tcb100

I am in the midst of a complete rebuild and bearing pullers are driving me nuts.

I had to take it to a shop to pull the mainshaft front bearing and my fine quality harbor frieght pullers don't seem to be able to grab even the countershaft bearings or other main drive gear bearing either. I have tried two different sizes, fooled around with the arms, and channel locks to hold them together but there is no way they are not going to pull loose from the bearing ring.

Since I screwed it up the first time, I am taking the freekin thing apart again so anybody have a brand name or model number that works?

I'm almost ready to spring for the Mazda set.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

How are these pullers letting go? Are the engaging faces of the jaws not perpendicular to the shaft? (If the jaws are spread too wide they will always pop loose). This can also happen if the jaws have slipped a few times and they have rubbed down to less than a 90 degree angle. Last, make sure you didn't forget to remove the snap ring (I admit I did that once and wasted a lot of time trying to pull that bearing).

You can try using a pair of prybars to pry the bearing directly out. I haven't done this on an FD tranny yet, but it's worked elsewhere. Put on heavy gloves, secure the tranny case well, and put your weight into it, but not in a way that you'll hurt yourself when the bearing comes loose. It's worth a try before spending more money for another puller tool.

The Mazda set is probably way overpriced - I know I've seen similar ones for less. Just be careful that the jaw width will fit in the housing cutouts. I've used Harbor Freight pullers and they aren't too good. Spending $50-100 for a better 2-jaw puller is probably worthwhile. I used metal pipe clamps and threaded rod to support my puller and keep the jaws from slipping out. I think I mentioned the make/model of the cheap Autozone puller I used in that rebuild writeup I did.

This one might work well for the input shaft - check if the 9" reach is longer than the input shaft nose: http://www.toolsource.com/ost/produc...S0UB895002A80D

Something like this is good since it wouldn't be too hard to make extensions, and the bar design means you can easily 'clamp' it in against the bearing.
http://www.toolsource.com/ost/produc...S0UB895002A80D

Unfortunately, any bearing that is very stubborn about being pulled by its outer race will probably be damaged by removing it. Since the inner race is press fit onto the shaft, pulling by the outer race puts all the load on the ***** and race faces and damages them. So you may need to buy a couple more bearings. By what you said in your PM, your class instructor has been less than helpful in this regard.

As for them fitting properly, you should be able to mic them and find the shaft to be a few thousandths larger than the ID of the bearing. It's vital to drive the bearing on perfectly straight - I try to tap it on nice and slowly until it's about 25% on and then drive it faster. If you have access to a bearing heater that will help you also.

Dave