# Help! Cast iron gearbox cap



## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

So... I'm the fortunate owner of a nice Ariens 924 series machine that I purchased last spring as a basket case and have been slowly fixing up.

Well just now, "slow" changed to "stop". I've hit a big snag on that wonderful cast-iron auger gearbox:








I can't figure out how to install that nice new end cap! :banghead:

I've done more than a few things before like trailer wheel bearings that have caps like this, but this one is more stubborn than anything I've encountered. No matter how or where or how carefully I try to tap it in, I can't get it to go in straight.

Does anyone have any clever tricks for this? Do I need some kind of special tool or something? Or is there a standard sized wheel bearing cap I could buy that would be easier to install?

The cap *should* be the right part... Ariens 00403700.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I'm just curious to see what answers you get. I can see where it would be a challenge.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Indeed!

Most of the ones used on trailers and cars have a lip around the edge so you can use a piece of pipe or something to drive them on straight. This one doesn't have that and seems to be a very tight fit.


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## scrappy (Dec 7, 2014)

Uhmmm. Tough one!

Maybe make an installer carved out of wood, hole saw halfway into a block and knock out the hole to the depth of the cut? And slightly chamfer the leading edge of the cap. Some lock-tite to keep it in place won't hurt either.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Yeah I already tried the chamfer thing with no luck. The housing already has a slight chamfer on it.

I measured the ID of the bore where it goes and it's 1.775 inches which is darn close to 1.78" which appears to be a standard size of trailer bearing cap. So I might order one of those in the hope it'll be easier to install.

Good idea on the loctite too... thanks! Not only don't I want it to fall out, but it would be a bummer if it leaked after all the work I've put into this darn thing.


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## db130 (Feb 16, 2013)

I read posts where people were freezing front wheel bearings overnight before trying to press them onto the steering knuckles, you might get the metal to contract ever so slightly.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

That's a great idea !!
I remember a company I worked at we used liquid nitrogen to shrink bearings and drop them into the bore and they'd seize in place when they warmed up. It was so much easier on the bearing and the bore compared to trying to press them in. Never damaged one.

Putting it in the freezer overnight and immediately trying to drive it home might work.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Well I just ordered two (in case I damage one) of these: 001517 - Fulton Grease Cap, 1.786 #001517 - RedTrailers.com









$10 total with shipping... we'll see how they work out!

The geometry of the one above is a little different from the Ariens part in a way I think will help. You can see from the diagram the one above is domed at the top, but where it goes into the housing it's pretty much cylindrical. The Ariens part curves over its entire height which I think makes it harder to install.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

The freezing trick should work. 
About 17 years ago I worked at an automotive machine shop, they had to replace valve seats on cylinder heads (they have a tight fit), they use to freeze them and when frozen they would drop right in (with a bit of play actually.....!).


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

I've had good luck with a slightly smaller diameter piece of PVC pipe I ran sand paper to bevel. Double sided tape in the PVC bevel and try to align the cap even. Grease the case a little and tap it home. Little late to the party, but for future reference:wavetowel2:


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Well my machinist coworker / friend made an ass of me today! :icon_whistling: 

He stopped by the house to pick something up and I showed him the gearcase and cap. He looked the cap over, decided it was a little out of round and gave it a couple of taps in one spot with a hammer, then put it on the gearcase and drove it in on the first try!

So the problem's solved, but I appreciate everyone's input!


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Happy to hear it went in properly :wavetowel2:

Been there done that. Nothing worse than trying to put a manual transmission back in a car and getting it all the way except for that last inch. After the third or forth attempt at lifting it over your head and trying to wiggle it in you ask for help and the guy lifts it and slides it home and looks at you like "what??".

Glad you were able to use the right part and you're going back together. Sometimes it just takes a different set of eyes or hands to figure it out.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> Happy to hear it went in properly :wavetowel2:
> 
> Been there done that. Nothing worse than trying to put a manual transmission back in a car and getting it all the way except for that last inch. After the third or forth attempt at lifting it over your head and trying to wiggle it in you ask for help and the guy lifts it and slides it home and looks at you like "what??".
> 
> Glad you were able to use the right part and you're going back together. Sometimes it just takes a different set of eyes or hands to figure it out.


+1 with you Kiss. Sometimes a fresh mind or a fresh set of eyes can solve a long going simple issue.


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## PolarNorth (Sep 7, 2015)

ELaw said:


> Well my machinist coworker / friend made an ass of me today!


Congrats on the successful outcome Elaw....Machinist friends are very nice to have in times of need!


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## DIYR (Nov 1, 2015)

ELaw - Thank you for posting, I too am rebuilding an Ariens CIGbox like yours and I'm waiting for a few parts to finish up the task. Where did you purchase a "adjustment plug wrench"? Or, how or what did you use to complete that task?
Thank You.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

DIYR said:


> ELaw - Thank you for posting, I too am rebuilding an Ariens CIGbox like yours and I'm waiting for a few parts to finish up the task. Where did you purchase a "adjustment plug wrench"? Or, how or what did you use to complete that task?
> Thank You.


When I rebuilt one of mine I just used a large flat head screwdriver. I believe I started with the hammer / chisel method to initially knock it loose, but then you can just roll it around the impeller shaft by sticking the screwdriver in 1 slot and then resting the side against the impeller shaft for leverage.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Shyp said it... hammer and chisel! Or hammer and flat-blade screwdriver, but the idea is the same.

Interestingly, when I put it back together the "adjustment plug" didn't want to stay put. I thought friction on the threads was supposed to keep it in place, but when I rotated the impeller shaft counterblockwise, friction from the seal would unscrew the plug. Not that that would ever happen during normal operation but it just seemed wrong.

I didn't want to make the plug tight as that would preload the bearings which I don't think is a good thing. So I ended up putting some loctite on it.


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## DIYR (Nov 1, 2015)

Good Morning & thank you both for your quick replies. I did have to use a hammer & punch to lightly tap out the adjustment plug that had some red thread lock on it. I scribed a mark on the plug to the housing before I did it to see how things would lineup after reassembly. Ariens used to sell a plug adjustment wrench to "snug it up" as their service proceedure says to do, I was curious to know how its done without the tool and now I have some better direction. 
Will new "thread lock" seal well over old red thread lock on the threads?


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## Basswelder (Jan 25, 2021)

ELaw said:


> So... I'm the fortunate owner of a nice Ariens 924 series machine that I purchased last spring as a basket case and have been slowly fixing up.
> 
> Well just now, "slow" changed to "stop". I've hit a big snag on that wonderful cast-iron auger gearbox:
> 
> ...


Try a straight tap on a big imaginary ring around the dome, like a 2” rubber pipe


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

6 year old post ... he probably got it figured out by now I imagine.


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