Removing Crank Timing Gear

[jeepinbanditrider]

Does Mazda make a special tool to remove this damn thing?? I've tried nearly every two jaw puller on the shelf at Autozone and O'Rileys and have had no luck even getting it to budge. There's very little room to get the jaws in back there and the pullers that do fit bend up like wet noodles when too much pressure is applied to them.

This caused us a problem when dealing with my dad's 90 model but we managed to get it off. We've tried all of the same stuff here and it hasn't came off yet. The time spent on this one gear has now surpassed the time it would have taken to do the whole job. Stupid crank seal. If it wasn't leaking I wouldn't even be messing with this.

[black roadster]

We have had this problem on several timing belt jobs at the shop. It has gotten to the point where we tell customers it may break when removing it. They are a brittle metal and they are not cheap to replace either.

Can you get the woodruff key out? The last time I had a stuck gear, I soaked it with PB Blaster. I then put the transmission in gear and placed a prybar on the gear teeth and tapped the gear so it slowly rotated on the crank. I tapped it and rotated it the other way and eventually broke it loose and saved the gear.

Good luck though. They can be a royal PITA.

[jeepinbanditrider]

Yeah woodruff key came out pretty easy with a pair of soft jawed pliers and a little wiggling. I hose it down with some penetrating lubricant and let it sit. When you were prying and tapping on the gear what part of the gear were you tapping on to get it to move? Did you use something to tap against the gear teeth or did you just tap on the face of the gear?

[jrj512]

I had this same problem. I eventually gave up since the car had to go to Rogue for body work, anyways. He eventually got it off. I tried heat and everything. I eventually accepted that I would destroy it when getting it off and ordered a new one from Mazdaspeed. Knowing that he did not have to preserve it helped Rogue get mine off.

[Mark52]

Hmmm... Is this just a problem with the 1.6 engine? I did not have any problem whatsoever on the 2 1.8 engines that I have dealt with.

[jrj512]

Hmmm... Is this just a problem with the 1.6 engine? I did not have any problem whatsoever on the 2 1.8 engines that I have dealt with.

I understand that they usually come off easily, which is why you do no hear too much about this. Just some bad luck going around, I guess.

If you accept that you will destry the gear, maybe try a chisel, but be very careful about it slipping off and making a bigger problem.

[black roadster]

Yeah woodruff key came out pretty easy with a pair of soft jawed pliers and a little wiggling. I hose it down with some penetrating lubricant and let it sit. When you were prying and tapping on the gear what part of the gear were you tapping on to get it to move? Did you use something to tap against the gear teeth or did you just tap on the face of the gear?

Placed a large prybar on the timing gear teeth at abot 2 o'clock position and tapped on end of prybar with a hammer. Then I went to the 10 o'clock position and did the same. Went back and forth until it started to move. Again, be prepared to break it.

It's not a 1.6 thing. It's an issue on these motors sometimes.

[jeepinbanditrider]

Placed a large prybar on the timing gear teeth at abot 2 o'clock position and tapped on end of prybar with a hammer. Then I went to the 10 o'clock position and did the same. Went back and forth until it started to move. Again, be prepared to break it.

It's not a 1.6 thing. It's an issue on these motors sometimes.

So you wern't prying on it you were using the prybar as a big chisel? I'll give that a shot when I get back to the car. i have to go to a funeral out of state today so I'm going to hose it down with penetrating lube and when I get back from the funeral keep trying.

[shortshift]

Is it okay to presume that, when they've got the gear puller tightened as far as they can safely twist it, that they are giving the end of the puller shaft a couple of sharp raps?

[jeepinbanditrider]

Yeah we do we've tried that a few times. We get a couple of good pulls from one of the pullers before it's just too mangled to use. So far we on number 3.

[juxt3r]

I had a similar issue when tearing down a spare 1.6 longblock. After a few weeks of trying various things like PB Blaster, WD-40, MAPP torch, drilling out the Woodruff key, and a couple of different pry bars, I ended up cutting the dang thing down the line of one sprocket. That sucker was rusted on! The Woodruff key ended up coming out in two pieces due to corrosion.
Pain in my buttocks!

[channelmaniac]

On my old spec project I had that same problem, except someone used a woodruff key that was the wrong size and hammered it in place. That thing wasn't coming off for NOTHIN'.

I ended up using a dremel tool to cut slots in the gear. One on top of the key area and another one on the opposite side then used an air chisel to bust it in 2. The air chisel was easier on the crank bearings than the shocks from a BFH hitting a chisel. It took awhile but it finally split in 2.

RJ

[jeepinbanditrider]

My woodruff key is out. it came out very easily just being wiggled out with a pair of pliers. Assuming I do have to bust this thing off anyone know where I can get a new timing gear??

[juxt3r]

Rosenthal Mazda (finishlineperformance.com) is a decent choice for getting a new sprocket. That's where I got my replacement. :)

[Radio-Active]

If you have not tried PB Blaster, give it a shot first. If you can find a can of Kroil, it is even better than PB Blaster, IMHO. Liquid Wrench and WD40 Suck!

[onething]

Kroil FTW, but be careful. It is very flammable/explosive.

[jeepinbanditrider]

Got it off finally. Lots of PB Blaster AND using Black Roadster's advice of the pry bar and BFH i got the gear to start to spin. After it broke loose I was able to yank it off with a 2 jaw puller. Now I'm just waiting on the new one from Rosenthal.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php...&id=1416956060

[black roadster]

Sweet! Glad my suggestion worked.