My car is showing the signs commonly associated with a bad pilot bearing. However I have changed to a pilot bushing instead when I put the clutch in about 10-15k miles ago. It drives just fine but makes noise while in gear, rolling and the clutch pedal depressed. Could a bushing go bad and have the same symptoms as a bearing?

 

yes...

 

If you hear a grinding noise when the clutch pedal is pressed yes the pilot bearing is going bad

 

Bumping this back up because I forgot about it.

What would cause the bushing to go bad in that short of time? Could install have anything to do with it going bad? I used the standard tap-it-in-with-a-socket-of-the-same-size method if that matters.

 

input shaft run out, bad front shaft bearing, can cause the pilot/bearing/bushing to wear

 

I didn't check the input shaft before I put the trans back in this last time but the bearing I took out was in great shape so I hope that there's not an issue with it. I didn't notice any weird marks or discoloration on the shaft either. I see its split 50/50 on here how long a bushing should last with many people saying 8-15k miles before needing to be replaced. Maybe this is the case here. Guess I will see once I pull it apart.

 

Tremac specs using the bearing. I suspect it would wear better than a softer metal bronze bushing. IMHO if the bearing was fine and shaft looked fine....use a bearing

what can kill a bearing quick is when installing a tranny that won't go in that last 1/2" because the disc is slightly not centered and you pull the tranny in with the bolts to bellhousing. The input shaft tip that was hitting the edge of the pilot bearing now gauges and FU the bearing as a result and it quickly fails and also scores the end of the input shaft