strapped dynamite onto a Cadillac, and let fly 50 caliber machine gun rounds from about fifty people. I think it was 50 cents a round to get a chance at the fun.
Good luck.

 

I used a regular gear puller with one jaw inside the bearing and the other on the outside of the flywheel. Moved it to opposite sides as needed.

Put a dimple or two on the flywheel but didn't bend it.

 

Gregg,
Where did you find a metric dowel?

I purchased a length of 5/8" dowel, which is too big. I turned it down with sand paper, cut countless pieces and retried numerous times, but to no avail. The grease just kept spurting out. I felt really quite silly, managing only to make funny sounds and grease projectiles!

- Bill

 

Does that mean your volunteering??

 

Bill, I improvise. It's easy when one has an entire barn devoted to steel stock. But a metric bolt, hacksawed off will work. Any round bar stock. When I need something, I start walking around the house, and the garage. I almost always find something.
Aside from not having the right dowel on hand, this is by far the simplest easiest way to go.
I saw a tool the other day that has a zerk fitting on it. I believe it screws into the old bushing, and then grease is pumped into it to push the bushing out. It was at kragen's or some such place.
I have to say, thirty years ago when my friend told me about this method, I thought he was joking. I almost didn't even try it.

Ok, here's a crazy example. The entire bar doesn't have to be the correct diameter, I believe. Just the end. So, one could take a penny, and file it to the right size, and use a punch, or bolt (of big enough diam. to not bend it) to use in lieu of the correct bar stock. That's pretty far fetched.

 

Jay Kempf just replied to me on the Listserv saying that NAPA has a $20.00 tool that is narrow enough to fit inside and work in the conventional gear puller manner. No slide hammer required. This, I will have to investigate, post haste...

 

Greasy dowel did not work for me either!

'The local 928 racer' Jean-Louis fabricated a simple tool for me to use. It consisted of a high quality nut and bolt, and a screwdriver.

Get a nut/bolt combo where the nut barely fits thru the hole of the pilot bearing, and the bolt is long enough to bottom out on the crankshaft and protrudes far enough out from the pilot bearing in order to get a socket on it.

Thread the nut onto the bolt and stick the nut-end through the pilot bearing opening and snug the nut up to the bottom of the bearing, bottoming the bolt against the crankshaft.

Now the fun part. Stick the screwdriver through the pilot bearing hole and wedge the screwdriver against the nut to keep it from turning, and keep the nut wedged under the pilot bearing; this is what will lift the bearing out.

While doing this, crank hard on the bolt with a socket, and I guarantee you it will come out; simple, but effective!

 

I went to Kragen auto parts store and they rented me a pilot bearing puller that fit right in and works just like a gear puller. I think it cost me $10 bucks.

 

Okay, I'm inspired to go back out to the garage and try again... I'll report back one way or another, locating and using the magic tool if necessary.

Thanks!

 

'Nuther approach is to take a concrete anchor bolt with the right diameter. slide the expanding end into the pilot bearing and turn the bolt head until the expander snugs tight against the inside of the bearing. Then pull the whole thing out.

 

There is available the 'ideal puller' from bavauto.com (Bavarian Autosport).
Pilot bearing puller #1088, at a less than ideal price ~$50. But it works!! Had one - until I loaned it ( life lesson?). If NAPA has the same for $20----

 

Well, I called all over town trying to find the right puller tool... NAPA, Car Quest, other parts stores and tool rental houses, with no luck.

Ended up searching through my collection of nuts and bolts and found a 4" long heavy bolt with a nut that almost would fit into the bearing. I rounded the edges with a grinder until it fit and then flatened the shoulder for more surface area on top. Adjusted it on the bolt to the right depth, caught the edge of the bearing and jammed in a screw driver to hold the nut from turning. This was the real trick and took a couple of attempts to get it positioned just right. Once in the sweet spot, I managed to crank the bearing out fairly easily. Must have been all that prior banging, clanging and cussing that loosened it enough for this to work!

Thanks to all that offered their words of advice.

One of these days soon, I'll get the beast back on the road. My time has been at a premium lately and its the little snags like this that sure BURN what little time I do have to spend.

Regards,
Bill

 

I'll bet you said things like:
"Golly gee whiz" and "Oh my goodness gracious" and "Heavens to Betsy" when you got REALLY frustrated.

 

Shoot, dang Ernest, you know as well as I, that sometimes you just gotta cuss 'em and sometimes you must carress 'em...

Other times, you just gotta break out the ***** f'n C4!!! Or at least threaten it...