Engine rebuild

[Josh Coho]

Hello I'm rebuilding a 400 motor and need to push out the crankshaft. The service manual calls for a special tool but I don't have it. Is there any other way of doing this?

[chicagojerry]

drop me a line at [email protected]     i can offer you some suggestions.     chi jer

[Big Mac]

If still stumped, lay your left side case on the work bench with the crank hanging down, support it front and back best you can. Take something foregiving like a rubber dead-blow hammer and give some gentle whacks to the crank end sticking up where the pinion gear came off.

Have had a few that slid out pretty easy, a couple others benefitted from some warm up with a heat gun or hair dryer on high aimed at the bearing. Sometimes a few bigger whacks are needed, but never hard enough to do damage to the crank or cases. Will usually break free a bit and then you can hold the crank from underneath and tap out easily from there, so you don't drive the crank out on to the floor.

Probably not textbook bearing care to be using the whack method, but you're going to replace the pinion-side bearing while you're that far in anyway, so not usually a big issue. Be sure you check and eyeball the thrust washer in behind the bearing after you get seal and bearing out, to be sure it goes back together with the bevel side the right way.

Jon McLean
Lake Grove, OR