OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

georgerbare

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Is there a better way to remove the bearing races for the ball gear shaft from the IM housing? I've been slide hammering for hours and have only moved the first bearing race a 1/4".
 

Howard Sterndrive

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

shop press and a set of bearing pullers, and maybe some heat
 

georgerbare

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

I was hoping to avoid removing the IM Housing - but since yours is the only reply, sounds like that may be my only other option.
 

Howard Sterndrive

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

is the engine out?
you should be able to drive it from the engine side. Should only be 1 race that needs pulling from the housing. Another trick is to lay a bead of weld around a race and let it cool, shrinking the race. Tight quarters for that though.
 

georgerbare

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

Engine is still in. The bearings failed, so the cones and seals came out easy with the shaft. Would heating the housing help at all? I'm nervous about distorting the aluminum housing. Would a propane torch get hot enough to distort the housing? Welding idea is interesting, unforunatley I don't have a MIG set-up.
 

georgerbare

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

Okay, two straight days of slide hammering and the race hasn't budged more than a 1/4". I think my arms are going to fall off. Since I don't have a MIG set-up, and I'd REALLY like to avoid removing the IM housing (and the boot, the worm gear, the tilt motors, etc., blah, blah), how's this for an off-the-wall approach. Use a sawz-all and a metal blade and cut the races, not down to the housing, but close. The thought being the cut would weaken the race and may actually break during slide hammering and come out easier. Any opionions on this? Am I nuts, besides buying an OMC in the first place?
 

Howard Sterndrive

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

no sawzall blade is going to cut a bearing race. A die grinder will cut through it. with one of these tips:
Vacuum_Brazed_Diamond_Sculpting__Engraving_Kit_Diamond_Burr_Bits_Die_Grinder_VBDP3040_detail2.JPG

But the race is hardened, so only grinding it, or a cutting torch will cut it.

if you have room in the hull, you may just be able to slide the engine forward to get in and hammer the bearing out from the inside.

There's no reason to remove the intermediate housing from the hull. It's the engine that is in your way.

A puller will work if there is slow, steady pressure
this sort of thing
gb514_lg.jpg

with a slip-in-behind sort of puller head like this
bearingpuller001.jpg
 

georgerbare

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

Ooooh, I like the puller! I don't think I can slide the engine far enough to get in behind it and hammer it out. Thanks for the tip on the hardened race, glad I didn't waste time on that although I think I would've discovered that quickly enough after wearing the teeth off the blade. Die grinder will reach the outermost race, but not the one behind it. Is the puller homemade? Where do I get on of those? Thanks for the tips.
 

Howard Sterndrive

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

yeah, you're probably going to have to fabricate the puller. If you can use fine thread rod, or find a long grade 8 bolt, it will be better for pulling

I still can't figure out the 2 races? There should only be 1 from my memory.
of course there are always 2 tapered roller bearings on a shaft, but only the inboard race is pressed into the housing. The outer race slides.

And on that note, You're going to have to pull the engine to set the preload on the new bearings anyways.
whether you use the measuring jig from OMC, or use a dial torque wrench and measure rolling resistance... can't do it with the shaft splines engaged into the engine coupler.
 

georgerbare

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

There's two bearings (race and cone) back to back, one closest to the coupler (inner) and one closest to the ball gear (outer). I haven't even touched the inner race; I've managed to separate the two races; agreed the outer race is supposed to slide, but only 1/4" so far, no further. It's almost like there's a snap ring keeping it from sliding all the way out. I'm giving up on slide hammering, it's killing me. If the inner race is pressed in, won't I have to remove the IM housing to press in a new one?
 

Howard Sterndrive

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

weird... on the left is a bearing cup, on the right is a cone
big_cup_cone.jpg


the ball gear shaft in a 400 Intermediate housing is normally supported by 2 cups and 2 cones.

When you remove the shaft, you should get 3 of the 4 pieces with the shaft (both cones, one of the cups) like this
taperedroller-1.jpg


all that is left to remove is the inner cup
 

georgerbare

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

Good idea on the welding shop. The outer cup shown in your previous thread is what is stuck - WILL NOT BUDGE! Two days of slide hammering (5 lb slide!) moved it a 1/4". Regarding the inner cup, assuming I can get that out, will I have to remove the IM housing to press in a new inner cup? Or, would I be able to drive in place a new inner cup with, for example, a hammer and 1-1/4" socket with the IM housing still attached to the bell housing?
 

Howard Sterndrive

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

everything is serviced from the rear, but you will have to remove the engine to preload the new bearings, so why not just do that first...

how did you get a tapered roller bearing through the I.D. of the outer cup? the cone is bigger than the hole...- I guess you would bust up the cage and let the rollers fall out and then the inner part of the cone will fit through?
regardless, that outer cup should fall out on the floor. It has to be slip fitted to work right. See the burnishing on the one in the picture (reddish brown pit marks)... that's called fretting - that's indicative of the correct fit in this case.

I have to suspect someone has pressed the WRONG bearing in there, didn't shim it, and that's why everything failed.

You may need a new intermediate housing depending on why that cup is seized like you describe. Might have to do some cleaning up of that bore with a die grinder and flapper wheel at bare minimum, because you won't be able to preload the new bearings if that cup doesn't slide smooth and straight into the bore.

You want to get a factory manual for reassembly - if you don't preload the bearings correctly it won't make it down the lake twice.
 

georgerbare

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

OK, you had me re-thinking so I went out and re-looked at all the parts. See the pic's attached. The outer cup did come out, it's actually the inner cup that I seem to be struggling with. You can see what happened when the bearing failed - destroyed the shaft, cones, outer seal assembly plate and the water deflector was damaged. Look at the second picture. If that's the inner cup that I'm trying to move, and you can see it moved about a 1/4", what's that behind it?Shaft.jpg
IM Housing.jpg
 

Howard Sterndrive

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

what's that behind it?
that is the tin part of what remains of the inner oil seal - it'll just pry out with a screwdriver once the bearing is out

then clean up that housing with wire wheel/die grinder/flapper wheel until it is pretty and smooth

check ebay - you might just want to buy that part we are using as a diagram pic -the ball gear looks pretty good on it in the pics (then you'd just need the inner bearing, a few shims and inner seal for parts)- although you'd have to ask some questions, because the seller says 1978, but doesn't say Ford or Chev engine - you need Chev assuming you have a 1978-1985 4 cyl (i.e. 400)
 

Scott Danforth

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

using a heat gun to warm the casting, then a can of keyboard spray duster turned upside down to shrink the race.
 

bruceb58

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

I would get someone with a TIG to heat the race. Then it should easily be removed.
 

georgerbare

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

Yay!! Finally got the inner cup out. Scott, genius idea with the air can. Heated the case with propane and used an entire air can to freeze the cup - popped out after a couple of hammers. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, very helpful community - will be visiting regularly.

One other question, is there a difference between the ball gear and shaft assembly (out of the IM housing) for the 400 or 800 drive units? I checked e-bay and there are a numnber of shaft assemblies available, but NONE specify if they're for a 400 or 800 unit, which leads me to think there isn't a difference. Using Howard Sterndrives's advice, I will need to clarify between Ford or Chevy, 'cuz they don't specify that either. I have a Chevy 3.0.
 

Howard Sterndrive

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Re: OMC 400 IM Housing Bearing Removal

you need chevy - and the right vintage, so go by part number - the part number is stamped right into one end of every OMC intermediate shaft
if you need info, ask the seller
 
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