Pulley help

[Thomas Heck]

I’m in the process of putting bearings in a Nova 1624-44. The top pulley is not wanting to free up. I removed the screw from the side of the pulley. I’ve been using a small piece of wood and a crow bar, but not getting anywhere. I don’t want to damage the pulley. Would a gear puller work for this? Thanks for any help you can give.

[Richard Casey]

You may want to check as some pulleys have 2 grub screws at 90° to each other and sometimes they have 2 in each hole to lock the 1st one in.
Rgds,
Richard.

[Brice Rogers]

I've seen a number of "pot metal" or aluminum pulleys. Be very careful using a gear puller as it may break the pulley. If it is steel (magnet sticks to it), then it can take more force. Also, liquid wrench and differential heating can also help. (you cool the shaft and heat the pulley to give a few thou of clearance.)

[Thomas Heck]

Thanks for the info. I can only find one grub screw. It is an aluminum pulley. So would a propane torch be good to heat the pulley. Thanks again.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Personally I would not heat an aluminum pulley. Al melts at a pretty low temperature, less than a propane torch can heat things to. More importantly, they anneal (gets soft) at an even lower temperature.
Soak it with penetrating oil, take the grub screw all the way out and spray some in there. Orient it up so you can use gravity. Wait overnight and try again. I would hit the block wood of with a mallet instead of prying with a bar. What it needs is a sudden jolt of force to break the pulley free.
Just my $0.02.

[John K Jordan]

Personally I would not heat an aluminum pulley. Al melts at a pretty low temperature, less than a propane torch can heat things to. More importantly, they anneal (gets soft) at an even lower temperature.
Soak it with penetrating oil, take the grub screw all the way out and spray some in there. Orient it up so you can use gravity. Wait overnight and try again. I would hit the block wood of with a mallet instead of prying with a bar. What it needs is a sudden jolt of force to break the pulley free.
Just my $0.02.

I've heated aluminum pulleys with a propane torch without a problem. You might melt the thin outer part of the pulley, especially with mapp gas instead of propane, but I haven't tried it. Heating near the shaft, where you want the expansion.

You CAN break a pulley with a puller, especially if made from aluminum. But there are ways. Tubal Cain has a video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jvmR1BsLs8

[Thomas Heck]

I appreciate the advice and the video. Hopefully I can get it freed up this evening. It’a so close to the cast iron you don’t have much space to get anything behind it.

[Thomas Heck]

I appreciate the help. I heated it some, sprayed wd 40 around it and finally got it off. Used a couple pry bars and a piece of wood to get it off.