Hoping that I can get a little advice from someone who has had my problem before. The bushing that is in the nose of the starter was missing when I bought the truck in late June. Didn't know it until it just would not turn over anymore. Needless to say, it chewed my ring gear pretty bad. Was hoping that I could get away with just replacing the starter until spring. Well, that idea lasted 3 weeks. Now I am forced to do the job the way that I should have in the first place.
I have a '79 F-150 4x4, '86 460 - NP435 - NP205. I was told that I could pound the existing ring gear off with a hammer and chisel, then, on a cold day so that the flywheel would be very cold, heat the new ring gear with a propane torch to make it expand, pound it on my flywheel, and then I can reinstall the flywheel without ever removing the pressure plate thus saving myself the added expense of a new clutch, and turning the flywheel. I would like to put a new clutch in "just because", but money is very tight right now and the clutch has given me NO trouble so far. I'm going to inspect the clutch disc once I get inside and make a final decision at that time, but, assuming the disc is in good condition, does the rest of this plan work? I have never had to replace a ring gear before and I am wondering if anyone else has ever used this technique.
Thanks for all your advice,
Will

 

I'm not sure about your technique there sniperscoutwill but it sounds like a lot of work to avoid undoing a few bolts. I'm pretty sure that you do not have to replace the clutch or resurface the flywheel just because you remove the pressure plate. Just make sure you take a punch and mark the mating surfaces of the pressure plate, clutch and flywheel so they go back in exactly the same way. This will also give you an opportunity to at least inspect all of the clutch components. It'd be a shame to have to tear everything apart again in 2 months to replace something that's got to be replaced anyways. As you stated in your post "Now I am forced to do the job the way that I should have in the first place." Do it right or do it twice or in your case thrice.

 

rrawlins has a good point. Do it right the first time so you aren't back in there a second time a couple months down the road. It might take 30 more minutes to do it right.

I did mine a couple months back. Once it was all apart I put the flywheel in the freezer over night. In the morning I put the ring gear in the oven. Waited about 30 minutes, pulled the flywheel out of the freezed and the ring out of the oven. Place the ring on top of the flywheel and it slid right on without forcing it. I also used my same pressure plate and disk. I just put evrything back like it came off.

 

Hi,

I hate to tell you this but I have been here before. Save yourself a whole bunch of heartache and go buy yourself a new flywheel. It will come with a new ring gear already installed on it.

That blasted ring gear is one of the most aggrevating things I have ever tried to install. Getting it to start "square" is (for me) impossable.

I looked at it this way. I killed 2 birds with one stone by buying a new flywheel. I got a flywheel and a (installed)ring gear.

Like rrawlins say's don't worry about seperating the pressure plate. Do as you say and inspect the clutch disk. Since I would already have it apart I would definately replace the pilot and throw out bearings. These are the high failure items. In fact I have never performed a clutch job because of a failed clutch disk. It's always been one or both of these bearings or worn out springs in the pressure plate.

Good luck,

 

I have installed several ring gears. I put it in the oven at 300?? If it does not drop onto the flywheel, use a few C clamps to push it on. i would not pound on it.

You can take the clutch off and put it back on. Just use an alignment tool. Rotating the pressure plate won't hurt any thing.

 

Hey Mike,

Great idea about using the C-clamps!

Now why couldn't I have thought of that.......


Take care,

 

Changing out a ring gear is no big deal. I had this exact problem on my airplane. I put the flywheel in the freezer and the ring gear in an oven at "as hot as it will go". Ring gear dropped right on. Good idea about the C clamps.

 

I have done a buch of them and always just used a torch to heat it until it fell on and then tapped it down with a brass drift to seat it. The oven and freezer technique sonds good too. Just remember to get it on the right way. The gear teeth are beveled slightly and if you put it on backward the starter may not disenguage.

 

Good point about putting the ring on the right way.

 

Willowbilly seems to be the only one that does it the same as I do. Heat it with torch til it smokes, drop it on, maybe tap it a couple times to get it just right. Don't really need the freezer (won't hurt either though), and no reason to be pounding on anything.

As far as removing the ring gear you don't "pound it off". Use the chisel to split the ring and just take it off. Put chisel between the teeth and pound toward the center, it splits quite easily. Use a heavy hammer.

 

Or if you are good with a torch just wack it off with the old gas ax. He He, Me man, me cut steel with fire, oow, oow.