Raptor 350 inner cam bearing removal

[YamahaNutz]

I'm not new to engines. I have the entire head stripped, but am stuck on the inner camshaft bearing. This is a 2007 with the inner ball style bearing. I have a inner bearing puller, and only have been able to move it around 1/8". I tried to heat the head up around it to 250+ degrees around the bearing. Also froze the head, then heated up the aluminum around the bearing again, and only got a tiny more movement. I did it quickly, as the puller and inner bearing still had frost on them.

It's a open unsheilded bearing, from what I can see. So I can't do the grease punch method. Also, I can knock the bearing back down, but it won't move up past where I was previously. Everything else came off with no effort. It's a low use factory head.

Next I'm going to try throwing it on an old pan in a grill and heating up the entire head to around 250.

Just trying to see if anyone found a better or easier solution.

 

[YamahaNutz]

I got it. I was only trying to heat around the bearing before, and I think it was cooling down too quick. I let the entire head heat up to around 260 and the bearing almost fell out. I hit the bearing puller once and it popped out.

I was nervous about heating the head and possibly making a valve seat come loose. I should have known better. More spread out heat was the key. I used a heat gun, localized on the backside of where the bearing is, and let it heat up more evenly. I have mostly worked on water cooled aluminum heads in the past. The fins ability to soak up heat threw me off.

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Onto cleaning it up for rebuild. Still, if anyone has found a different method that works, like to hear it.