pilot bearing out of a 3B....

[Zekester]

what's the easiest way to pull the little pilot bearing out of the crank of a 3B??

 

[amaurer]

I made a puller out of an old bolt, just hook the head on the inside of the bearing.

The grease trick didn't work for me. Some people say bread is better.

 

[brisveganbj42]

hired a pilot bearing puller from the auto store for $10.. otherwise it cost $80 to buy new.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

The grease trick didn't work for me. Some people say bread is better.

It is better. It'll take you three hamburger buns and all you need is a hammer and a dowel of some sort that fits tight.

The bread WILL get the pilot bearing out. I've used the bolt and puller methods, but the bread seems most consistent to me by a long shot.

Dan

 

[Zekester]

It'll take you three hamburger buns
Dan

3 buns?? I'm lost. I'm looking at the 1-1/4 inch diameter bearing in the end of the crank that supports the input shaft of the transmission...

you must eat really small hamburgers?? : )

 

[DanS HJ-45]

3 buns?? I'm lost. I'm looking at the 1-1/4 inch diameter bearing in the end of the crank that supports the input shaft of the transmission...

you must eat really small hamburgers?? : )

I don't eat any hamburgers. I'm a vegetarian.

Just break off a small chunk of bread (you want super fluffy white bunny bread, hamburger or hot dog buns work great), and jam as much of it as you can inside the pilot bearing. When you can't stuff any more in with your fingers, take tight fitting dowel (or bolt, etc...) and tap it in with the hammer. You'll mash the bread in there even more. I'm not kidding when I say you will probably squish 3 pieces of bread into that little, itty-bitty cavity behind the pilot bearing. But at some point, the pressure of the bread back there will push the pilot bearing out of the hole. As an added bonus, when you get the bread out of there, it will be spotless in there! It really cleans up the metal nicely.

Like I said it's the pressure of the bread (which pushes in all directions, only there is only one direction where anything can move--the pilot bearing) that causes the bearing to move. So once you get is started, you'll have to cram more bread in there to fill the void.

I would not try to eat the bread after this. It is rock hard.

Dan

 

[lowenbrau]

The grease trick has only failed me once. Bread does seem less messy and probably just as fast if you include the time it takes to clean up the grease. I'll try it next time

 

[Gold Boy]

so you guys are saying push the bolt or dowel in and the pressure builds up on the bread and pushes out the bearing.

 

[lowenbrau]

so you guys are saying push the bolt or dowel in and the pressure builds up on the bread and pushes out the bearing.

if push = hammer, yup

 

[crushers]

Jesus Murphy...
go buy a 3 jaw inside puller and take the darn thing out.
total cost $25 and you will use it over and over...
or
you can get in your purdy little car and drive up here and borrow mine...
bread is for the table
grease is for wheel bearings

sheesh, cheap buggers...

 

[Gold Boy]

this thread is making me feel hungry.

 

[Zekester]

my car will cost me $6 in gas to get to you, being single, I always have left over bread : )

now your tranny holder for your jack, that I could have used!

 

[crushers]

i will love to see the bread idea in action... if it is anything like the grease method it sucks... and then you have compressed bread in the hole with no room for a proper puller...

 

[Zekester]

Used the bread idea, only used the top half of a sesame seed kaiser...5 minutes, and popped out, cleaned it up too : )

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Used the bread idea, only used the top half of a sesame seed kaiser...5 minutes, and popped out, cleaned it up too : )

Told ya!

You just got to try it yourself one day Wayne. It's heads and shoulders better than the grease method, even if it works by the same principle.

Dan

 

[Greg_B]

Nice to see this idea! Separates the wheat from the chaff, got a rise out of a few people, and leavened the situation. I'll have to try this next time, even if it sounds somewhat crumby. Sorry, but I figured some humor was the yeast I could do.

gb

 

[crushers]

okay, fine, i will give it a try but the proper 3 jaw is clean, easy and the bearing is on the ground in seconds (of course i have come across a couple that refused to budge. THOSE i would like to see removed by bread or grease method...

seriously, that is cool and i would love to shake the hand of the back yard mech that dreamed that one up.

Greg, nice!!

 

[Zekester]

I've used silly putty in my sockets to hold nuts, it would be good to stuff into the hole too...

 

[DanS HJ-45]

okay, fine, i will give it a try but the proper 3 jaw is clean, easy and the bearing is on the ground in seconds (of course i have come across a couple that refused to budge. THOSE i would like to see removed by bread or grease method...

I actually stumbled onto the bread method when a 3 jaw puller failed to get one out. It takes a lot longer than the puller, but it works so consistently that it's all I use anymore. FWIW--the grease method has never worked well for me. That super-stuck PB that also didn't work with the puller just let the grease come out THROUGH the PB, instead of pushing it out. The bread is just a bit more viscous, so it can't quite squeeze through the PB.

Silly putty sounds like a fantastic way to do it too.

"...the yeast I could do..."

That's one of the funniest things I'v read in a while. Just when I thought you were done--BAM!!! One more.

Dan

 

[lowenbrau]

Nice to see this idea! Separates the wheat from the chaff, got a rise out of a few people, and leavened the situation. I'll have to try this next time, even if it sounds somewhat crumby. Sorry, but I figured some humor was the yeast I could do.

gb

<unsub> this thread is getting stale.