Installing crank bearings using heat

[pioneerguy600]

If I can add a little tip, if using a blow lamp, heat tip on an oxy, etc. to heat aluminium or mag to drop a bearing in, the best/easiest way to ascertain if the casting is hot enough is the water 'pop' test.
When heating occasionally splash a drop of water (or spit) onto the case/whatever you are heating and if it pops violently off the casting, stop, that's plenty hot enough. Your bearing will drop straight in. Anymore heat is too much.

Good info, works just as you say.
Pioneerguy600

 

[HARRY BARKER]

whats a "blow lamp"??

 

[Steveo_supremo]

Probably Austrailian for blow torch

 

[pioneerguy600]

Just like a rose bud!
Pioneerguy600

 

[Cantdog]

If I can add a little tip, if using a blow lamp, heat tip on an oxy, etc. to heat aluminium or mag to drop a bearing in, the best/easiest way to ascertain if the casting is hot enough is the water 'pop' test.
When heating occasionally splash a drop of water (or spit) onto the case/whatever you are heating and if it pops violently off the casting, stop, that's plenty hot enough. Your bearing will drop straight in. Anymore heat is too much.

Yes, another way comes from the old series IIA Landrover manual. Concerning annealing the alum body skins as this material was called "work hardening" and once bent got harder with every subsequent bending. To straighten the body panel you would rub the entire area to be annealed with bar soap (ivory etc) and heat evenly with a torch (blow lamp) until the soap "cleared" that was the right temp to stop heating and start working. I forget what the exact temp was, around 250-275 I think. It didn't bother the paint but left the metal soft and workable. Quite amazing actually. Sorry nothing to do with saws but........

 

[Sprintcar]

Jerry,

One of the best threads I've read on this joint. I've tried just about any method, Toaster oven, rose bud, freezer, we even put bearings in liquid nitrogen once. Didn't work worth a crap! One of the best :censored: chewings is when my wife came home and found an 026 half in her oven. Man was she pissed. That was why I was so worried bout getting residue out of her dishwasher, man did I get lucky.

Once again, great thread!

Thanks,

Jerry

:greenchainsaw:

 

[tdi-rick]

whats a "blow lamp"??

Yep, exactly what the other fella's said.

Noun 1. blowlamp - a burner that mixes air and gas to produce a very hot flame.
blowtorch, torch
burner - an apparatus for burning fuel (or refuse); "a diesel engine is an oil burner"
oxyacetylene torch - a blowtorch that burns oxyacetylene

Just like traditionally an oxy torch without the tip is called a 'blowpipe' here and a torque wrench is a 'tension wrench' and hens are 'chooks'.
Unfortunately all these little quirks of language are disappearing at a rapid rate as US culture is disseminated and dominates through US TV shows and the www.
Hell, we even have some kids in the cities trying to talk 'Gangsta' now..

 

[tdi-rick]

Yes, another way comes from the old series IIA Landrover manual. Concerning annealing the alum body skins as this material was called "work hardening" and once bent got harder with every subsequent bending. To straighten the body panel you would rub the entire area to be annealed with bar soap (ivory etc) and heat evenly with a torch (blow lamp) until the soap "cleared" that was the right temp to stop heating and start working. I forget what the exact temp was, around 250-275 I think. It didn't bother the paint but left the metal soft and workable. Quite amazing actually. Sorry nothing to do with saws but........

Robin, there's always time to talk Landies

(where do you reckon the Tdi part of my user name comes from, Land Rover were using it before VW )

 

[Cantdog]

Robin, there's always time to talk Landies

(where do you reckon the Tdi part of my user name comes from, Land Rover were using it before VW )

HAHA!! Cool. I spent quite a few yrs bouncing about in IIs, IIAs and IIIs.
Had/Have a series II 88" a IIA 88' and a III 88" and two IIA 109" pickups.
Frames suffer greatly here on the "Beautiful Salt-Bound Coast of Maine"

Oh..."Jonsereds" just to stay on topic!!!!

 

[thomas72]

I do not like to see people beat a bearing on a pressed fit crank or any crank. I will heat the bearing and put the crank in the freezer. Never had any problems. Good to see another knowledgeable thread.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Jerry,

One of the best threads I've read on this joint. I've tried just about any method, Toaster oven, rose bud, freezer, we even put bearings in liquid nitrogen once. Didn't work worth a crap! One of the best :censored: chewings is when my wife came home and found an 026 half in her oven. Man was she pissed. That was why I was so worried bout getting residue out of her dishwasher, man did I get lucky.

Once again, great thread!

Thanks,

Jerry

:greenchainsaw:

Thanks Sprint, the general consenses seems to be that heat is a good method of installing bearings.
Pioneerguy600

 

[pioneerguy600]

I do not like to see people beat a bearing on a pressed fit crank or any crank. I will heat the bearing and put the crank in the freezer. Never had any problems. Good to see another knowledgeable thread.

Thanks thomas72, heat seems to be the way to go.
Pioneerguy600

 

[Mastermind]

Jerry you have done it again...great information, this is what AS is all about! Thanks

 

[pioneerguy600]

Jerry you have done it again...great information, this is what AS is all about! Thanks

Thanks Randy, hope it helps someone with this task, it just seems that there were so many threads where case halves and bearings were bein subjected to a lot of stress by drawing them together with bolts etc., that I thought that I would at least bring this method up for consideration.
Pioneerguy600

 

[Cantdog]

Yes your method is much more "passive" than some others that I seen. Since I work on older Jonsereds mostly and the clutch and flywheel nuts are the same from model to model I've been thinking about building a pair pullers similar to the factory setup that threads onto the crank threads and pulls the bearings (and oiler cam on clutch side) into place and then heating the cases to install the crank and assemble the case halves. I have to put mains in a 70E soon and I will probably use your method and see how it goes for me. As I can't see having time to build fairly complicated tools with spring coming on fast here.

Jerry what general part of NS do you call home?

 

[striperswaper]

excellent post Jerry
heat is the correct method to install bearings. an interesting note SKF bearing heaters are made with an auto pre-set of 230F

 

[ironman_gq]

I think I remember my 026 service manual calling for heat to be used to put bearings in the cases

 

[belgian]

Jerry you have done it again...great information, this is what AS is all about! Thanks

Jerry deserves a nice belgian beer and a pat on the back...a good allround saw tech he is

 

[pioneerguy600]

Yes your method is much more "passive" than some others that I seen. Since I work on older Jonsereds mostly and the clutch and flywheel nuts are the same from model to model I've been thinking about building a pair pullers similar to the factory setup that threads onto the crank threads and pulls the bearings (and oiler cam on clutch side) into place and then heating the cases to install the crank and assemble the case halves. I have to put mains in a 70E soon and I will probably use your method and see how it goes for me. As I can't see having time to build fairly complicated tools with spring coming on fast here.

Jerry what general part of NS do you call home?

Just outside the city of Dartmouth on the Eastern shore.
Pioneerguy600

 

[pioneerguy600]

excellent post Jerry
heat is the correct method to install bearings. an interesting note SKF bearing heaters are made with an auto pre-set of 230F

Thank you, and yes the bearings can stand more heat than the 220 F that I posted but I like to leave a safety margin near the top end just in case the temp control is not really accurate. I have actually read that bearings can be heated to 235 F with no problems or damage but I have installed plenty heated to 220 and they have served long streatches without problems.
Pioneerguy600