Removing broken bendix drive bits with magnet?

My weekend project was to get the remains of my 8n's bendix
drive out of the clutch compartment so as to be ready when the
mailman brings the new one.

I started out with an old SnapOn magnetic extendable
pickerupper which has a pretty strong, skinny 3"x3/4" magnet,
going in through the starter hole. The sliding handle clearly
didn't offer enough flexibility so I removed the handle and taped
the magnet to a coathanger which could be bent to control
where the magnet went, but was flexible enough to keep it from
getting stuck..

After playing with both setups for a few hours I have not
encountered a trace of the gear. I am beginning to wonder if
this method is not just a folk myth of the n-series community.
Reading over posts on the subject I notice that while a lot of
posters suggested the magnet method, there were only one or
two that reported actually getting it to work.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has gotten it to
work, and details how.
 
Use a skinny magnet on your wire, put it inside a
rubber hose to keep it from sticking to the sides.
Another folk lore, but it sounds reasonable! :)
 
Got a bad hard drive from your computer ? Take it apart, some mighty powerful magnets in there. Maybe a bit large for this task, but maybe not.
 
kylemorley........attracting loose IRON parts inna IRON chamber ain't gonna happen 'cuz no matter HOW STRONG yer magnet is, its just gonna stick to yer cabinet too. Me? I always thought Ford made the clutch housing big enuff to store spare starter Bendix parts until you SPLIT yer tractor. You doubt? Try suckkin' magnet bits on the kitchen table.

Now then, before I was in the 1st grade, (1942-3) some local guys had me fishin' parts outta Model T? tranny. I came home all smiles and covered with BLACK shiny oil. My Mother was NOT pleased. So iff'n you just gotta remove Bendix parts from yer clutch housing, maybe you can find a small flexible neighbor kid. ........oily Dell
 
How many pieces of the old drive are missing?

The retainer on the end of the drive that holds it all together came off of mine. I can't remember if it happened before 06 when I had the motor out or after I overhauled it.

It might still be in mine.

The place I bought the replacement drive from wanted the old one for a core. Didn't know they rebuilt drives.
 
Good point. I had my doubts about that too, so I experimented picking up bolts from an old iron transmission case and found that while it was a bit hit or miss, it was doable. I had also wrapped a bunch of extra tape on when I taped the magnet to the handle, leaving just the tip exposed, so as to reduce the tendency of the magnet to stick to the casing. I think my next step will be a probe made out of stiffer wire, to see if I can't dig the bits out to where they can be more easily reached. If that doesn't work, put the new drive in and worry about splitting it in the spring.

Oh, the only part of the bendix missing is the gear. I'd worry more about leaving it as is if it was missing the whole bendix.
 
have you seen just how big the dry area of that bellhousing is?

can be all the way back under the input shaft..
 
I have my doubts you will get it but I have been surprised before...

One day I was working on a Ford Taurus and laid the keys on the dash Ibig key rig with lots of keys on it)... They slid toward the windshield and disapeared :shock: They went down the defroster duck way way down the duck into the heater case... I could not get them the customer did not have another set :twisted: The ignition switch had been replaced and it had a different key than original... Things are staring to stink I did not want to pull the heater case I even went as far as to offer to buy it from the customer it was a $300 car and junk to start off with...

A tool truck pulled up and I ask him if he had a key retriever he said YES... He pulled out one of these I fished it down the duck and felt the keys cling to it... I speck the keys were in the bottom of the case as I had to use all of the tool... What you are fighting is every thing is metal and the magnet wants to stick to it...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/S-E-Tools-9...rg=20140407115239&rk=1&rkt=30&sd=141329517168
 
I went thru _____ this spring trying to unstick a 2n engine. Ended up pulling engine and when I pulled the flywheel, a tooth from the started bendix fell out from behind. Crank turned freely after that. That tooth had beed locked in behind the flywheel and the block, locking that engine up completely, I even used a hydraulic jack to try to push a piston down with no luck. So if it was me, I'd break it in half or try thru the steering housing as suggested earlier. Good Luck.
 
Just leave it lay in there.

I have found many starter drive parts in Ford tractors over the years and have yet to find where it has done any harm at all.
Let Sleeping dogs lie!

Zane
 
I did it once on our Massey 35. It took an hour or so to get everything, I had some magnets that were about 1" in diameter and shaped like a thick washer. I tried them on a string, that didn't work. I put them on a coat hanger wire and that worked after a while. I think that gear had 9 teeth and eventually I was able to fish them all out, some were individual, there were a couple of pairs and a group of 3. I put the gear back together on the table so I would know they were all out of the tractor.
Zach
 
(quoted from post at 10:31:49 11/17/14) My weekend project was to get the remains of my 8n's bendix
drive out of the clutch compartment so as to be ready when the
mailman brings the new one.

I started out with an old SnapOn magnetic extendable
pickerupper which has a pretty strong, skinny 3"x3/4" magnet,
going in through the starter hole. The sliding handle clearly
didn't offer enough flexibility so I removed the handle and taped
the magnet to a coathanger which could be bent to control
where the magnet went, but was flexible enough to keep it from
getting stuck..

After playing with both setups for a few hours I have not
encountered a trace of the gear. I am beginning to wonder if
this method is not just a folk myth of the n-series community.
Reading over posts on the subject I notice that while a lot of
posters suggested the magnet method, there were only one or
two that reported actually getting it to work.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has gotten it to
work, and details how.

With the amount of time you have alrady spent on trying to get the parts out, you could have split it and made sure you got all of them. IMHO :wink: :wink:
 

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