Alternative to drilling your alignment tool to install gimbal bearings

[savery]

Maybe someone has already figured this out, but it was one of those "eureka" moments and I was too excited at it actually working to not share.

If you have one of the engine alignment tools that requires drilling a 3/8" hole through the alignment tool to use the gimbal bearing driver (such as those sold by MBS Manufacturing as well as others on Amazon/eBay) but don't have the tools or equipment to drill a straight 3/8" hole through a 1 5/16" steel round bar, there is a workaround...

I only have a small bench top drill press and knew that drilling the tool with that was going to be a joke... I do have a friend with machine tools, but I didn't want to tie up his time and break all of his drill bits, and I started thinking - what if I were to use a piece of pipe to hit the driver "puck"?

I actually had a piece of 1 1/2" schedule 80 steel pipe in my scrap pile. I cut a section long enough so that when the tool was seated in the coupler and the driver was seated against the bearing, the end of the pipe would extend just beyond the end of the alignment tool (ended up being 18" or something). After freezing the new bearing for a few hours, I greased the bearing housing, placed the driver tool on the alignment tool, followed by the new bearing. I inserted the end of the alignment tool in the coupler on the engine, set the bearing against the housing and gave the driver a tap with the pipe - it started in pretty easily. I then gave it about 5-6 good smacks with the pipe, using it like a slide hammer, and the new bearing was seated.

Getting machine work done can be expensive and often long lead, so hopefully this saves someone some headaches. If you don't have a piece of 1.5" pipe laying around, I believe some Lowe's sell pipe of this size. You could also hit up a plumbing supply place, like a Ferguson or Hajoca and ask if they have some "drop". I'd imagine 1.5" rigid conduit would work as well, so electrical supply houses are probably fair game as well (and may be able to had at HD/Lowe's). It may not be the best solution for everyone (weighing pricing and availability of the pipe you would need vs availability and pricing of machining services), but it's an option I thought I would share. Also the usual caveat that this should be attempted at your own risk, if your bearing housing is badly corroded or you had to use a D9 dozer to remove the old bearing this may not be the best option, etc....

Anyway, posting this here in hopes it helps someone in the future.

 

[nola mike]

Great idea. I used a bunch of hose clamps, but this is better for sure

 

[tractoman]

So the 1-1/2 pipe is used as a slide hammer on the outside of the alignment tool?

 

[MagKarl]

Well done. I like that idea.

 

[savery]

So the 1-1/2 pipe is used as a slide hammer on the outside of the alignment tool?

That's right. I cut it long expecting to hit the pipe with a hammer, but given that the pipe itself weighs about 5 lbs that's a decent enough hammer on its own. Even schedule 40 would weigh about 4 lbs which is still better than the 3 lb drilling hammer I had handy.

 

[Rivergator]

I just got my alignment tool and I had the same thoughts. I was not to happy having to drill a hole in it, even though I could if I had to, and was scratching my head for a better solution. There always is one and you beat me to it. Great idea! But there is always one big "Gotcha" regardless of which way you go. The way the tool is designed and the idea behind it is to insert it into the coupler and therefore more or less guaranteeing that the bearing goes in straight when you start hammering the bearing in place. That could turn out to be disastrous if the alignment is off. You will have driven the alignment tool all the way into the coupler and if the alignment is off will have one hell of a time to get it back out with the new gimbal bearing in place. Granted, your idea provides a lot better chance to retrieve the alignment tool because you are using the pipe as the driver and not the alignment tool. To avoid this I would do the coupler to bearing alignment before pulling out the old gimbal bearing or be very cautious as to how far to insert the alignment tool into the coupler. But great idea you came up with. I am not going to drill a hole into my alignment shaft but go to Home Depot and get that pipe. Thanks savery

 

[rustybronco]

Had this same thought the other day when I was out walking then I saw your post yesterday. The best thing about this was, I had the pipe on the shelf. Ten minutes to cut the pipe and square the end with a file and four minutes to install the bearing. I used a hammer to drive it home. It took longer to grease the bearing than it did to install.

 

[Bondo]

I cut a section long enough so that when the tool was seated in the coupler and the driver was seated against the bearing, the end of the pipe

Ayuh,...... The problem I see is, yer should be drivin' the bearin' carrier into place, not the actual bearin' itself,.....

Some years back, I built a driver from aluminum pipe, that drives the carrier, insteada the bearing,....

 

[Rivergator]

Ayuh,...... The problem I see is, yer should be drivin' the bearin' carrier into place, not the actual bearin' itself,.....

Bondo, I am pretty sure by driver he meant the tool that needs to be mounted on the alignment shaft by drilling that dreaded hole. The pipe makes contact with the driver not the bearing. Like I mentioned before, my concern is that it is of utmost importance that the alignment is up to snuff or it will take a truck to pull that alignment tool out of the coupler once the bearing is in, especially the way the tool is designed in its original form. Other than that, I think savery's idea is actually an improvement over the original (drilling the hole). I wish MBS Manufacturing reads this and comments on this. I would love to hear their opinion on this.

 

[Bondo]

Bondo, I am pretty sure by driver he meant the tool that needs to be mounted on the alignment shaft by drilling that dreaded hole. The pipe makes contact with the driver not the bearing. Like I mentioned before, my concern is that it is of utmost importance that the alignment is up to snuff or it will take a truck to pull that alignment tool out of the coupler once the bearing is in, especially the way the tool is designed in its original form. Other than that, I think savery's idea is actually an improvement over the original (drilling the hole). I wish MBS Manufacturing reads this and comments on this. I would love to hear their opinion on this.

Ok,..... I just blew up the picture, 'n reread the thread,......

You are right,..... I missed the collar, that puts the beatin' against the tolerance ring,....
My Bad,......

It mirrors what mine does, only my "collar" extends much of the length of my alignment bar, 'n I can wack the end of it with a bfh,.....

 

[Rivergator]

It mirrors what mine does, only my "collar" extends much of the length of my alignment bar, 'n I can wack the end of it with a bfh,.....

I think this is what the whole discussion is about.....not to hit the end of it with a bfh and therefore driving it deep into the coupler and not being able to pull the alignment bar back out because the coupler to gimbal bearing alignment happens to be off, ...not to drill the hole in the alignment bar and therefore making the tool more or less useless for other applications where the collar needs to be in a different position on the bar, ...but instead using the alignment bar as a bearing installation guide where the collar and pipe move freely up and down on and using the pipe as a slide hammer and if needed you wack that pipe until the gimbal bearing is properly seated

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

I just want to comment for anyone who may reference this later, that the 1½" pipe isn't large enough in diameter to drive the gimbal bearing in alone. To use a piece of pipe alone, I think it takes a 3" diameter pipe to grab the outer ring of the gimbal bearing, which is what I've done in the past. Your using the pipe to drive that black tool that comes with your alignment tool, which I'm sure works great. Just in case someone in the future doesn't see that black tool you have and begins to bang in the gimbal with just a piece of pipe.

 

[Wateronthebrain]

I just pulled and replaced my bearing. I set the bearing/carrier at the entrance and used a pipe to drive it in with a 3"x2" abs landscaping coupler at the pipes end and smacked in in...worked perfect.