Removing main bearings

[tntatro]

Hello, does it damage the main bearings when they are removed from a crankshaft? I have a good used crankshaft for a Stihl 056 with bearings on it. My case halves already have new bearings in them so I need to remove the ones from the crankshaft. I'd prefer to salvage at least the clutch side because they are NLA. I attempted to remove them with a cheap bearing separator and the separator started bending out of shape. I then attached my case splitter and started cranking pressure and realized that it would take significant pressure to remove them and decided to stop and ask if this would damage them or see if there is a better way to remove them without damaging them.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

You could try a little heat to the bearing if it's not the ones with the plastic separators. I know when I put bearings on a crank I heat the bearing with a light bulb and put the crank in the freezer then the bearings usually slip right on with minimal tapping. In your case you'd have to heat the bearing quickly without heating the crank. Usually it's the bearings that go before the crank so I have little experience with removing good bearings.

 

[tntatro]

You could try a little heat to the bearing if it's not the ones with the plastic separators. I know when I put bearings on a crank I heat the bearing with a light bulb and put the crank in the freezer then the bearings usually slip right on with minimal tapping. In your case you'd have to heat the bearing quickly without heating the crank. Usually it's the bearings that go before the crank so I have little experience with removing good bearings.

Thanks, luckily these had metal separators. I ended up attaching my crankcase splitter and heating the bearings and with a bit of cranking it popped loose and the rest cranked off fairly easy. They seem like they are still useable.

 

[tntatro]

You could try a little heat to the bearing if it's not the ones with the plastic separators. I know when I put bearings on a crank I heat the bearing with a light bulb and put the crank in the freezer then the bearings usually slip right on with minimal tapping. In your case you'd have to heat the bearing quickly without heating the crank. Usually it's the bearings that go before the crank so I have little experience with removing good bearings.

Do you use a light bulb for bearings with plastic separators? I just tried putting a crank in the clutch side of a case with a plastic separator in the bearings and I couldn't get it to go in. I froze the crankshaft for several hours and heated the case around the bearings so the heat would radiate into the bearings without melting the plastic. I must not have got it hot enough. The bearings also have an oil seal installed that I don't want to damage.