Transmission rebuild assistance....Raleigh / Durham area. (1 Viewer)

[Stubby]

Ok folks, need some transmission help. Tearing down my 4 spd for rebuild, and I’ve gotten to “the PITA bearing”.
I’ve tried making two different sets of arms to reach behind and grab the bearing. Bent the first set, and snapped the tip off one of the second set.
Tried heating the case up while pulling as well, but I can’t get it to budge.

I found the P/N for the arms from the Toyota SST Universal Puller Set, and they’re surprisingly still available for purchase through OTC......but they’re out of stock until June.

Is there anyone in the Raleigh / Durham area that has a puller that will get this bearing out, and is willing to give me a hand?

 

[65swb45]

Try the clubhouse section.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

I’ve heard good things about the “Posi Lock” pullers - they’re spendy (but so is the OEM tool if I remember). They grab the snap ring groove instead of reaching behind - you just need to get the one with the long enough to get down the output shaft.

I haven’t actually tried one but apparently they work well - regardless of what route you go, take some pictures! This is in my immediate future so I’ll be curious to see how you tackle it.

Edit:

I think this or something similar:

TJ-1 Transmission Bearing Manual Puller | Posi Lock: The Cage is the Key

Posi Lock offers manual pullers that remove gears & bearings, transmission bearing pullers & more. View our TJ-1 Transmission Bearing Manual Puller here.

www.posilock.com

Just make sure the reach and diameter work out.

 

[Subterranean Nik]

Agreed, PITA. Seems every rebuild has that one.

Another option, IIRC I was able to drive out using a punch inside the case. Not a lot of room, but worked.

Nik

 

[Stubby]

Agreed, PITA. Seems every rebuild has that one.

Another option, IIRC I was able to drive out using a punch inside the case. Not a lot of room, but worked.

Nik

Input shaft side, yeah, but this is the output shaft bearing. First gear (the really big one) is right behind it, and you can't even see the bearing.

 

[Stubby]

I’ve heard good things about the “Posi Lock” pullers - they’re spendy (but so is the OEM tool if I remember). They grab the snap ring groove instead of reaching behind - you just need to get the one with the long enough to get down the output shaft.

I haven’t actually tried one but apparently they work well - regardless of what route you go, take some pictures! This is in my immediate future so I’ll be curious to see how you tackle it.

Edit:

I think this or something similar:

TJ-1 Transmission Bearing Manual Puller | Posi Lock: The Cage is the Key

Posi Lock offers manual pullers that remove gears & bearings, transmission bearing pullers & more. View our TJ-1 Transmission Bearing Manual Puller here.

www.posilock.com

Just make sure the reach and diameter work out.

$230-ish for the 10" reach version. Not terrible, but a rather purpose-specific item to have......and a hell of a lot cheaper than the $1400 that the Toyota SST kit goes for!

I made a set of arms from two OTC side hammer hooks, but my dumb ass forgot to also order a couple of fine pitch 5/8 bolts to screw into them, and none of the stores near me have anything but course thread.....D'OH!

Once the bolts I ordered arrive and I get them welded on to the extensions I made for my puller, I'll be able to try out the new hooks. If they work, I'll post up some pictures.....if not, I'll be ordering one of the posi-lock pullers.

 

[65swb45]

When I bought my SST set from the dealer, the whole set was $300!

That was in 1990.

That said, even with reinforcements, the long pullers have come so close to failing from the extreme resistance of that bearing that I won’t take a chance on my pullers. I am on good terms with a local shop that pulls them for me.

 

[Stubby]

When I bought my SST set from the dealer, the whole set was $300!

That was in 1990.

That said, even with reinforcements, the long pullers have come so close to failing from the extreme resistance of that bearing that I won’t take a chance on my pullers. I am on good terms with a local shop that pulls them for me.

That Posi-Lock puller looks like it might just be the ticket. I'm going to give my home-made version one more chance, then I'm just gonna suck it up and buy the TJ-1.

I'm sure that taking it to a local shop would be easier, but it's now kind of a "Sisyphus moment" to me, where I just don't want to give in to failure......I know I can get it out myself, and I won't let that bearing beat me!!! LOL

 

[65swb45]

That Posi-Lock puller looks like it might just be the ticket. I'm going to give my home-made version one more chance, then I'm just gonna suck it up and buy the TJ-1.

I'm sure that taking it to a local shop would be easier, but it's now kind of a "Sisyphus moment" to me, where I just don't want to give in to failure......I know I can get it out myself, and I won't let that bearing beat me!!! LOL

We’ve all been ‘there’ about something.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Just make sure that’s that RIGHT posi lock and it’ll clear the shaft. I think the one I linked might work but I haven’t actually tried it so I can’t confirm...

 

[Stubby]

Just make sure that’s that RIGHT posi lock and it’ll clear the shaft. I think the one I linked might work but I haven’t actually tried it so I can’t confirm...

Yep, the one you quoted is the standard jaws (8" of actual reach). The long jaws have 10", which will clear the end of the shaft by a bit less than an inch. Depending on the price, and if they fit the same tool, I may go ahead and buy a set of the extra-long (14" reach) jaws too.

Hopefully my latest home-made ones will work though.

 

[Stubby]

Update.....finally got the bearing out.

Three weeks dicking around with home made tools that weren’t strong enough....5 minutes with the right one. It's always fun fabricating things though, and I can still use part of what I made for other pulling tasks.

For future reference to anyone doing this job, the Posi-Lock TJ-1 bearing puller works like a dream! It grabs the snap ring groove and pulls the bearing out smooth as butter. She's a hefty girl though.....16 lbs., and damn near 2 feet long!

As others mentioned, I used a large wrench against the opposite end of the input shaft to give something to push against. You can also use a three jaw puller with the jaws flipped around if you prefer.

Extra bonus tip....puller was $240 on Amazon, $299 on most other sites....but $187 on Zoro.com. Hey, I liked saving a few bucks on it!

Here are some pictures of the tool.....note the little nubs at the ends of the jaw that fit in the snap ring groove. You can also order a set of regular jaws for it, and you'll have a standard 10-ton two jaw puller.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

I don’t think I ever realized how truly massive that thing is haha. I always wondered why they cost so much - I guess you’re paying per lb.

 

[Stubby]

I don’t think I ever realized how truly massive that thing is haha. I always wondered why they cost so much - I guess you’re paying per lb.

Yeah, it's a beast......I guess it's the trade off for having the long reach.

One things for sure, once I get that set of standard jaws, I DARE something to not come loose! LOL

 

[lowtideride]

I always just tack welded some steel like angle iron to it and just tapped it off. Normally it took more time getting the welder out then tapping off the bearing once the bearing was tacked to the steel.