Following is a series of steps that I have used to successfully free a stuck ball clutch.

Step 1

Step 1

Remove the set screw and liberally apply your favorite rust penetrate in the holes and around the hub at the threads. You will want to soak a severely rusted clutch every day for a week before you proceed further.


Step 2

Step 2

This is an old plumbers trick. Tap briskly all around the hub flange, you don't need to wail on it, even though you may want to before your done. This will break up the rust and help the penetrating oil soak through.


Step 3

Step 3

Rap some old half inch V-belt in the reverse pulley groove. Go over that a with a length of No. 40 roller chain, continuing around the axle. Clamp the chain tight with a pair of vise grips. This will hold the pulley still for the next few steps.


Step 4

Step 4

Drill the holes in the hub on through and tap them for a 5/16 bolt. Bolt on a piece of bar stock. Use grade 8 bolts long enough to reach all the way through the part you drilled and tapped. Be sure to put some lock washers behind the bar so that there is a small gap between it and the pulley flange. You want the bolts as tight as you can get without them stripping out or twisting off.


Step 5

Step 5

What you end up with is a nice handle you can work the hub loose with. Start by working it back and fourth applying only as much pressure as the bolts can take without breaking. You most likely won't see or feel any motion at first, but in time you will begin to feel a faint snap as you apply force in a new direction. Look closely to make sure it is the hub moving and not the bar coming loose. Keep at it and that snap will become more and more movement. The hub, having six flat areas between threaded areas, will allow the threads in the pulley adjacent to the flats to clog with rust. Even when it starts moving, you will still need continue working the hub back and to work out the rust. Eventually the hub will turn from one flat to the next; once it does you are practically home free. Loosen the chain a little and replace the bolts with longer ones so you can thread the pulley on off.

The best advice I can give is for the sake of your own sanity, make up your mind that this is going to take as long as it takes. Take breaks if you need to or even quit and come back another day. I've spent as little as 10 minutes on a not-so bad one and as long as a couple of hours over a few days on a really bad one. Time, patience and perseverance endures all things.

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