can u mess up a pilot bearing so bad it can't be removed
03-17-2018, 08:49 PM
#1
can u mess up a pilot bearing so bad it can't be removed pulled a pilot bearing on this car before, used an auto zone slide hammer wit their pilot bearing attachment, worked out well. needed to do it again so i went back to az for the same tool, except the bearing puller wouldn't thread on to the slide hammer they have. go figure. so i go to advance and their pilot tool isn't a hammer, but instead this tool that u wrench on and it slowly pulls the bearing out, well its supposed to. my bearing is now mangled up, because even tho im certain im using it right, as i wrench all thats happening is the fingers are sliding through the bearing as if they aren't expanded enough to grab the "housing" of the bearing. now needles are falling out and its mangled up. gonna order my own slide hammer, but is the mangled part that im seeing just the inside of the bearing and the housing will still be fine enough to grab on?
morale of the story, if one tool worked well before, don't try a new one. again, pretty sure im using it properly despite the terrible instructions.
morale of the story, if one tool worked well before, don't try a new one. again, pretty sure im using it properly despite the terrible instructions.
03-18-2018, 02:28 AM
#5
Find a dowel that just slides into it free. Then pack it full of grease (you can actually do it with bread) then pound in the dowel and repeat until it pushes it out from the back. The grease can't go anywhere else when the dowel is tight so it pushes out the bushing.
03-18-2018, 07:02 AM
#6
10 Second Club
Find a dowel that just slides into it free. Then pack it full of grease (you can actually do it with bread) then pound in the dowel and repeat until it pushes it out from the back. The grease can't go anywhere else when the dowel is tight so it pushes out the bushing.
Trending Topics
03-18-2018, 12:40 PM
#8
so i tried the bread....didnt work. found a socket that slid perfect inside the bearing, packed that with bread. then packed the bearing full. hit it hard a few times, then repacked the bearing area 3-4 times i believe. got to a point where the bread didn't seem to be packing anymore and the bearing hasn't moved.
03-18-2018, 01:09 PM
#9
ok so i found an old thread about how someone took one of the fingers off the auto zone tool to make it fit inside the bearing and i got it out. since i was hammering on it with the bread, how can i confirm that my freeze plug is still ok? its there still and im pushing on it with my finger and its not moving
03-18-2018, 01:20 PM
#10
you are lucky you did not push in the freeze plug....the grease/bread trick is old school trick when cranks were solid on the back.
If you don't see a witness mark inside the crank where the freeze plug would have been if it moved, you are good....but very lucky. Don't do that method again on a LS motor.
The AZ #27128 is the "blind hole puller" you want. Don't have to take off (don't even think you can) any fingers to get it to fit. One of the 4 ends that comes with it would work
Anyway good you got out the old bearing. Use a piece of wood and hammer to pound the new one in. I use a piece of wood round closet dowel
If you don't see a witness mark inside the crank where the freeze plug would have been if it moved, you are good....but very lucky. Don't do that method again on a LS motor.
The AZ #27128 is the "blind hole puller" you want. Don't have to take off (don't even think you can) any fingers to get it to fit. One of the 4 ends that comes with it would work
Anyway good you got out the old bearing. Use a piece of wood and hammer to pound the new one in. I use a piece of wood round closet dowel
03-18-2018, 04:09 PM
#12
you are lucky you did not push in the freeze plug....the grease/bread trick is old school trick when cranks were solid on the back.
If you don't see a witness mark inside the crank where the freeze plug would have been if it moved, you are good....but very lucky. Don't do that method again on a LS motor.
The AZ #27128 is the "blind hole puller" you want. Don't have to take off (don't even think you can) any fingers to get it to fit. One of the 4 ends that comes with it would work
Anyway good you got out the old bearing. Use a piece of wood and hammer to pound the new one in. I use a piece of wood round closet dowel
If you don't see a witness mark inside the crank where the freeze plug would have been if it moved, you are good....but very lucky. Don't do that method again on a LS motor.
The AZ #27128 is the "blind hole puller" you want. Don't have to take off (don't even think you can) any fingers to get it to fit. One of the 4 ends that comes with it would work
Anyway good you got out the old bearing. Use a piece of wood and hammer to pound the new one in. I use a piece of wood round closet dowel
03-18-2018, 04:38 PM
#13
I don't have a motor to look at...I google to see a pic on LS1. IDK if this is the same as yours
I suspect some robot on the assembly line puts these in but maybe the "step" lines you see are a visual reference for when someone rebuilds the motor to show how deep to set the freeze plug
Maybe post a pic of yours and someone can post if it looks "normal"
I suspect some robot on the assembly line puts these in but maybe the "step" lines you see are a visual reference for when someone rebuilds the motor to show how deep to set the freeze plug
Maybe post a pic of yours and someone can post if it looks "normal"
03-18-2018, 05:21 PM
#14
too late i already put the bearing in and the clutch on. i can still measure the depth from pilot bearing face to the freeze plug if anyone has an engine on a stand somewhere i can confirm measurements. it honestly didn't appear to have moved. i repacked the bread id say 4 times. all four times id say it compressed about 1/4"-3/8" before i filled with more bread. so im sure it was filling in the area behind the bearing as well. theres a lot of dead space back there. so the only way i can only tell if it moved or not is if someone has one on a stand somewhere.
Last edited by Floorman279; 03-18-2018 at 05:24 PM. Reason: ......
03-18-2018, 05:47 PM
#16
Do a survey and I'm sure you will find that bread has been done thousands of times on stock LS cranks without issue. It really just means you have to check the plug after and if you have a crank with a plug add some RTV it just to be safe. I find it funny that they got rid of freeze plugs on the LS motor and then put two where oil can get out.
03-18-2018, 06:37 PM
#17
Moderator
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: My own internal universe
Posts: 10,452
Received 1,852 Likes
on
1,152 Posts
Originally Posted by Floorman279
too late i already put the bearing in and the clutch on. i can still measure the depth from pilot bearing face to the freeze plug if anyone has an engine on a stand somewhere i can confirm measurements. it honestly didn't appear to have moved. i repacked the bread id say 4 times. all four times id say it compressed about 1/4"-3/8" before i filled with more bread. so im sure it was filling in the area behind the bearing as well. theres a lot of dead space back there. so the only way i can only tell if it moved or not is if someone has one on a stand somewhere.
03-18-2018, 06:40 PM
#18
Moderator
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: My own internal universe
Posts: 10,452
Received 1,852 Likes
on
1,152 Posts
About 5-6 years ago, I had one stuck so bad I had to use a comealong wrapped around the rear axle and hooked to the puller tool to get the bushing out. This was in a 3.8L. I had tried grease, wet TP, everything. Puller is really only way to go
03-18-2018, 06:59 PM
#19
TECH Senior Member
pulled a pilot bearing on this car before, used an auto zone slide hammer wit their pilot bearing attachment, worked out well. needed to do it again so i went back to az for the same tool, except the bearing puller wouldn't thread on to the slide hammer they have. go figure. so i go to advance and their pilot tool isn't a hammer, but instead this tool that u wrench on and it slowly pulls the bearing out, well its supposed to. my bearing is now mangled up, because even tho im certain im using it right, as i wrench all thats happening is the fingers are sliding through the bearing as if they aren't expanded enough to grab the "housing" of the bearing. now needles are falling out and its mangled up. gonna order my own slide hammer, but is the mangled part that im seeing just the inside of the bearing and the housing will still be fine enough to grab on?
morale of the story, if one tool worked well before, don't try a new one. again, pretty sure im using it properly despite the terrible instructions.
morale of the story, if one tool worked well before, don't try a new one. again, pretty sure im using it properly despite the terrible instructions.
03-18-2018, 07:58 PM
#20
I recently tried to use that tool to pull my pilot bearing, its a POS and the fingers that grab the bearing actually BEND/FLEX when trying to pull it out. It mangled the hell out of my pilot bearing and I went back to autozone and traded it for the hammer puller one. It took like maybe 10 hits with the hammer and it popped out.
its amazing how i don't remember **** and this was 3 years ago. just like i forgot to remove the shifter before sliding the trans out. i removed the handle but left the shifter base.......try loosening the shifter when its jammed up agains the body of the car......had to use a wrench and the trans ended up rolling off the jack and onto the floor while doing it......i felt so dumb.....it will be a miracle if this car runs in a few weeks after all the motor and clutch **** ive been doing. decided while i have the trans out to go back to a stock bell because my POS QT runout is terrible and causing vibes. not gonna futz with it. has to be where my vibes are from......the old bearing with 7000 on it was rusty and im thinking thats where my input shaft wear is from