First significant problem...crank hub stuck

Went out this afternoon all excited to get all the junk off the front of the engine and get the cam out so I can see what I've got. All went well until I tried to take the crank hub off the crank.

When the crank hub is seated all the way on the crank I can slide it back and forth about 1/8 inch by hand, but when I put the puller on it, it comes forward about 1/4 inch then stops solid. I put enough pressure to break the snout on my puller. I have heard these things can gall, and maybe that is what I'm dealing with. Any suggestions?

-Scouder

 

Did you heat the hub up before you tried to pull it?

 

Nope. Because it would move slightly, I thought it would pop right off. Tomorrow, after I buy a new puller, I'm gonna heat the hub and try again. If that don't work then I might have to sacrifice the hub. The keyways were loose, like the wrong size key was used, or it came loose at some point, so I believe it's trash anyway. I hope it doesn't get that complicated.

-Scouder

 

Well Scouder, I haven't been following your thread. Sounds like a loose hub on a PSI motor. Ugly! You will have to figure out how to get it off. Bigger puller. When the hub can move even a small bit it will transfer metal from one side to the other. That is what it is running up against. I hated these things in the early 90's.

Now to fix it. You will have to address the snout of the crank to clean it up. Titanium hub from PSI. goes on and off like nothing. Make sure has double keys that fit! No short cut here. They must be tight but not bind up and split the new hub. Make sure you use a new grade 8 bolt. I torque it to about 250 ft lbs on a good stand. 300 ft lbs in the car if you can. Then check the bolt periodically. It will stay tight in my experience if the engine is not detonating.
That is my too cents worth.
Dale

 

Be very carefull with the heating trick. We pull all kinds of things in our line of work. Including useing several 100 tons of pulling power. The bigest thing to watch out for in heating is the heat transfer to the shaft from the hub. They both will grow at the same rate and you gain very little and stand the chance of worse galding. Use a puller that you know mounts very square and I mean dead on with shaft and hub this is missed by most. Build your own if you have to but it has to be square and riged.Try to get some lube in on or around the hub and shaft. Then pull if it galls up it can be repaired. I don't mean to harp on this but if you don't pull square you compound the problem.

Dale is right that hub was moving enough to promote a transfer of metal. We use a grade 8 Cat bolt on ours torqued up to around 300 and it has never come lose and is not hard to pull.

Good Luck

 

the cat bolt is like a grade 9 or 10..bob auto sells the kit for like 20 or so $
dave
www.myspace.com/daveloweswr

 

There is no question this thing is galled. I believe the bolt was just not tightened correctly, or came loose for some reason. I tried heating the hub, but it didn't really change anything. I just ordered the RCD puller (thanks Lorenzo), as it has provisions to pull with all 6 bolts, and screws into the crank for alignment. It should be here next week. If that doesn't do it I'll be looking at the potential of cutting the hub apart or something.

-Scouder

 

Make sure you understand how to use it. I've seen two people break them because they didn't know how they work and they don't come with instructions. I loaned mine to a guy who was "Famous" and he broke it.

RG

 

I had sort of the same problem on my old bb chevy, the hub wasn't loose tho it had galed itself, we ended up having to build a hydralic puller, since even the big heavy duty tractor ones wouldn't move it.

So we build one out of some old hydralic stuff my buddy had laying around. That really worked. it just pulled it right without heating or anything.

But as stated earlyer be absolutly sure everything is lined up before you apply pressure.

 

Hey Dale, or others, is it possible to run the PSI Titanium hub as part of a crank supported deal? None of the crank supports that I've looked at seem to adapt to the Ti hub? Does a person have to make a custom adapter deal or is there an off the shelf solution? Thanks.

 

I have had to cut these in half to get them off the crank. If you are careful with a saws-all, you should be able to make a slice without hurting the crank.

 

I should have been more clear earlier, so I will add this extra bit now. What I meant was when using the PSI Titanium hub together with the PSI pulley clamp kit pictured here http://psisuperchargers.com/viewproduct.php?id=51. Both seem like really good products, but how would one then also incorporate a crank support ???.... Thanks

 

If I can't get it off with the RCD puller, I will cut the degree ring off (it's one piece with the hub), grind it smooth, slide the timing cover off, then split the hub in half. I'll cut everything with one of those high speed carbide wheels. I'm actually VERY tempted to just do it that way from the start so I don't damage the crank any more than it is. Those splined cranks are starting to look really nice right now.

-Scouder

 

I used to have a crank support on a dragboat. I liked it but when you go across the scales on a TAFC it all adds up. Once we used the ti hub it is just a breeze and you'll never look back. We used the PSI support that adds rigidity between the bolt and the pulley. I think most use that piece. New mains on Saturday night no matter what. It will make 4 runs hopefully. That was the plan. Love to hear from some of the guys in the final. Oh Clint...but you run a chevy! Bill Moore?

 

We have the PSI Ti hub and pulley clamp currently. We are in the process of finalizing our front accessory drives and supports. We would "like" to run a crank support type feature, but our research so far says it would be a custom design (which is okay). Obviously, if there was an existing work around in this regard, then that would be easier. Just curious before we go turn some metal into chips........

 

Sounds like something you could market.

-Scouder

 

remember on the puller threads use alot of oil..Dave

 

Im no big engine builder, but i do my own stuff and a few guys blown cars also, i have had to cut them off before, somebody told me detonation causes it, i dunno.. but i can say this, ive been putting never- sieze between the hub and the crank now and theyll come off everytime..

 

ABADWILLYS.....I second that one we do the say and it always comes off..Dave
if your puller don't work for you I will send you pics of the one we built we used an iner pac small push pull ram and built and machined a bolt on ring so at the track we use our pro jac air over hyd. pump works slick..oh yes everyone else like it to