So i've been trying to figure out how to get this pilot bushing out...any suggestions? I tried the fill it with grease thing and that just turned into a shitty mess. my next idea is to tap it , get a long bolt and thread it in or even weld it in and then yank it out with my superhuman strength.
I have had great success with the old grease trick. I Keep packing the grease in after ever attempt to get it out, it does make for a nice mess. If that don't work you might consider your tapping ideal with a slide hammer. Hope that helps.
If the grease thing didn't work...rarely does for me...try using a slide hammer, either a hook if one'll fit, or tapping the bearing, or whatever seems to work. If you can't get the bushing out of the crank, try getting the crank off the bushing (so to speak). Of course, if it's in an assembled engine, might want to ignore that last theory.
Some auto parts stores have loaner tools and one of them should be a removal tool. It may be a tool that fits on the end of a slide hammer. Another method I have heard of was similar to the grease method. You pack the thing with wet tissue. Pack it wet and just keep packing. Then take a rod that just fits in the hole and tap it. You are basically forcing it out by hydraulic.
The grease trick works everytime but you have to have a insert with zero tolerance and no air in it use a grease gun and give it a good whack. If you are replacing it then get you a tiny drill bit and drill into the bushing clear through on two sides and it will fall apart. 3rd way find a pilot bushing puller AKA dent puller with an attachment.
spend a few bucks and buy the slide hammer tool.. it has two little levers, you put it in, tighten the nut and the levers expand, then you slide hammer it out. couldn't be easier and you wll be the envy of all your friends, especially those with stick shift cars.
i've never had good luck with the grease method , that's why i bought a pilot bearing puller. maybe you could borrow one?
If it is a bronze bushing the grease trick usually works if you have a tight fitting driver ,a BFH and patience. However tapping the hole and running a bolt with enough thread to contact the end of the hole isn't a bad idea either . Some later motors used a sealed bearing and are hardened so the tap would be no good .
Save the mess. use wet toilet paper instead of grease. Really! It cleans up a lot easier. The best drift to use is an old clutch alignment tool. It fits right.
Run a tap into it, bottoming it out on the inside of crank, just push it out as you thread in the tap.....
Homeless Depot sells a very small air powered reciprocating saw....like a keyhole/sawzall...$60.00 I think. I wish they were available about 12 yrs ago...very thin blades. Slice two sides of the bushing with the saw & cave it in on itself with a punch or small chisle...be careful. The best way is to buy the puller-set as mentioned above,,,you will always have it,,,period. Troy
I tried the "ole grease trick". Used a chipped tooth input shaft for a driver. Packed her full, set the shaft in there and gave her a big ole whack....do you have any idea how far that grease will squirt with a big whack?? Clear across the garage, I tell ya, save for the area that was shielded by my wide ass body. I looked like I lost a shit fight. The pilot bushing never budged. It may work for some but I personally think they just pass this "trick" on just so they can get another poor sucker just like they got suckered. "how about it George? We just got another one" I think I ended up using a hacksaw blade and a small cold chissel to split it.
Uhhh.....it helps to wrap a rag around the shaft, so when ya hit it, any grease that comes out is stopped by the rag. I've used the grease method probably 50 times over the last 40 years and I can't recall any pilot bushings that didn't come right out. Ya gotta pack the cavity with grease so there's no air pockets in it and the shaft you're using has to be close to a hydraulic fit (.0005" - .001" loose). Then HIT the f%%er - HARD !!
Tommy.. I can see you squaring up to hit that shaft.. and the greese squirting all over.. thanks for the comedy relief
Yup. Works EVERY time. I've done it with peanut butter once (don't ASK ,but it's true) Sorry to argue with the above post, but DO NOT use a tap, if it breaks you are FK'D. Not worth the risk, IMHO.
My vote is for renting or buying a puller, I always had trouble finding the correct size rod to try the "grease" method.
For a rod in the grease method, use a wood dowel and wittle it down for a tight fit. You gotta have a good seal in the bearing, use a socket on the hammer end of the dowel so it doesn't splinter. Also, make sure you have no air in there when you strike it, can you say "diesel"? POW! I learned my lesson..........
The Jalopy Journal
