I cannot get my %#$@ crank hub off! I have tried a few different pullers and none seem to work correctly for its dimensions. Anybody have any advice on what to do or what tool to use? Please post a.s.a.p. so I can continue the cam install! Thanks!

 

You have to make sure you are pressing against the bottom of the threaded hole in the crank and not the back of the hub itself. You best put in a longer 7/16 screw as far as it will go and press against that, but back it out if necessary as the hub starts to move off the crank. You should be using a "Y" shaped puller and not a claw puller. The pullers sometime need to have the slots enlarged slightly to get the hub screws through. You can get whatever length hub screws you need at the hardware store.

 

A lot of people seem to use a harmonic balancer puller with bolts going through the holes in the hub (not threaded into) and washers and nuts on the other side. If that dosn't work, and it's likely it won't alone, applying some heat with a torch will do the trick, it did for me.

 

Like said above, make sure when you start tightening the center screw on the puller to remove the hub, it is pushing against the crank and not the hub itself. I placed a 1/4" drive extension in the bolt hole myself. Just make sure its long enough so that the head of the extension doesn't bottom out in the hole also.

 

More than likely you are pushing on the hub and not the crank, this is because the hub has a small diameter hole where the crank bolt goes through, so you need to use a small diameter pusher(some guys use a long bolt but then you need to keep backing it out or like the previous posters recommend)
So basically you need to thread something into the crank to push on.

 

Check the chiltons manual, there is a special tool for that and it comes off very nicly with that j tool from kentmoor. I had the same problem but once i got that tool it was great. Very exspensive tool but i dont have to worry about it anymore ;]

 

I use a harden 3/8 rod about 3 inchs long so when you use your puller the rod puts the force to the crankshaft not to the hub. It works great!

 

I just changed my opti the other nite and this was my biggest problem. I went to auto zone and rented a harmonic balancer puller. I had to buy bigger bolts aswell, which they have. I dont know the size but i used a smaller bolt to push the hub off. It was small, as in it did not thread into my crankshaft. Just pushed off of it. The bolt i used ended up bending into an s, so i went out and bought a hardend bolt and it came right off. Getting it back on is another story though.

 

Buy a 6" universal 3-jaw puller. They're ~$15 and will come in handy for removing any accessory pulleys.

-Mindgame

 

Sorry to tell you now but, you didn't have to take the hub off for the opti replacement. If you rotate the hub so the ears are at just the right position you can slide the optispark out.

To get it back on i have a 7/16-20 threaded rod that someone on the board was nice enough to send me. Thread that in to the crank and with a few strong washers it'll push the hub right on.

 

i removed the crank hub today, not as difficult as i had read about. rented the harmonic balancer puller from autozone and got 3 grade 8 bolts from the hardware store (oh and a threaded rod). the holes in the hub were 7/16"-14, so i bought three 2" bolts that size. the threaded rod was 7/16"-20, it came in a 3ft piece and i cut about 5 or 6 inches and threaded it in. the threaded part of the bolts can be screwed in to the puller slots but the top non threaded portion needs to be grinded a bit to fit. the center puller bolt pushes against the threaded rod and off comes the hub. hope this helps

 

I ended up getting a grade 8, 5/16 thread, 4" long bolt to put into the shaft, and then got a different type of puller from the auto store so that I could push off the bolt and stay centered, applied some heat and that did the trick. Thanks for the help.

 

Then you take a part of the threaded rod and make an installer with a couple big hardened washers and a thrust bearing if you can find one and some nuts. you thread the stud into the crank and use the nuts & washers to pull the hub back on.

Using a bolt smaller than 7/16-14 in the crank to push against can result in buggared threads- so be careful with that.

 

I ended up using a slide hammer.

 

my stock balancer is toast so I will be installing a "SuperDamper" this weekend. Is there any problem with reusing the stock HUB bolt? I did not order one with my new damper... also what size key do I need to use? Summit told me that the damper would come with a key but it did not..