Pilot bearing in the crank, is this going to be an issue? Options

[VaccaRabite]

Isn't this bearing supposed to be in the flywheel?

How do I get the bugger out?

What should I do here?

(IMG:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2335190315_28837f1729.jpg)

If it is not an issue, please let me know. Its in there pretty good. I figure I am going to have to weld a bolt to it to get it out. Right now, I have no purchase.

Zach

[brp986s]

the pilot bearing goes in the flywheel, not the crank. This is serious.

btw, I once had a pilot bearing go bad and it trashed the tranny input shaft. Had to take the entire tranny aprt to replace it. Get a new bearing, put it in the flywheel, and don't forget the felt washer that keeps clutch dust out of the bearing.

[McMark]

Get some bearing grease and pack, pack, pack it in behind the bearing. Use a rod that fits tightly in the bearing and smack it in. The pressure will pop the bearing out.

Anyone have a good reason not to just leave that one in place and run one in the flywheel as well. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[SirAndy]

the pilot bearing goes in the flywheel, not the crank. This is serious.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) do a search here for "oily mess" ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

without front support, the main shaft in the tranny will wobble, wearing out the bearings and trashing the main seal.

as a result, your tranny will be scrap metal and all the oil will be everywhere except inside the tranny ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon8.gif) Andy

[VaccaRabite]

Anyone have a good reason not to just leave that one in place and run one in the flywheel as well. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Tapping this one in would be a LOT easier then pulling it out. Will this cause problems? I would put a new one in the flywheel.

Zach

[brer]

There is a spacer that goes in the crank and its not the same width as a bearing. You can use an old bearing as a spacer (i had the same issue, no spacer) but it would be wise to cut it to match the width of the spacer.

FWIW some type 4's had the bearing in the crank, just not 914's.

[BIGKAT_83]

Get some bearing grease and pack, pack, pack it in behind the bearing. Use a rod that fits tightly in the bearing and smack it in. The pressure will pop the bearing out.

Anyone have a good reason not to just leave that one in place and run one in the flywheel as well. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) This works great give it a try......

Bob

[Mark Henry]

Dude it comes out real easy. I use a autobody slide hammer with a homemade hook attachment or you could probably bust the cage with a punch. The cage is just thin metal with about a .001 press fit.

I could/would most likely build a qiuck slide hammer out of a lenght of all-thread rod....

[Krieger]

Put a couple of bolts in the end of the fw and use those and a big screw driver to pry it out. I made this mistake too. Although I do have a bus fw that had to be machined for the pilot bearing. I bet you have a slight mark/groove on the end of the trans input shaft. Putting the bearing in the correct location solved my tranny leak. I think you could leave it in with no ill effects.

[brer]

+1 for grease and tight fitting rod, or better yet trans mainshaft.

Hydraulics is like POP!

[LvSteveH]

For what it's worth I had a car running dual pilot bearings for a long time without issue.

[davep]

The 411, at least, had the bearing in the crank like that since the flywheel was too shallow. The 914 has the spacer ring in there, and the bearing in the flywheel. I agree that a bearing in both places is not a problem PROVIDED that both bearings are functional.

[Gint]

Seems like you could cut the cage with a saw blade and remove it easily.

[brer]

there is also that felt washer that goes in.

with the spacer, and bearing there is just the right amount of room left for the felt washer. Would 2 bearings leave enough room?

[davep]

Well, the bearing in his photo is not properly seated in the crank. It should be full seated, then there would be enough room. As it stands now, probably not. His choices are to to determine if that bearing still would adequately. If not it must be removed and the spacer sourced. If it is still serviceable, then seat it properly and install the other bearing in the flywheel, also properly. Then there should be enough room for the felt washer (soaked in oil) to fit between the bearing and the new lock plate.

[VaccaRabite]

Well, I treid the grease trick last night to pop the bearing out.

I grabbed a metal rod the closest diameter to the ID of the bearing, and then wrapped it with tape to make it a really tight fit. I squirted grease into the cavity until each squeeze of grease just squeezed grease back out.

I put the metal rod in the bearing, and whacked it with a hammer.

Results?

The 2 wraps of tape around the rod were blown off, and a big blob of grease was violently evacuated. The bearing did not move.

I tried three times, failed three times, and tapped the bearing into place. it spins easily, and is not other wise marred, so I am just going to let this one lie.

Aside from this, the engine is ready to be re-tinned and then ready to go back in the car.

Zach

[brer]

you could have better luck putting some heat shrink wire wrap on the pipe to fit it.

tape doesn't work as the force of the grease is intense.

[mightyohm]

this is one of those things where if you take a shortcut now, you're going to think about it every time you hear a weird/new noise from the transmission, and think how much work it's going to be to go in there and fix it after the car is all back together. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Cap'n Krusty]

All this verbiage, and not much in the way of a real answer.. Two answers that should help you.

(A) Use a clutch pilot tool and pack the bearing with grease. Using a BFH, hit the sucker REALLY hard (might be wise to drape it with a shop rag). Repeat as necessary. Eventually, it'll come out. I've done literally hundreds of them this way, and it works just fine (unless the bearing has broken up). If you don't have a pilot tool, how do you center up the disc?

((IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) If you don't want to do that, drive it in a little, using a drift of just the right diameter so you don't damage the bearing. It's plenty greased up by now. Use a rag to remove as much of the excess grease as is feasible. Put a bearing in the flywheel, and don't forget the felt washer on the clutch side. You're mainshaft won't care about the old bearing., and the added weight won't slow you down all that much.

The T2s had the bearing in the crank, because the mainshaft is longer. Most T4 cars sold in the US were automatics, and the crank had a sleeve installed, probably for the centering stub on the torque converter. T2s with automatics have the same bushing.
It's likely that the T4 with a manual tranny had the bearing in the crank, too, but I've never seen one so I can't comment on that.

Now, go fix it! The Cap'n

[Krieger]

Don't worry about it. If you put another bearing in the flywheel it won't touch the one in your crank. The trans input shaft is tapered on the end. Here is a different "spin" on that extra bearing in the crank. It is insurance if the crank pilot bearing fails. I only had only one bearing in the crank and not the flywheel. It held that input shaft from really screwing up the tranny, but I had a constant oil leak because there was enough movement on the tranny seal.