This is a simple trick, but one that many beginners might not have learned yet, so I'll run through it for the benefit of any who may find themselves faced with the task of removing a pilot bushing from the back of their crank in the course of their project... I just did this today on a Vega four banger to make the former stick-shift motor mate up to an automatic transmision, but the method is the same for nearly all engines. 1. Soak pilot bushing with a generous shot of WD-40. 2. Just cuz it MIGHT be real easy...insert air gun with tight fitting hose attatchment into hole on pilot bushing and pull the trigger. 3. Wipe excess WD-40 off of you, your car, and anything within ten feet. (In my case, the compressed air moved the bushing out a little, but not all the way). 4. Pack inside of bushing with clean axle grease. 5. Find a socket that fits snuggly into the hole. (10mm in my case). 6. Attatch a short extension to the socket, and insert socket into hole. 7. Strike short extension with a hammer, driving socket into the hole and compressing the grease. 8. Re-pack and repeat as neccessary. 9. Go get a LONGER (deepwell) socket after you make a bent wire retreival tool to pop short socket out of pilot bushing (sticks inside with the grease and pulls out of the extension!). 10. Using short extension with deepwell socket this time, repeat the pack-n-pound process. 11. If it still won't pop out, wad up bits of paper towel and push them into the hole, then drive 'em in with the socket and hammer. (You will have quite a few pieces of greasy paper towel lying near you by now anyway...just use those!). 12. Repeat process...packing in wads of paper towel and driving them in with the hammer and socket. 13. Bushing will pop out after enough greasy paper towel gets driven in behind it...forcing it out of the crank. 14. Clean the grease off of the crank, your hands, all your tools, the pilot bushing and everything you've touched...then coat back of crank with a light shot of oil or WD-40 to fight rust. That's it! This can be done with the engine in the vehicle, or sitting on a bald motorcycle tire on your garage floor...and it preserves the bushing by removing it without damage...should you ever want to use it again. Sure, you can use a slide hammer, but that messes up the bushing...this way doesn't cost a thing and you likely already have what's needed on hand to do it!
The guy I learned this from used an old trans input shaft. Dammit. Not something every guy just has on hand. I've been looking for a junk input shaft ever since. (the trick in finding one is not finding one that still has the junk transmission attached to it) -Brad
Good stuff Hack-also as a note-a wood dowel the same size as hole works well driven in there........[drivin in the wood] HmmmmmmmmGooood
The Jalopy Journal
