Roll pin removal

[Yotaforce]

I have a roll pin in a blind hole, about 1/8", only sticking out about 1/32". It's in a Ford E40D transmission and it's job is to retain the shifter "shaft". I need it out to replace the shaft with one for a "Sidewinder/Winters" shifter.

I cant grab it, I can't get anything in it, and I hate trying to drill into one because they are hard and brittle. Usually leads to a broken drill bit and more problems.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

You can barely see it, but it's just below the shaft.

 

[Hiball]

Why would they make such a beast? You cant drive it in, and then have access to it after the shifter is removed can you? Have you tried a pair of side cutters flush against outerwall and using it as leverage to pry it out? Dunno Man..

 

[garfunkle24]

I would go with some good vice-grips and a slide-hammer adapter. Or weld something onto it that is easier to beat/pry/pull on.

 

[Honda guy]

Like garfunkle24 said, can you weld a small bolt onto the roll pin and slide hammer it out? Maybe heat up the aluminum with a torch first.

Or what about using a deremel and carefully grinding out a "trench" around the rollpin until you can get a vice grip or something on it?

 

[tcsalvage]

took one out about two weeks ago, ran a tap in it and CAREFULLY pried up on the tap with side cutters. its a stupid design and the only way i figured out how to get it out. don't run the tap in a lot; just far enough to grab ahold of the pin and pry up square with the tap a little at a time so you don't twist it off to the side and break it. it didn't even have enough of the pin sticking out of the case to get a flush set of cutters on it.

 

[garfunkle24]

took one out about two weeks ago, ran a tap in it and CAREFULLY pried up on the tap with side cutters. its a stupid design and the only way i figured out how to get it out. don't run the tap in a lot; just far enough to grab ahold of the pin and pry up square with the tap a little at a time so you don't twist it off to the side and break it. it didn't even have enough of the pin sticking out of the case to get a flush set of cutters on it.

I'm surprised a tap cut in to a roll pin, they're pretty damn hard.

 

[tcsalvage]

wouldn't try this with junk taps because the one that fits is very thin but strong enough to pry against with side cutters to get the roll pin up far enough to get ahold of it with side cutters.

 

[Yotaforce]

I'll look at my tap set tomorrow and see if I have one that will fit. They're high dollar taps that have served me for years.
I have a "sharp" pointed pair of side cutters but even as sharp as they are, there just wasn't enough to grab ahold of. I had thought of welding an old phillips screwdriver to it. Lol

Everytime I turn around.............figures.

I get a broken pump bolt out of the block earlier today with no problem, but then turn around to face this delimma.

 

[tcsalvage]

stupid thing about it is that the pin has to go back in almost flush so the gasket seals. like i said stupid design.

 

[garfunkle24]

stupid thing about it is that the pin has to go back in almost flush so the gasket seals. like i said stupid design.

No room to use a longer pin I assume?

 

[Okie Pete]

Can the hole be threaded and a set screw used?

 

[larry_g]

As modifier to the tap idea, can you screw a nut on the tap before threading into the roll pin and then use a couple of prybars on each side of the nut to pull in a straight line.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[KenS]

Get a finishing nail (try a 6- or an 8-penny), give it a light coating of valve grinding compound or other abrasive coating, and tap it into the hole until the nail engages the inner wall of the roll pin. Either with a slide hammer or Vice Grips, pull the nail out and the pin should come with it. Ford makes a tool to remove these that's like an Easy Out, however you may find the cheap way works just as well or better.

Another method is to fill the hole with grease, and find a transfer punch or wooden dowel of a similar diameter to the hole and hammer it in, letting hydraulic pressure push out the pin in a similar way that you can drive out a clutch pilot bearing. Since the roll pin is split, leaving a small channel for the grease to escape, you should use a fairly viscous grease.

In really stubborn situations, you can try a carbide mill burr to grip the pin and leverage it out.

 

[lilredex]

If that hole is large enough, you may get a dry wall screw in there to hold. Also look at those small black self tapper framing screws that hold metal studs together. They are both very tough.

http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/page/...C9149C734A612019.node1?lang=en&nodeId=-199575

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Very similar issue years ago on the inner rod end on a rack and pinion unit on my Dad's old '84 mini-LTD. I think I used a very tiny tap (4-40 ?) to catch the hole in the roll pin and then was able to pull it out.

Charles

 

[Yotaforce]

Another method is to fill the hole with grease, and find a transfer punch or wooden dowel of a similar diameter to the hole and hammer it in, letting hydraulic pressure push out the pin in a similar way that you can drive out a clutch pilot bearing. Since the roll pin is split, leaving a small channel for the grease to escape, you should use a fairly viscous grease.

It would have to be a toothpick, and striking it with anything woudl probably just make it a permanant addition to the roll pin. Lol


Thanks guys. I'll let you know what (or if) works.

 

[plinker]

An A4LD has a similar pin but is easier (somewhat) to get to to remove.
I went from side to side with a screwdriver to pry it out. This looks to be a bigger pain though.

 

[nate379]

Cover the trans with a thick blanket or something and weld a nut to the pin.

 

[Yotaforce]

Got it!
Drilled a "slightly" larger hole in the middle, just enough to get this sharp screw to bit a little, and then, while turning the screw in, used sidecutters to apply pressure outward, and wha-la.
This came of course after hours of organizing (and searching for) my drill bits, scouring through a few buckets of assorted screws and hardware, filing a few pairs of different size sidecutters (trying to get the point in there), and most importantly, pushing the stupid pin farther into the hole while wrestling with it with said filed sidecutters. Now it's off to the hardware store to find the right size roll pin to replace it with.