Bitch Pin Removal
Posted on February 20, 2010 by Jesse O'Brien in In the Garage
Tales are told around the campfire on moonless nights about the CRX’s dreaded bitch pin. If you haven’t heard of this terrible monster before, gather ’round and I’ll tell you about it.
There will come a day when you find that your engine must come out of your car, and while your breaker bar will get those motor mounts, and your old rotting rubber hoses can be cut and replaced, the bitch pin is there to stay. Every swap is fraught with danger, but none so great as the bitch pin. It’s an impossible hydra-like beast, meaning every time you hit it it gets stronger and embeds itself further. You may find that perfect punch and a big mini-sledge, but the bitch pin still refuses to move. Never fear, though! This bitch pin has a great weakness to be exploited.
After I had already screwed my bitch pin into a pulp of metal that refused to move, I looked around on the internet to find that everybody else just whacked it with a hammer. Eventually it’ll come out, right?
Wrong. Actually, using physics for dynamic pressure and using only enough force to move it is the key. Experimenting with a c-clamp and a wooden dowel yielded positive results, but I came across a better way. This article gives nice pictures and a good walkthrough of what needs to be done:
Add this “bitch pin removal kit” to the budget of any swap you tackle.
- C-clamp
- sockets (deep and shallow) that fit the bitch pin inside
- small drill bit set (for putting pressure on the bitch pin itself)
There’s definitely a science to it, but hopefully this will help you work that thing out.
Your turbo datsun has a bitchpin? The answer is no no it doesn't. your Crx's sure had one though.
I've had my own fights with that pin, what a PITA
I think it’s the worst engineering choice on the CRX (other than the lack of cup holders).
almost every honda/acura with a manual trans,b and d series has one on the linkage.
ive taken out alot of them,equal sized bolt,hammer,done.they come right out.