Crankshaft Timing Gear Install

macdonge

macdonge

Senior Member
Looking for advice/tips on how to best install the timing gear on the crankshaft with the least difficulty or risk of damage to the crank (or gear, for that matter).

Any thoughts? e.g. heat the gear first, use antiseize, type of drift, etc.

Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise!
 
If you have acess to a lathe,its an easy job to machine up a stud to screw into the front of the crankshaft and with the other end of it threaded as well us a nut to pull it on,do drama or damage to anything.
Lawrie
 
No lathe, I'm afraid, Lawrie. I've been thinking I'll just slather some antisieze on the crank, throw the gear in the kitchen oven at 400 degrees (when my wife is out running errands, of course), then run it back to the garage (with oven mitts of course) and hope it slides on nice and easy.
 
just my .02 cents
given the price of parts and the very real possibility of doing damage to the end play [dimension] of said crankshaft the old school methods (hammer and pipe) would be the last thing I would do to my build.
Yes I did it also when I was in high school because I didn't know any better.
 
I would heat the gear with my heat gun on it's highest setting to expand it and make it easier. When I was in high school, the physics lab had a device that demonstrated this. It consisted of two old time wood-handled screwdrivers, one with a steel ball on the end, the other with a large steel ring. When both were at room temperature, you could not put the ball through the ring no matter how hard you tried. Heat the ring over a Bunsen Burner (remember those) for 15-20 seconds, and the ball slipped right through. I always remember this when I have a hard time getting something apart (or together). The hammer and pipe will work fine, but I like to have every advantage I can get when I do stuff like this.
 
Gene1949: I hear you. That’s why I posed the question in the first place. The crank is out of the engine so I don’t think endplay will be an issue.

Tubman: Trust me - I’ll be putting some heat to it first (with a map gas torch).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Well if the cranks out then you should be able to do the whole procedure right there in the kitchen!
Gear heated in an oven, should almost drop in place.
 
Heat it in oven and use brass hammer to tap it on, easy peasy. The key is what gives the fit issues so the expansion keeps the key from binding up.

JB
 
macdonge said:
Looking for advice/tips on how to best install the timing gear on the crankshaft with the least difficulty or risk of damage to the crank (or gear, for that matter).

Any thoughts? e.g. heat the gear first, use antiseize, type of drift, etc.

Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise!
Click to expand...

If the 1/2 moon key is out, or take it out, and lay emery paper on a very flat surface, and sand the two sides of the key so the key just slips through the gear with out binding in the gear, but has no excess, or other movement.

Use a brass hammer, or brass drift, and install the key, in the crank. Support, under the Key way, when installing.


Then heat the gear slowly, until it just starts to turn color, very little. Remember to have the timing mark UP. I set my gears on a 4" piece of thin wall pipe, so what ever it sits on, the heat won't get sucked out of the gear.

Have the crank standing on its rear flange, and drop the gear on.

It should seat with out forcing, but be prepared, just in case.

Herm.
 
Sounds like a good plan Herm. Hoped to get to the job today but was side tracked. Will give your approach a go tomorrow and let you know what happens.
 
I'll see if I can sneak an old pair of my wife's oven mitts out of the house before lighting up the torch. ;-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top