Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

[fleeingpepper]

Our 1998 Regal 2100 had been making noises when turning, etc. So we pulled off the outdrive and looked. The gimbal bearing was installed so that the grease hole wasn't lined up right! The bearing didn't look old, but had been running dry for its whole life. And when people would try to grease it with the zerk it would just go in right next to it. Some had run out the sides so there was grease everywhere inside there. And the bearing is seemingly impossible to get out. We used a heat gun and slide hammer (a lot) to no avail, and now we're using a bearing puller on a threaded rod. Well the threaded rod is bending and the bearing has gone absolutely nowhere. You can see in the attached picture we stuck a piece of wood under the end of the rod to keep it from bending too much, but the curve is still evident. I'm assuming all the grease is sitting between the bearing and where it's stuck and making it a waaay tighter fit.
Any more ideas on getting it out?
Some people have drilled out the outer race of the bearing, but we can't fit a drill in there. How have you guys gotten a drilbit into that small area?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... I'm havin' a hard time seein' why yer rod is bendin' Waayyy out there,...

What have ya got on the Other end of the rod,..??

No way whatever ya got inside, on the other side of the bearin', is hangin' up on the inner transom, Right,..??

Yer turnin' the nut to Tighten, Right,..??

Don't matter how much grease was pumped into it,...
The purged grease always ends up in the bellows,...
I kinda doubt that's the issue, but ya never know,...

 

[JustJason]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

You might just want to get a slide hammer with a long pair of jaws on it. That's how I do them. The grease fitting thing isn't the problem, the newer ones are not even grease-able. The bearings are press fit, and even with a slide hammer with an 8lb weight on it, it can take some muscle to get them out. The only real time they are extra extra hard to get out is if water got in the the bellows, and corroded the bearing to the gimbal housing. Other than that, it's just a slide hammer and some hammering, and it will pop.

Remember... It was hammered into place. It's going to get hammered out.

 

[fleeingpepper]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

On the inside is the bearing puller that came with the slide hammer. We just stuck the puller onto the end of the rod and tighten the nut on the rod to pull the bearing out. We've just about pulled the inner race of the bearing out from all the force. We've tried for hours with the slide hammer. Even pulled on the bearing with the winch on our rzr and all that did was drag the rzr along the ground. The force to bend the rod seems like it should be more than enough to pull the bearing

 

[Bondo]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

On the inside is the bearing puller that came with the slide hammer. We just stuck the puller onto the end of the rod and tighten the nut on the rod to pull the bearing out. We've just about pulled the inner race of the bearing out from all the force. We've tried for hours with the slide hammer. Even pulled on the bearing with the winch on our rzr and all that did was drag the rzr along the ground. The force to bend the rod seems like it should be more than enough to pull the bearing

Ayuh,... But have ya crawled in there, 'n made Sure the puller piece is squarely in the bearin',...

'n Not hung up on some other part of the transom,...

 

[JustJason]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

We've just about pulled the inner race of the bearing out from all the force. We've tried for hours with the slide hammer. Even pulled on the bearing with the winch on our rzr and all that did was drag the rzr along the ground. The force to bend the rod seems like it should be more than enough to pull the bearing

If the inner race has not pulled out, and all the rollers flopped out with it, then you have not tried hard enough. It does not matter what winch you used, or threaded rod. This bearing is press fit, it was hammered into place with a rod and driver tool. Hammered in, hammered out, is how it works.

The force to bend the rod seems like it should be more than enough to pull the bearing

It's not so much about the brute force of it. It's about the number and strength of the impacts from the slide hammer. Use a quality 2 jaw puller like OTC or Snap on. Lock the puller down. And then hammer the crap out of it. If the bearing has not come out. Hammer harder. If the inner race wants to come out, let it, there is another lip you can grab if that one falls apart.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

Can you post a pic of this puller end. Something is definitely incorrect. My puller uses 3/8 ths threaded rod to remove the gimbals.
Heres a rear view of the housing

and my puller end.

 

[Sangster21]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

I am not an expert, but will wade in with my 2c. How is the all thread bending? It looks like 1/2NC so that should be strong enough to pull the entire bell housing off the transom. The load is a pulling or tensile load, so how does it end up bending? I tried a slide hammer last time and ended up making up a puller similar to what you have and it came out no problem. How much flex using that piece of wood to bridge the bell housing? I used a piece of square tube.... did not flex at all. Have you tried a bit of heat around the bearing to try to make the hole bigger? Don't heat the bearing (you don't want it to expand- would make it tighter) but the housing around the bearing. Good luck with it.
Alan

 

[fleeingpepper]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

The end is a bearing puller that's hinged. Looks like this one. Performance Tech Rear Axle Bearing Puller Set, Model# W89326 | Ball Joint, Bearing Gear Repair| Northern Tool + Equipment
It's 5/8, which I'm just amazed that it's actually bending. We're sure the bearing is what it's actually pulling on, stuck my fingers back behind there to feel everything that it could catch on and look at everything with the flashlight before we do any yanking. When we were using the slide hammer one person held the actual "slide" that the weight moves on so that it stayed against the back of the gimbal so the end wasn't bouncing around in there. And any bending of the wood is barely noticeable, so that's negligible. I suppose a lot of the torsion is being transferred to the bar. Perhaps because the washer and nut is so tight up against the wood and so tight against the bearing that some of the rotational forces just go to the bar instead. I'm puzzled at the whole thing.

 

[Fun Times]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

Some people have drilled out the outer race of the bearing, but we can't fit a drill in there. How have you guys gotten a drilbit into that small area?

Maybe you could go buy a long drill bit? Do a quick measurements of how long of a bit you may need.

 

[alldodge]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

If the bearing doesn't start coming out straight when a slide hammer is first used it can ****. Had one many years ago and had to take it to the dealer. The Merc tech let me know what happened and said I put a grove in it from all the hammering. May need to hammer it back in and then try again to pull it out.

 

[79Merc80]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

The mechanic that changed mine tried for 4 hours to get the damn thing out. Ended up buying a bigger slide hammer and it came out after only 20 minutes of hammering. Sounded like he was trying to pull the 305 out through that little hole LOL

Craig

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

What is the width of the one your using? As far as the bending issue, its because the housing is forcing itself downward. You need to insert a 1- 1/2 inch ,1/2 inch drive socket between the bottom of the gimbal housing and the bottom of the transom housing.

 

[fleeingpepper]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

The biggest one we can fit behind the gimbal while still letting the puller make itself flat behind there. Hopefully that makes sense..

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

Makes perfect sense to me, just as long as it is NOT wider than the bearing carrier. Otherwise you hooking the housing too.

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

in the 30 years i've working on these things

i've used just abut every technique and tool

a slide hammer will only remove the very slightly corroded bearings - forget it !

you'll be there for days


this tool makes all others look and work like tinker toys

has NEVER failed to get one out

Gimbal Bearing Puller Tool for Mercruiser Alpha Bravo OMC Cobra Volvo USA Made | eBay

 

[MarkSee]

Re: Another Thread about a Stuck Gimbal Bearing

this tool makes all others look and work like tinker toys
has NEVER failed to get one out
Gimbal Bearing Puller Tool for Mercruiser Alpha Bravo OMC Cobra Volvo USA Made | eBay

Thanks for sharing that information as I'll probably need to mine in the next season or two and the slide hammer thing never looked appealing. I bought my alignment tool and a few others from that company with good results.

Mark