Timing chain replacement-help needed

[BPT]

So no now that you have done it Mrclubike, how would you rate the difficulty?  Would you agree with the spanner ratings mentioned previously?
As far as the sprocket, is it something that, if it looks OK, leave it alone?  Or should you consider replacing it as a matter of course while you're under the hood?  I haven't been able to access the Photo Gallery here so I haven't seen that write up.  But I looked one of the links here that showed a very detailed one and it did look like the sprocket added some difficulty.

[mrclubike]

The sprocket was the most difficult part of it.

I had no problem getting the old one off after I heated it up with a Propane torch  as I was pulling it off.
I have a Snap-On CG 270  10 ton  puller that helped a lot.
Just make sure you screw a bolt into the nose of the crank shaft to push against  or you will have a big mess on your hands  

Getting the new one on was another story
I tried heating it  in the  oven but that was very slow to heat up.
It was also a little crazy running thru the house with a hot chunk of metal  
So I ended up using the heat gun (one of the must have Air head tools) and a temp gun.
If I would have just cleaned up the sprocket bore from the start It  would have gone on much easier

I think getting the the front engine tool kit from  Cycle Works may be money well spent if you don't have access to a very good puller
http://www.cycleworks.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_33_51&products_id=367
  
Getting the new baring on was a snap
heated it up with the heat gun and it slid right on

[BPT]

I saw that kit in the write up I looked at.  A bit pricey but I was going to ask if it would be a necessary thing or just something that would make things easier if you had one (or the $$ to buy yet another specialty tool!).  That write up was nearly exactly how you described, especially the running around with hot parts in your hands.
Thanks for the info, I'll have to ponder whether or not this is within my capabilities..........

[Tony Smith]

I saw that kit in the write up I looked at.  A bit pricey but I was going to ask if it would be a necessary thing or just something that would make things easier if you had one (or the $$ to buy yet another specialty tool!).  

For what it is worth I would buy a Chinese bearing separator/puller which will cost around $50US. That will get the old sprocket off.

The single MAJOR advantage that the special tool has is the ability to press the new sprocket on. However providing the internal bore is clean (and the crank too) it's been my experience that heating the new sprocket and chilling the crank with a towel soaked in ice-water means that the sprocket will go on with only light tapping from a rubber mallet.

Apparently it is OK to heat the sprocket to red heat - I once thought that doing that would destroy the "temper" of the sprocket then it was pointed out to me that chain sprockets tend to be un-tempered steel and that they last just fine.

I still stop at "light straw" though. My tool kit includes an ancient Sievert kerosene blowlamp which get heat into thing at an amazing rate.  Of the several sprockets I've done over the years all bar one basically slipped on needing only a very gentle tap to finalize. The odd one out was a bear and I was nearly at the point of running a flap polisher through it when the owner of the bike mentioned that they had several cans of freeze spray at home. Three cans of freeze onto the crank and the sprocket just a little north of my usual light straw colour and it went on without further problems.

[mrclubike]

I was able to grip the old gear on the teeth without a bearing splitter to get it off .
I didn't think a splitter would get into it
When I had to remove the new sprocket to reheat and try to install it again I was able to get back behind the teeth and grab on the hub.
I am glad to hear that others have gotten a gear on the tight side
Like you  I was going to  get real aggressive on polishing  the bore if it didn't go on during my last attempt.
I to heated it up to a light straw color on the last attempt

[Tony Smith]

I was able to grip the old gear on the teeth without a bearing splitter to get it off .
I didn't think a splitter would get into it
 

I put the splitter onto the teeth, I figured that I wasn't planning on re-using them.