Put your pilot bearing in......

Ron Earp · 11-01-03, 04:01 PM

Hey,

Anyone who has put their pilot bearing in shoot me an email or give me a call.

The bearing fits into an adapter. The adapter fits into the end of the crank.

But, you can put the adapter in two ways. One way so that the pilot bearing ends up trapped between the adapter and the end of the crank.

The other way with the pilot bearing out toward the tranny.

Either way, my adapter does not sit flush with the end of the crank if you pounded it in. Is this normal or is the hole in the end of my crank off? I've measured the adapter and the hole, it will not fit flush.

Any info post here, shoot email, or leave a number for me to call you. I'm reluctant to pound this thing in yet cause I can see it would be some serious pain to get back out! Thanks,

Ron

Bigend · 11-01-03, 05:21 PM

I've always put mine in with the bearing towards the transmission. It is a swine to get out again without destroying the bearing. One way is to put a nut into the crank recess first, perhaps held in place with some epoxy cement, and then fit the bearing and housing. When you need to remove it you can screw the shaft of a slide hammer into the nut, and hey presto!

Ron Earp · 11-01-03, 06:45 PM

Anyone know of the RF adapter should fit flush with the end of the crank of not?

R

Steve Toner · 11-01-03, 07:08 PM

? Is there something special about the RF pilot bearing, or are we just talking standard small block Ford stuff here?

I've got a 289 crank up in the garage from an engine I just disassembled. There is what appears to be a bushing between the pilot bearing and the crank. The bushing is flush with the end of the crank, but the bearing sticks out. Sounds like the "pilot bearing out toward the tranny" option.

Does this help?

Dan Weilacher · 11-01-03, 07:20 PM

To remove a plain type pilot bearing i have forced some grease in the hole with a grease gun,, and presto,, pushes the bearing right out. regards, Dan

Ron Earp · 11-01-03, 07:45 PM

It doesn't look standard to me but the last time I put a pilot bearing in a Ford was around 1992.

The bushing houses the needle roller bearing flush. (Probably should be called a cage bearing maybe?)

But, if one were to put the bushing and bearing into the end of the crank it WOULD NOT go flush. The bushing is about 1/8" longer than the hole in the end of the crank. I'm trying to figure out if this is normal or if my forged crank has some funnyness going on.

Ron

Steve Toner · 11-01-03, 08:22 PM

Needle roller bearing??? OK, mine's just a bronze bearing. I don't even want to try to guess how yours should be installed.

My bearing sticks out about an eighth of and inch (0.125")
I measured the depth of the hole on another crankshaft that doesn't have a pilot bearing installed, and it's about .575"

Eric · 11-01-03, 08:35 PM

I've found the depth is different for different cranks while i was working on my tranny project. I designed it using the stock crank from a 95 then when i went to the welder and put everything together with the motor and crank i cut up (out of a Hertz rent-a-racer) the newer engine has a deeper hole by about 1/8". This probably will just add to the confusion---glad i could help. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Gary Gibbs · 11-02-03, 10:05 AM

With the Audi box you are not going to use a standard pilot bushing because of the different pilot diameters. It sounds like RF has a custom bushing that uses an additional roller bearing. Not sure about installation, but would guess it goes towards the trans as then it would be captured. Mounted on the front side it could possible move forward ??????

Ron Earp · 11-02-03, 10:57 AM

Maybe this will help out. So, I think I should pound it in so that it sticks out and the bearing is accessable from the outside. Otherwise it would be trapped behind the bushing up against the crank.

Gary Gibbs · 11-02-03, 11:42 AM

Not knowing the exact design (thus providing no warrantee for advise!) I would say this makes the most sense.

**J What?** · 11-02-03, 11:58 AM

The bearing on big block and small blocks goes toward the transmission. The problem is knowing whether the bearing is suppose to stick out. On the big block cars, the crank was machined to allow the bearing to slide deeper into the crank so the splines on the input shaft would not dig into the bearing. If the bearing you have is not a standard part it may be out in order to support the input shaft. If it is a standard piece,the only way you can be sure is to measure the clearance between the input splines and the bearing. There is a fare amount of leeway in this measurement as long as the input splines are not rubbing the bearing. If you need to move the pilot bearing in to the crank, it is a lot easier to machine the bearing than the crank.
Bill

Ron Earp · 11-02-03, 12:15 PM

Good advice from all. I chilled that thing down in the deep freeze and pounded it in the way it is shown in the drawing, seemed to make the most sense. Now I'm just making a clutch tool and will try and get it all buttoned up today. Might be hard with just one person but the hoist should make it reasonably workable.

R

John Lind · 11-02-03, 10:21 PM

Hi Ron

If I remember correctly mine didn't end up exactly flush either, but it seems to work fine. I assembled it with the bearing on the gearbox side, like your diagram.

Regards

John

Hershal Byrd · 11-03-03, 12:38 AM

OK Ron,
Just for you I tore down the trans to take this photo so you can put your bearing in right. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Hersh [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Hershal Byrd · 11-03-03, 12:40 AM

One More....

John Schneider · 11-03-03, 01:26 AM

Yeah, just for Ron huh? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] I thought it was for practice [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

gt40rick · 11-03-03, 06:27 AM

You gotta admire a guy who would do that much work just to help a guy out. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Ron Earp · 11-03-03, 06:49 AM

Ooops!

Hershal, thanks much! Yours is in just the opposite of what I've drawn.

So, the question is, will it make a difference? The way mine is in it will hold the input shaft a little bit further down from the end that yours will. But, it doesn't appear that it would cause a problem with anything.

Obviously, this is one area that needs to be cleared up in the manual.

R

Ron Earp · 11-03-03, 07:20 PM

Well, my good buddy Ed suggested I measure it all and check it. I've made some brief measurements, as good as I can with the pressure plate and cluth on and it *think* the way I have it is correct.

If the meaurements are right then I would be okay and the input shaft would receive more support in this configuration I have than in Hershal's.I'll call RF and ask Robert the deal.

R