<VV> old pinion gear on new shaft?

[RKHenry]

> bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of John McMahon
> 
> Hi, everyone.  I have a problem.  My pinion gear is slightly loose on the
> shaft.  About .005" play in-and-out and side-to-side.  I was able to
> remove
> the gear with a gear puller, which may be indicative of how loose it was.
> Anyway, I'd like to know if it is the norm to be able to install an old
> gear
> on a new shaft, or if you have to use both a new gear and a new shaft.  It
> seems to me that the gear would be made of harder metal than the shaft and
> thus the wear would be on the shaft, but I don't know.  There is no wear
> than I can see or feel, but obviously it's there.  Any advice appreciated!

I changed the ring and pinion on my '65 Corsa. As far as I know, there's no
reason you can't install an old gear on a new shaft, though I couldn't find
any of these parts new and had to buy used parts. I have a hydraulic press
that I acquired for such projects but the gear still didn't come off the
shaft without a fight. They're harder to remove when they've been together
for a time. Reinstalling and removing the gear just for fun was a whole lot
easier, though obviously still an interference fit that required some work
of the press. If the gear came off easily then I might suspect that the part
had been disassembled recently. If it slips off with a gear puller then
something is seriously wrong.

In my case, the pinion had a crack in it so the ring was ruined too. The
metal is hard so it may be prone to cracking. A crack could explain a loose
fit. Inspect carefully. 

Bob Henry