case splitter recommendation

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kaw814
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case splitter recommendation

Post by kaw814 »

Hello guys and gals.....decided to take my 02 kdx 220 into surgery and do a full engine rebuild. After getting my clutch, flywheel, side case, etc. off I noticed something previously overlooked. Seems she was a victim of the oem piston bomb at one time. I noticed that at the front of the rod the cases appeared to be "flared" upward, with some very small spots/scratches (one a little more prevalent than the others if you look hard enough) on the crank wheel itself. At this point I'll have the cases matched/machined to smooth out that "flare" tjhough I'm still considering a rod kit only, if anyone would recommend an entire crank assembly, please do so. My question is what kind of case splitter have you guys experimented with and have they made the process less painful than paying a shop $850 minimum and waiting 6 -7 weeks for it to come back. I notice Tusk has the splitter/puller combo for approx $120....also what type of crank bearing puller would be recommended....again , Tusk supplies these for approx $60-$70 I believe, but was wondering if there are other brands just as effective but maybe a little cheaper....Its been a frustrating process to date, frustration being replaced by a desire to just rebuild everything....eventually i hope to own a "brand new" 02 kdx 220...ive only ridden it a handful of times, i can see this thing being awesome when its right...thanx for the suggestions/comments folks
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Re: case splitter recommendation

Post by KDXGarage »

I have used OEM. I liked it.

Read up on warming the cases, freezing bearings and having inserts that are heated up for bearing races. Some have reported good success with it.

I don't know that a crankshaft puller is a real need.
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case splitter recommendation

Post by SS109 »

I have used the Tusk puller many times and it works great. The crank puller, while not an absolute necessity, does make the job so much easier that I won't do another without one. BTW, I still use the heat/freeze method with the crank puller.

As for the crank, the only crank parts available new is oem and it is rather pricey. If the crank doesn't have any damage that affects it's structural integrity I would just rebuild it with a new rod. I personally recommend Andrew at http://www.cookseycrank.com/ or Ron Black at http://www.rb-designs.com/. I have used Andrew twice to rebuild cranks and have always gotten great service. He will even remove your old crank bearings free of charge! Of course, Ron has given great service as well on carb, head, and steering stem mods. Just haven't used him for a crank.
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Tedh98
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Re: case splitter recommendation

Post by Tedh98 »

I would add Ken O'Conner to the list of guys you could send your crank to for a rebuild.

There are some videos HERE on installing the bearings and putting the cases back together. I've since sold my crank installer tool and just use the heated slug method.

If you are looking for a crank puller, you may be able to find a "Pit Posse" version for a little less than the Tusk. The Pit Posse looked just like the Tusk one. If it isn't a rebranded version, it is well made.

And I just use a cheap puller, I probably got this from harber freight. I had to go to a good hardware store (not HD) to get longer bolts to make it work.
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case splitter recommendation

Post by ohgood »

kaw814 wrote:Hello guys and gals.....decided to take my 02 kdx 220 into surgery and do a full engine rebuild. After getting my clutch, flywheel, side case, etc. off I noticed something previously overlooked. Seems she was a victim of the oem piston bomb at one time. I noticed that at the front of the rod the cases appeared to be "flared" upward, with some very small spots/scratches (one a little more prevalent than the others if you look hard enough) on the crank wheel itself. At this point I'll have the cases matched/machined to smooth out that "flare" tjhough I'm still considering a rod kit only, if anyone would recommend an entire crank assembly, please do so. My question is what kind of case splitter have you guys experimented with and have they made the process less painful than paying a shop $850 minimum and waiting 6 -7 weeks for it to come back. I notice Tusk has the splitter/puller combo for approx $120....also what type of crank bearing puller would be recommended....again , Tusk supplies these for approx $60-$70 I believe, but was wondering if there are other brands just as effective but maybe a little cheaper....Its been a frustrating process to date, frustration being replaced by a desire to just rebuild everything....eventually i hope to own a "brand new" 02 kdx 220...ive only ridden it a handful of times, i can see this thing being awesome when its right...thanx for the suggestions/comments folks
for disassembly, just about any regular heavier-duty bearing puller, and two parallels will do the trick easily:
Image

then for reassembly, use the 'heated slug' method, and pay attention to the part where shims are used to get the crank centered in the cases, perfectly. i used a socket, since i didn't have an extra crank laying around, like this guy did:


a couple of practice runs to be familiar with how all the transmission pieces align when the cases come together is a good idea. it's not difficult.
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