Trouble with Bushes

I'm having trouble getting the bushes out of my gearbox sleeve gear and kickstart shaft, they just don't seem to want to move. I've heated them with the torch but that didn't do anything.
I've started to cut them along their length, but I'm afraid I'll start cutting into the metal soon, especially in the kickstart shaft where it's harder to see.

I've tried driving the sleeve gear bushes out with an appropriate sized socket, still no movement.

They're currently in the barbecue to see how that goes.

Any ideas?

Spray the insides of the bush with electrical cleaner spray, gets real cold in hurry, maybe shrink it enough to chase out with the socket.

Ugh this hayseed says don't sweat some scaring inside the kick start area as the new bush just stradles it like its not there.
Prolly more civilized to drill it out enough to pick it out or more fancy grooving a inside puller can grip. Very strange sleeve bushes are stuck, always the opposite for me, so stuck on it to help.

Cowboy Don said:

I'm having trouble getting the bushes out of my gearbox sleeve gear and kickstart shaft, they just don't seem to want to move. I've heated them with the torch but that didn't do anything.
I've started to cut them along their length, but I'm afraid I'll start cutting into the metal soon, especially in the kickstart shaft where it's harder to see.

Click to expand...

If you have a sufficiently large enough tap, you can cut a thread in the k/s bush, leave the tap screwed in the bush and hold the end of the tap in a vice, then knock the shaft off the bush.

Another method along the lines suggested by LAB would be to find a long bolt with a head about the same size as the bore of the bush. File the tips off the hexagon so that it is more or less round. The rounded head of the bolt will be of a size that just fits through the bore and can be lodged against the lip of the bush at the blind end of the shaft. Stick the bolt in a vice and tap the shaft away from the bush with something softer than the shaft (e.g. copper mallet), making sure the head of the bolt is well lodged against the lip of the bush throughout. That's how I got mine out.

Don, you may have this solved already but just remember that the bushes are so soft compared to the bore of what they are in. Taking a hacksaw blade to cut through should do little harm to the bore. Heat the end of the hacksaw blade and let it air cool to take some hardness out if it will make you feel more comfortable with the process.
Polishing up what might be a scratch in the bore will make no difference to fitting new bushes or to their operation. Don't be so serious. No big whoop.

Someone may correct me, but doesn't bronze expand with heat at a similar rate to aluminium? That means the bronze expands more than the steel sleeve gear, so heating it would make the bushes tighter in the bore .

Wouldn't it??

When the bush is in a blind hole it is possible to use hydraulic action to make it back out.
Find or make yourself a close fitting punch. A bolt head can be hand ground or filed if necessary into a cylindrical shape that is a close fit to the bushing ID. Close is good enough, perfection is best but not critical.
Fill the hole 3/4 full with grease. It is important that as little air as possible is entrained within the grease.
Fixture the kick shaft appropriately in a vise, insert the punch and repeatedly smack it swiftly and as hard as a bastard with a hammer. The punch acts as a piston.
The grease will want to displace the bushing which will creep up out of the hole. Replenish the grease as needed.
Many many moons ago I have used this very method to remove the pilot bushing from the crank in my '69 Camaro.
Today I would rent, borrow or fabricate a blind bushing puller. Hint.
All the best.

Someone may correct me, but doesn't bronze expand with heat at a similar rate to aluminium? That means the bronze expands more than the steel sleeve gear, so heating it would make the bushes tighter in the bore .

Click to expand...

Yes that is what the UK NOC bunch told me and pretty much found it so on the kicker side bush.

I just replaced a couple of bushes in the gearbox, not the sleeve gear bush, but for what it's worth I couldn't knock them out with a hammer and drift, I had to get an exact sized steel drift and use a vice to press them out.

Once the new ones were in ( using the vice to press the in) they needed no reaming, they were a perfect fit.

Thanks for the advice on the heat/cold, put them in the freezer for a day and the sleeve gear bushes came out using a socket as a drift.
The kickstart shaft is another story. I'm still cutting through it, seems the shoulder might be holding it together, hope the new one is built this good!
Will see if I can rig something up to try the hydraulic method.
Damn, it's 1 step forward and 2 steps back with this job!

Yes seems steel don't contract as much as bush with cold, cool.
Might consider a bit of oil scroll on the new KS inserted using thermal help and maybe a puller lip for the next fella to use.

Woo! Finally got the damn thing out. Seems no matter how hard and long I went, I just couldn't seem to cut through the last bit of it at the back. Thought I was through for the longest time, but after a long night finally got through.

Glad you got it out!

"When the bush is in a blind hole it is possible to use hydraulic action to make it back out."

Pulled MANY an auto clutch throwout bearing using that method. It's still faster than any "real" tool.