8.8 Pinion Bearing Removal - A hack-ish kind of way

[@BFD378]

Thank you. This helped me not destroy my bearing to re-shim the pinion during a set up. Got lucky & picked the right shim the first time. (There was no 'old shim to transfer, so I started with no shim.)

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Nice you did get lucky! Glad I could help!

[@PaulWright-h6p]

There is a very simple way to put it back on. Put the bearing in the oven at about 300. For about 30 minutes and take it out and it will drop on. I really did do this before and it does work

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

@@PaulWright-h6p yes so have I…it works great.

[@liljohnnie69]

When I was a Ford tech I went to the Ford school in St Louis and there they had a puller especially designed for pulling Timken bearings. Worked really well but probably cost a small fortune.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Yeah there are some specialty made pullers and you’re right they do cost a small fortune….like $500 or so!

[@boomstickkid]

setup bearings are the best to have, but you made it work.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Yes I agree setup bearings are the best!

[@jasonlee9326]

Always make a mock up bearing from your old one. Saves so much headache for setting up pinion depth

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

100% agree!

[@charlesneal4603]

What does your statement mean explanation?

[@frankpaya690]

I did it with that, I think it's called a clamshell type of puller and had access to a 40 ton hydraulic press and initially I couldn't catch the inner race and had to start off by pressing on the cage of the bearing and then repositioning the puller when I got a slight amount of clearance to grab the inner race of the bearing and I was planning on replacing that bearing anyway, anytime I have to use a press to pull off a bearing, I don't trust reusing it. But I started out trying the pinion with the existing shim that had been on there and thinking it would give me the right pattern once again with the different carrier and it didn't work out that way, so I had to press off that bearing and then I made a test bearing out of it And kept trying until I got it right. ultimately I put that together (a Ford 8.8 373) without any shim under the bearing and the pattern seem to look good, the preload I put on it wasn't quite enough however 14 to 18 was one spec and I put 17 inch pounds, in a few miles I had end- play on the pinion and I had to put more inch pounds on around 28, which changed the position of the pinion to the ring gear and that's why I had to readjust the backlash and I should have readjusted the pinion depth first but I didn't, I used it as it was and it's still going but it does make a little noise when I accelerate and goes away when I coast at freeway speeds. Total I've got less than 10,000 miles on it now and that includes some 200 mi plus round trips. Time will tell, of course I should have taken it completely back down pressed off that bearing& try to shim a little bit thinner than what had been on there and rechecked it, but I didn't have the time and I couldn't tie up that facility with the hoist for that long .

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

yeah making up a dummy (test) bearing is the ideal set up for removing and installing the bearing multiple times. I didn't have one and didn't want to spend the money either. I found this to work for me but is time consuming with removing and then heating the bearing and then cooling the pinion gear. Getting the pinion depth right is the first step and then everything else can be set from there. It's a time consuming process. I had multiple tries before I got it right. Even then I wasn't 100% happy with the gear setup. I was using a used gear set so that makes it difficult to get a good pattern unless you knew how much shim that gear set had initially. Even then it might not be right for your housing. I've just recently got the car back on the road and am happy to report that the diff is quiet and makes no noise on accel or decel.

[@RAYROTHSTEIN66]

A little trick is to get it started on the clam shell puller, then tighten the nuts up. Put the puller on edge and smack it with a hammer, that way you drive the puller jaws a little deeper and wedge the bearing away from the shaft. Retighten the nuts and pull it off as normal.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Oh that’s a good idea too. Never thought of that!

[@RAYROTHSTEIN66]

@Shawnsboostedgarage just a trick from an old school mechanic that was taught by my grandfather who was a airforce mechanic in ww2 in the pacific fleet.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

@@RAYROTHSTEIN66 the proverbial make due with what you’ve got!

[@charlesneal4603]

Why isn’t the original shim just used ? Should’nt it be the correct space ing?

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

@@charlesneal4603 it should be but depending on if you have Ford Racing gears or not will determine that. Meaning Ford gears will usually not need a shim change. I always check though just to be sure. Assuming the shim will be the same isn’t taking into account machining tolerances. The Ford housings do have a Master housing dimension to reference off of though but you’ll need a pinion depth tool to measure and then compare the MHD to the measurement you got.

[@alcyon2sp]

gonna try this. hope it works

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Oh it will work. I’ve used this trick many times. Just get a good cold chisel and smack it between the bearing and pinion head. Make sure you are on a solid surface. I put a 2x4 on the concrete floor so I had a solid surface to hit on. That’ll give you the room you need for the puller

[@alcyon2sp]

@@Shawnsboostedgarage just afraid of damaging pinion tooth

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

@@alcyon2sp jus make sure you have it on a piece of wood. That’ll protect the teeth. Plus the teeth are hardened.

[@alcyon2sp]

@@Shawnsboostedgarage update. I did not have to chisel the bearing to get the gap. My toyota came with 1.97mm shim. It was enough of a gap for me to use the standard bearing puller like yours and the bearing came off after some huffing and puffing.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

@@alcyon2sp well you got lucky there! Glad it all worked out for you.

[@robbiesharp311]

I there a video where you put it back on? Great video. 👍

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Here you go… kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqq5nXWPid6rh80

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Thank you!

[@MrLightning54]

I just did a gear change on a Ford 8.8. Instead of messing with this shim, I just stuck a larger carrier bearing shim under the outer race. I'm not sure if it'll cause problems but I'm trying it since it's much easier getting that race in and out vs that bearing on, and off the pinion. Have you ever tried this by chance?

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Yes that is a way of doing it too. Probably makes it a much quicker procedure too.

[@susanhenderson2322]

Looks like big wasn't fully seated at start of video, usually impossible to see shim until big removed, usually put same size shim when replacing brgs or ring and pinion (40 years of doing these , never adjusted shim) only needed to adjust shim size if changing housing. A high end pulley/ jaws does a better job than princess autu/ Harbour freight quality setup. Set pinion on 4 x 4 block not on teeth if using chisel, less likely to damage teeth.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

I agree with what you are saying and I havent been so lucky as to not having to change the shim. And yes better tools makes for a better job. This is to show that you can do it with just about anyhting if you had too...thanks for watching and sorry for the way late response!...lol

[@agresor361]

Thanks a lot for this video. Very useful for me.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

You’re welcome

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Oh and if you are interested I’ve got some other videos up called garage quick tips. You might find those helpful too

[@MikesGarageRoute66]

Looks good. Great how to video!

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Thanks Mike

[@1995flyingspur]

Why on Earth would you not show the actual chisel method instead of just showing us before and after? I certainly understand how you did it but I would love to actually see it.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

I guess I over looked that. But it is simple to do. I found it worked better by putting a 2x4 on the floor because it was sturdier than my bench. Pit the pinion on the 2x4 to protect the teeth from the concrete floor. Take the chisel and put it right where the bearing inner race meets with the pinion shoulder and give it a smack or two or three. It should just move enough to get the split bearing puller underneath so you can finish removing the bearing with the puller. Hope that explains it better.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Oh and maybe I’ll do a little video to show just that. I’ve been working on a garage quick tips series. That would be a. Good one I think.

[@jimsperlakis5634]

Yeah, we never actually saw anything being pulled. I used heat and the right thickness screwdrivers and it worked fine.

[@MarioSaavedraA]

⁠@@ShawnsboostedgarageHello Shawn. I’m trying to salvage the bearing and the shim from an old pinion to make a dummy bearing like you explain in another video. Can you please explain me how you used the chisel to make it move? I need that little space to get the bearing seated correctly in the bearing extractor too 😅 Thanks!

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

@@MarioSaavedraA Hi Mario. Have a look through the replies. I explained it to someone already. I really need to do a video but don’t have a pinion with a bearing on it at the moment.

[@jimsperlakis5634]

A Little heat goes a Long Way to help get them Off. Won't hurt the bearing either.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Yup…as long as you don’t turn anything blue!…lol

[@rickss69]

Not really hackish. Tip - Ream the inside diameter of an old bearing so it is a slip fit and use it for set-up...when satisfied, then press the new bearing on. Btw, a 12-bolt Chevy uses the same bearing as a 8.8 Ford.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

Thanks I actually did a video about making a test bearing a while after this video. It sure makes things a lot easier! Good to know about the bearing interchange as well.

[@jamesfarmer2748]

Should have made some set up bearing.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

I have since made some up. It’s the better way to go but this is just to show you can get them off and back on without damage. Thanks for watching

[@joekrim6557]

Remove cage and bearings. Make a cut line with a cutter on remaining inner race. Chisel and snap in half. Voila.

[@Shawnsboostedgarage]

I was showing how to do it without destroying the bearing. You’re way is effective for sure! I’ve done that too! Thanks for watching