Easy crank timing gear removal

[the_momo]

I know I know it seems impossible, but i managed to get one off in about 10 minutes today, and it is in perfect and reusable condition, which I feel is as good as easy removal as the part is becoming more and more rare.

Anyhow, here goes. You will need two flathead screwdrivers, a torch (mapp gas is what i used) and beezwax (a candle will work, but it must be beezwax)

1. Take two flathead screwdrivers, and wedge them behind the gear, to apply a little pressure.

2. Heat the gear for about 5 minutes or so, it wont get red hot, cause its thick and the torch wont get it that hot, it doesnt need to be red hot anyhow.

3. Rub the beezwax around the seam where the gear contacts the snout of the crankshaft, it will melt the wax and suck it in.

4. Pry the gear out, you may need to hammer the screwdriver down, using it as a pry wedge. It may pop right off, it may not, it depends on how corroded your engine is

I needed to heat my gear about three times, and apply wax every time. I hammered the screwdrivers down and it pushed the gear out little by little, then came out easily.

I highly reccomend this way as its very easy, cheap, requires no special tools ( a torch can be had cheaply) and could feasably be done while in the car, not that you would need to do so. The best part is that you do not need to replace your gear as you wont be heating it to the point of losing the parts temper. That saves you 30 dollars!

Just thought I'd share, and I hope this can be of help to some!

[bentvalves]

dont forget about the front main behind the gear while its off and now that its seen radiant heat from a blowtorch.

[the_momo]

I figure the majority of folks who are going to that extent to remove the gear in the first place are probably going to replace the oil pump and main seal while they are at it.

They should, anyway.

[r34 gtr]

Thanks for the tip! I hadn't tried that before!

[boost_boy]

When you got playing with torches to pull off them timing gears, there's been many of instances where your engine eventually started knocking. A $25 gear is just not worth the risk of distorting your crank. I had mine heated-up to get the gear off and a week later, the engine developed deep knocking. I know of a few others that have "heated-up" their crank gears only to have their engines develop a knock. Could be coincidental, but it's not worth saving if doesn't slide off without the heat.

I recently went to pull one off one of our members' engine and it wouldn't come off. I started to torch it, but cut it instead. What I found in between was rust which suggested that thing was never coming off. I took pictures, cleaned it up and took the one off one of my spare engine with no problems. Just the luck of the draw.

Dee

[r34 gtr]

I took a torch to mine and it never knocked on me.

I am a fan of making your own puller though, and drilling/tapping holes in the thing.

[the_momo]

I agree that adding heat alone is a bad idea, but what I think is being missed is that you arent heating the gear to remove it, you are heating the gear to draw the beezwax into the joint.

Think of it like heating copper pipe to solder a joint, you dont want to get it hot enough to distort the copper, or to do anything to the copper, just hot enough to allow the solder to be drawn into the joint fully.

The beezwax acts as a lubricant, and also applies hydraulic pressure in its fluid state to separate the gear from the crank. My gear made a small pop noise and moved a little by itself, the noise I am assuming was the gear freeing itself from the corrosion around the crank snout.

I dont really forsee any issues with the crank distorting from such a small amount of low heat, as mapp gas torches really dont get that hot, certainly not hot enough to warp the crank on its own. But it remains to be seen, I should have my engine back together sometime soon, so I will report any issues I come across from this.

[sjbsuperman1425]

Dee,
When you cut the lower gear off, which way do you cut it? Front to back or side to side?
Do you cut it a little ways and use a chisel and hammer to break the gear apart?

[themadscientist]

I score into the valley between teeth on opposing sides then whack it from the front. Never had to smack it more than two or three times to split one. Check that the oil pump didn't take a hit and replace the front main since you can and you should.

[sjbsuperman1425]

Yea my plan is to replace the front main when I pull the engine in a couple weeks.

But you are smacking it from the front looking towards the face of the gear, not the top looking down at the valley's correct? I guess my brain isn't working right today and I may not understand correctly..