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Stuck bellhousing

J

jblack

New member
"Hi all, I just wanted to star

"Hi all, I just wanted to start by saying that this discussion board has been an excelent resource and that I've learned (and been helped a great deal already) through it. A short description of my project: Mine is a 501b engine w/ a dp290 leg mfg in '92. I bought this boat last April with a slight leak in 1 of the trim rams - it got worse. The engine is now out and the rams have been refurbd at a local hydrlc shop, a few other things have been and will be done b4 it all goes back together - my trouble is that when I removed the ring that connects the end of the bellhousing to the sheild 1 of the bolts snapped inside the bellhousing. I wanted to remove the bellhousing to take to a machine shop for drilling/heli coil but the primary shaft (i assume) seems to be stuck. I can pry the housing about 3/8" or so back but thats about it. I didn't want to try to "coerce" the thing any more for fear of damaging something. I could just take the entire engine to the shop but the fact that the splines are stuck bothers me, also I wonder about the stress I've put on the bearings in there by prying on it so far. I've looked all over the board and the closest thing I've seen to my situation is a shaft stuck but the housing is off - is there a way to do this without mutilating the bearings or retainers? I actually would like to change to a sealed bearing but am worried I'll destroy something I can't replace (without major $$) if I have to apply too much force to remove the housing. Any help will be greatly appreciated - JB"
 
"You should be able to remove

"You should be able to remove the bellhousing with a bit of patience by just pulling and moving it sideways (or up and down) as much as you can to free the splines. The only place where it could be stuck is in the absorber splines, as it seems the primary shaft in your model is not guided by a pilot bearing in the crankshaft. This is a common problem when not enough grease is applied to the splines at the time of assembly.

The idea to changing to sealed bearings is excellent. However, make sure you still put grease around the bearings: it will help in case of water ingress. It will also help to keep lubricated the splines in the U-joint yoke.

http://www.volvopentastore.com/CONNECTING_COMPONENTS_DRIVE_SP_A_SP_A1_SP_A2_DP_A _DP_A1_DP_A2/dm/cart_id.657400424--category_id.333352--list_time.1206907380--ses sion_id.743082837--store_id.366--view_id.329600"
 
"Thanks El, I'm going to t

"Thanks El, I'm going to try to shoot some pb up in there in the morning and try to pull it loose in the afternoon."
 
Spent an hour and a half tryin

Spent an hour and a half trying to pull it free and all i can say is that the gentle persuation phase in my and the housings relationship is officially over i had to put it down for a bit 'cause the idea of creating a nice access hole with a sledge hammer was becoming too appealing. as it stands i can barely pry it out a bit farther than one of the dowels and it snaps back to rest with about 3/16 gap from the engine. i've applied pressure on both sides of the housing while tapping with a hammer against a wood block all aroung it. i've yanked up and down an sideways to the point of moving the engine around - its being stubborn. at this point i'm at a loss as to what to do next except to persist at what i've been doing - is there any other course of action or is this all there is to do in this situation? - JB
 
"Is the bellhousing not coming

"Is the bellhousing not coming out because the primary shaft is stuck in the absorber spline, or is it not coming out because it is stuck in the two dowel pins? If it is the first case (most likely) what I would do is wedge the bellhousing in at least two places with two thin wooden wedges 180º apart form each other, then use a brass rod to hammer the primary shaft inwards. The idea would be to put as much outward pressure as possible on the bellhousing while attempting to loosen the rust from the splines that keep the shaft seized to the absorber by hammering the primary shaft inwards (but without risking to damage it). I think it's worth trying.

You could also try drilling the output shaft, then threading the hole and using a slide hammer, but I would use that system only if everything else fails, as it is not guaranteed to work either if the wedges trick fails."
 
Most times I've been in th

Most times I've been in this situation I've ended up drilling a 1" hole in the bell housing and unscrewed the torrosion damper from the flywheel.
 
"El, its definatley the spline

"El, its definatley the splines as it does give to a certan degree when prying but reaches a point where i dont want to apply any more pressure because if i do something probably will get broken. the wedges idea sounds good its next on the list. hi morten, yeah, i was thinking earlier tonight about creating an access panel in there ;) my idea probably wouldn't have worked out so well though. if i do go that route (not actually sledge hammer) not being familiar with the interior structure of the housing or just where the bolts are on the dampener im gonna need a pretty good understanding (read that hand holding) of where to cut/drill before i would actually do it. i had wondered if it was something that could be done but would rather not if at all possible. for now im going the pry and tap route i'll schedual surgery for later if need be. thanks! - JB"
 
Drilling a hole and unscrew th

Drilling a hole and unscrew the damper will cost You a plastic plug. It will not reduce strength on the housing if You drill a round hole. If You 'punch' that will be a different matter.
Keep on bending will probably cost You a new damper plate and even worse a new shaft.
 
"Hey Mort, i've not worked

"Hey Mort, i've not worked on it at all today as i went and visited some friends after work and have just gotten home, just cut the chase and make a hole huh? i can see the logic as its going to be necessarry anyway if i can't force it off there -and i did apply alot of force yesterday - and even if i can force it, it could be damaged in the process. part of my apprehension about drilling was in fact the worry of reducing the integrity of the the housing and im glad to hear that it won't. now the question is where should the hole be for best access to the bolts on the damper?
i assume i'm going to want a straight shot at them with a six point socket on an extension while someone else holds the flywheel throught the top access with a big screwdriver? what i need to know i guess is how far are the bolts holding the damper to the flywheel from the center of the primary shaft? heh, even better a map w/ an x marks the spot - lol thanks guys - JB"
 
"Sorry, but I do not have the

"Sorry, but I do not have the 'x' distance from center. I used to drill the hole on the top of the housing, that way easy as a 'service' to pull the plug and inspect/oil the shaft splines later.
Perhaps You may have another engine to take the measurements off, or someone on the board might give it to You. You will need a socket with a 'joint' on as You will not get a straight access to the screws. Take one screw at the time, then just turn the engine to next appear.
I used a saw-drill similar to the ones to cut out for instruments. Be careful, use WD 40 or similar, watch out it does not get stuck from heat expansion when drilling!"
 
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