Hi all,

I successfully got my trans apart, bearing out and main gear removed.

However, when I was removing the main drive gear bearing, I heard a popping type of sound, which I assumed to be the bearing being freed from its pressed in spot. When I removed the Jims puller, I saw a piece of aluminum inside the case (see pics for reference)

My first thought was oh sh!^! What the hell just happened?!?! Following the instructions with the puller and this is what happened?!

My question(s) are these:
1. Is this a major problem here? (I don't see any daylight around outer tace of bearing).

2. Why would this happen if I was following the directions to the letter?

3. Is that broken off piece preventing the bearing from walking back inside the case?

From inside the case looking out:


The piece that broke off:

 

Did this happen when you were pressing out the drive gear? That lip is pretty fragile, and sometimes it breaks when you pull the drive gear out of the bearing...

The main drive gear is removed from the bearing by pulling the gear toward the right side of the trans case.

The bearing is removed by pushing or pulling it out the left side of the case, once the big snap ring is removed.

It looks like the lip that retains the bearing on the inside is broken off.

Yes, this is a major problem...time to find a replacement transmission case.

 

It happened when I was removing the bearing; apparently, the wrong way.

Would you recommend welding a bead around it?

I could see two potential issues with that: warp the case, or ruin the bearing from too much heat....

 

If it were mine, I would replace the transmission case.

 

Yeah. That's what I figured.

This may be a stupid question here, but why doesn't HD make the drive gear and the bearing come out/go in the same way?

 

Yeah, they could have put the snap ring on the inside, but that snap ring is a bear to install and remove even out in the open. The service manual says to remove the retaining ring and then remove the bearing.

When you remove a snap ring retaining a bearing, it is pretty obvious which way the bearing must be removed.

 

You would think, wouldn't you? I guess I had an expensive, SOBER, blonde moment. And I'm not even blonde.