Camshaft sprocket puller

I ran a search but came up blank, so:

Can a normal 2 prong or 3 prong gear puller be used to remove t camshaft sprocket?
Thanks

Apparently, a standard three prong will work just fine...
It is my understanding that you MAY need to "band" the jaws somehow to keep them closed snugly...
I hear the correct one is, by far, the safest way to go though...

Metalnerd's is by far the easiest to use!

the metal nerd sprocket puller is a work of art.

I'd like to know the answer to this question too. I think that $59 for the Metalnerd puller is probably a good deal and everybody says its the best. But I'd also rather not spend that much on a tool that I might use only four times when I already have a two and three prong puller that could work fine.

Just do it like the Bently says and use a punch. All it takes is a tap and it comes right off. Be sure you leave the bolt that holds it in a couple of turns.

Greg

I pulled the cover and the three prong puller I have did not fit under the pulley completely. LanduytG, would a brass punch work? What type driff are you using? I will need to do a TB soon based on 40K. Belt still looks good.
Thanks

You can use brass if you want but its not needed. If you look at the Bently it will show you where to place the drift. Then just one shape rap of the hammer and its off. Inever have figured out why so many want to use the puller. The shaft is tapered so it does not take much to get it off.

Greg

Not all TDI's have the hole for a punch.

It works, as does a three jaw puller, but it can be a pain due to limited clearance.

Another recommendation for the Metalnerd tool. Buy the complete set if you plan on doing your own timing belt jobs. Its well worth the price to know youve got the tools to get it done right.

What is a drift? How do you use it? Where do you put it to remove the sprocket?

The paper Bently that I have for 1999-2000 mentions using a hammer and drift to remove the sprocket, but it gives no pictures or other instructions.

The drift technique is fine - but with many of them there is no hole to get to the sprocket. AND if you run into a sprocket like Mark of Diesel's you'll break the camshaft before you get the sprocket off with a drift.

If you don't already own a drift and a nice heavy hammer (I don't) then the price of the puller is not that much more than a good hammer and a drift

Metalnerd's tool is MUCH easier to use than the factory one. And much cheaper. The factory one works well but on really stuck ones it is an impossible 4 handed job to take the pulley off (I've tried - it really sucks).

I've heard other rumors from old 1.6 guys about busted camshafts when removing the sprockets ... not a rare occurance.

go with the puller. If you already have a 3 prong puller buy a band clamp and use that . . . if not ... just get the metalnerd tool

I assume it's just a block of wood. I'd use a dead-blow rubber mallet in conjunction with it to avoid damaging the sprocket. Dead-blow mallets are also useful to pound bent pinch welds straight.

What is a drift? How do you use it? Where do you put it to remove the sprocket?

The paper Bently that I have for 1999-2000 mentions using a hammer and drift to remove the sprocket, but it gives no pictures or other instructions.

Click to expand...

The older diesels (1.5L, 1.6L, 1.9L through the A3 TDI) had a small hole in the inner cover behind the pulley. Simply use a punch and a pop with a hammer and the pulley will jump right off...done hundreds of them! Very early A4 New Beetles had this hole there, too, but then Volkswagen did away with them and came out with that puller tool. I like the old way, so I made a jig to place a hole through the plastic cover and pop them off with a punch. Quick, easy, and the next time the hole is already there! The VOA service info (VESIS) shows you how to do this.

I used a smaller 3 jaw puller and an appropriate sized hose clamp to apply a gently concentric pressure around the jaws. Came off quite handily.