Herb

I can't get a break!
Anyone know how to get the crank hub off with a broken ear?

It's on a 93 LT1

antfarmer2

cut a line almost to the crank the tap it with a chisel.

THE 383 admiral

you removed the Harmonic from the hub. Removed the center bolt from the hub? you have just enough room to slug the hub off with a 2.5 pound hammer. Or you can use a 2 - 3 jaw. Low profile puller. The oe LT1 crank is not keyed. Why such a problem?

Tom400CFI

Herb

Your kidding me, right?
Knock it off with a hammer?

You do realize how close the ears are to the block,right?
Have you knocked one off with a hammer?

As far as a puller goes there's not enough lip to grab onto.

Herb

Yeah, I think this is what I'll probably do.

I just am worried about touching the crank.

Tom400CFI

Don't worry. If you do ding the crank it won't affect anything in a meaningful way. There is still more than enough surface area on the crank snout and the I.D. of your new damper hub to do a fine job of securing the damper hub. I'm sure you can cut the hub w/o hitting the crank, but if you do touch the crank a little, it won't matter.

mtwoolford

whoa there; first of all, how did the ear break off?

You did undo and pull out the center bolt in the crank snout tight? you the replaced said bolt with a longer 7/16ths fine thread bolt and set the puller so that it was bearing against the head of the bolt? then you hooked up the jaws of the three jawed to the hub ears and then using little force tighten down on the puller and observe the hub coming forward till it hit the shoulder of the 7/16th's bolt? then replace that bolt with a longer one and repeat?

I only ask because I didn't and damn near broke the hub on my LT. If you don't pull against the head of a longer bolt, you pull against the hub itself, imparting no force to remove the hub but stressing the hub ears and hub, resulting in a broken or bent hub ear(s).

believe it or not, once the center bolt is removed, very little force (pressure) is required to remove the hub from the crank snout.

I'd try screwing a bolt into the crank snout sufficiently long enough to protrude above (forward of) the outer edge of the crank hub. I'd get an eye bolt of the appropriate size and thread it into the remaining crank hub ear(s), then I'd insert a pry bar into the eye bolt, and using the head of the protruding cap screw as a fulcrum, I'd attempt the pry the hub off.

Hey, it might work. I'd certainly try it before breaking out the grinder, sawzall, or other such implements of destruction.

FASTAZU

I would bet before you cut all the way to the crank you will have relived enough pressure to be able to hit it with a chisel in the cut and get it off.

Herb

Do I really have to tell you how I broke off the ear?

I followed the instructions on the puller case I got from Auto Zone.

And the results are? You are correct!

I didn't realize the hub didn't have a chance.

The instructions tell you to take the center bolt out and install their
Pressure rod with the point put on the front of it.
Which led me to do exactly what you mention in your second paragraph.

I will try what you suggest before I start cutting.

Tom400CFI

The hub is already broken/junk.

antfarmer2

hope you did not mess the threads up.

mtwoolford

unfortunately those Auto Zone instructions are correct for every other SBC made from 1955 through 1991; things changed in 1992 with the LT engines. I guess Auto Zone should of mentioned that.

So tell me, why are you pulling the hub? leaking seal(s) ? timing chain? cam change?

Herb

None of the above!
I had an oil leak that I wasn't sure where it was coming from.
I also had a water pump leaking which more than likely gave me an engine off (quit) for a fraction of a second and then an check engine light which I'm sure was the Opti having coolant problems.
Also the engine and engine bay needed cleaning and the so called friendly to older Vets dealer wanted $3,300 to change the Opti and water pump.
So I decided to pull the engine, take my time,change seals,and do the work myself.
It doesn't look like the oil leak was coming from any where on the timing cover
but I figured while I had the engine out I'd change the seals.

antfarmer2

pull the knock sensors and get the crap out of there too.

Kevova

If engine is out a slide hammer should be able to remove hub. Knock sensors are torque sensitive. If not torqued they can be broken if over torqued or may not pick up knock or leak coolant if under torqued.

mtwoolford

if the engines out, its easy to remove all the freeze plugs, once those are out, you can really clean the water passages in the block.

now did I understand this correctly, and it isn't a misprint, but someone actually wanted and had the unmitigated gall to ask $3,300.00 to replace an Opti and water pump ?; jeeze, I guess I'm in the wrong business, instead of law school and engineering school, I should have gone to Opti and Water Pump School.

What's sad is that someone will either actually pay that, or consider a C4 too expensive to repair and let it deteriorate.

Kudos to Herb for stepping up to the plate on this one.

DanielRicany

I hope you are able to find a replacement hub. We bent a 1996 LT4 hub and could not for the life of us find a replacement. We had to send it to a machine shop and it still had a little wobble.

TorchTarga94

Billet hubs are readily available. I have one on my 94' LT1.

mtwoolford

usually the aftermarket hubs come with a keyway...nice feature.