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Ps pulley replacement - save this text

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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 03:06 PM
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Ps pulley replacement - save this text

OK, finally found the text for HOW TO REMOVE THAT STUBBORN POWER STEERING PULLEY for those pumps so old that they do not have the puller lip. Mostly pre-1971 probably.

Version 1, written 2010

For future reference, how do u get a keyed Power Steering Pump Pulley off?
Derek
==============
Decide which you need to save most, the pulley or the pump/ shaft.
Maybe buy a new 9/16" fine thread nut and bolt from the store [Fastenal.com, etc.] before starting, or round up a spare PS pump nut you can abuse/ sacrifice.
BRASS or LEAD hammer, brass drift/ punch also, about 1/4-3/8" tip dia.
Round up an assistant you can trust.
Might need an acetylene torch as well.

Impact off the existing nut
See if the pulley slides off by hand... if so, done. If not...
Use the puller lip and special tool with impact. No puller lip on your pulley? Then...

FOR LIPLESS PULLEYS THAT WON'T MOVE BY HAND:

Must have pump off the car/ motor
if you touch the pulley with any sort of pry bar, screwdriver, pulley puller, etc. it is junk. Touch with HANDS or GLOVED HANDS only. Ever.

Put a box, pillow, blanket, foam board, etc. on the ground to catch the pump.
Apply some penetrating lube to the shaft/ pulley interface, of course.

One person holds the pulley BY HAND flat horizontal with pump dangling below. Not too far above the soft catch surface.
Install sacrificial OEM nut onto shaft until flush with end of shaft, to protect shaft. 2nd person taps the nut/ shaft until the pulley moves to contact the nut. This may require light or very hard hammer blows. Hard wood block can be used between steel hammer and shaft. Steel hammer should NEVER touch the PS pump shaft.
If the pulley will not move with hard hammer blows, then heat will be needed. Probably so much that the pump seal will be burnt. Thick leather gloves will be needed at that point, to hold the hot pulley.

Better yet:

If you bought a new 9/16" fine thread nut and bolt, great. Put the nut on about 2-3 threads, leaving SOME gap between your new nut and the pulley. Thread your new bolt in until it butts up against the shaft. Tightern securely. Now you can abuse the new BOLT and not the pump shaft. The hammer blow force should transfer right thru to the pump shaft. No 9/16 fine thread bolt located? Std issue 9/16-NF nut should protect the shaft end and provide a receptacle you can use to keep your brass drift from sliding off the shaft end while striking it.

If hammer alone does not work, you have to apply heat. More and more, until it moves or the pulley is ruined and the project moot.

I have yet to try an air powered impact hammer, seems like that would work IF you can assure that it won't skate over and hit the pulley face and bend it. Guide it with gloved hand and use short bursts.

Once the pulley has moved the little bit to up against the sacrificial nut, the battle is pretty much won. If it moved a little, it will move a lot. Remove the nut, and strike the shaft itself- with lead hammer, brass hammer, brass drift, hardwood block, etc.- never steel hammer on the shaft. Unless you decided the pump is scrap and the pulley is all you need. Same method- one person holds the pulley horizontal with pump dangling below, other person strikes the shaft/ pump until it comes free.

If they are REAL stuck, even these extreme measures may not work, and the pulley might end up bent anyhow.

Lightly polish the shaft and/or bore before re-assembly, and USE ANTI-SEIZE COMPOUND so that next time it will be a pleasant experience. A very light press fit or hand-install fit is all that is required for keyed nutted pulleys.

Chris “*the* Rocket Scientist” Witt
10/2/10
.========================================

Version 2, from 2005:

Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 22:53:32 -0700
Subject: QUESTION - How do you remove the PS pulley when it's pressed on?!?

Hoping the wisdom of this list can help me on this.

I have a pressed-on Power Steering pulley on my 65 442 and my 66 Skylark. I
need to get the pulleys off to clean and repair the pumps. Took it to my
local auto-parts store to no avail since they say these don't have anything
to grip on to.

How do I get this sucker off?!?
========================
those should both be pre-press-on types, attached with nut, and using a key to prevent rotation on the shaft.

Removal of the nut is sometimes insufficient to release the pulley, because folks never put GREASE on the shaft and it gets a rust grip. [Don't ever grease things you put together, because it will be someone ELSE'S time and money that get wasted, later, upon dismantling.]

How to solve it?
Heat and beat. You might need to heat so much that it destroys the seal. Maybe just a little heat will do. Start with a little. To prevent damaging the threads, remove the original hard to find nut and round up a different one if possible. May not be possible... as I recall those are 9/16" fine thread, not something you find at the local hdwr store.

ANYHOW, heat the pulley hub, them hold the unit by hand by the pulley so the pump wants to fall out the bottom onto the soft surface you prepared for that. tap the shaft with a brass hammer and/or thru a pc of WOOD so as not to damage the threads on the shaft. Increase force of blows and/or heat applied until joy is achieved or the shaft and pulley are damaged beyond use. In the latter event, curse the previous person who cannot be bothered to grease stuff, vow to grease stuff upon assembly, and buy a replacement unit say from Rocket Science.

Worst case, it comes partway out and then you need to use a brass drift to knock it the rest of the way out.

If you apply a puller to the pulley OD, you WILL RUIN it. that's do-able, just be aware that you will be buying a new pulley. Sometimes that's the only way to go.
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