Pilot bushing install

[jastrunk97]

So the pilot bearing that came with my clutch kit doesn't fit in my crank, any advice? 

[Eagle_Adam]

i like the guy from FB's advice ;)

 

Freeze it then hammer it in 

[Stupid_fast]

remove the old one first.   :poke:

 

 

I fit it up and tapped it in with a hammer and peice of wood or a socket or something ... went in fine.  

[Boaty]

Well. You can go down to a parts store and get a new one, to see if the one you have is one size off.
Alternatively you can take some sand paper and sand the outside of it, so it's clean and smooth, and then put it in.

My problem with the damned things is that half the time, the input shaft doesn't fit down the inside of the bushing. Then you end up with issues tryin' to reinstall the trans. So make sure it fits over the input shaft first and isn't loose or over tight. I like to take a Dremel tool with an abrasive buff, and clean the input shaft really well. Then, I take a used slightly worn steel brush to the I.D. of the bushing to clean it up until it's just slightly snug, and then take a felt buff with a little course compound and polish the inside of the bushing. That way it's snug, and spins nice and smooth, but not loosely, on the input shaft. No slop, nice fit, no interference, all is good in Datsun ville. :)

 

Make sure that if you go to install it, you don't break it by hammering it. It's just bronze, and fragile. If it's the correct bushing, and you smooth the edges up with some sand paper and deburr the entrance, it should fit perfectly fine without having to hammer anything. You want it to fit snug, but not so tight that it doesn't fit without lots of force. Doesn't hurt to use a little grease here, since you should have some grease there anyways.

 

I heard of somebody actually getting the bushing red hot, and dropping it in heated oil. Bronze will shrink a bit, and soak up oil and become somewhat self-lubricating, but that's just overkill. Maybe for bronze electric motor bushings.

 

As you can tell I am super anal about simple shit like this.

[datzenmike]

It's actually sintered bronze. That's bronze powder hydraulically pressed into a mold and then heated to 'weld' the particles together. Sintered bronze is porous and when used for a pilot bushing, usually dipped in oil and considered lubricated for life.

 

 

Yes, see if it will fit the tranny nose first. It wouldn't take much to squash it out of round making it seen like it doesn't fit. I put one in my truck and only paid $2.50 from the Nissan dealer. Just get a new one.

[Ratwagon1600]

Well. You can go down to a parts store and get a new one, to see if the one you have is one size off.

Alternatively you can take some sand paper and sand the outside of it, so it's clean and smooth, and then put it in.

My problem with the damned things is that half the time, the input shaft doesn't fit down the inside of the bushing. Then you end up with issues tryin' to reinstall the trans. So make sure it fits over the input shaft first and isn't loose or over tight. I like to take a Dremel tool with an abrasive buff, and clean the input shaft really well. Then, I take a used slightly worn steel brush to the I.D. of the bushing to clean it up until it's just slightly snug, and then take a felt buff with a little course compound and polish the inside of the bushing. That way it's snug, and spins nice and smooth, but not loosely, on the input shaft. No slop, nice fit, no interference, all is good in Datsun ville. :)

 

Make sure that if you go to install it, you don't break it by hammering it. It's just bronze, and fragile. If it's the correct bushing, and you smooth the edges up with some sand paper and deburr the entrance, it should fit perfectly fine without having to hammer anything. You want it to fit snug, but not so tight that it doesn't fit without lots of force. Doesn't hurt to use a little grease here, since you should have some grease there anyways.

 

I heard of somebody actually getting the bushing red hot, and dropping it in heated oil. Bronze will shrink a bit, and soak up oil and become somewhat self-lubricating, but that's just overkill. Maybe for bronze electric motor bushings.

 

As you can tell I am super anal about simple shit like this.

^^^^^^ Do this (except for the heating up bit).

 

Also, I generally use a piece of wooden dowel (broomstick handle ground down on the grinder works ok) and a couple of gentle taps with a hammer to seat the bush.

[cruznude]

Whats the easiest way to remove it?

[datzenmike]

Small chisel or screwdriver. Split lengthwise in 2-3 places and pull the pieces out. Try not to gouge the crank, but a small scratch won't hurt, only hold the new bushing better. The bushing is made of sintered bronze. Sintering is a process where bronze powder is pressed in a mold to shape it under extreme pressure. It is then heated enough to just meld the particles together. Because it is still porous it is soaked in oil and thus lubricated for life.

[]2eDeYe]

Easiest way I know is to get a dowel that is a slip fit into the bushing. Pack some bar soap in the bushing hole, insert the dowel and hit it with a hammer, pack more soap and repeat until it pushes the bushing out. You can also use bearing grease, but the soap is easier to clean up :lol:

 

Hydraulics = awesome. :)

[cruznude]

Oh yea, now that you mention- that sounds so right as I went through the same with the grease years ago on another truck.  Getting old here and memory ain't what it used to be.  Thank you everyone!!!!

[cdub42]

for removing a bushing, bananahamuk showed me a neat trick. take an old clutch alignment tool, snap off the finger ring on the end, pack the old bushing completely full of grease and then hammer the alignment tool into it. the hydraulic pressure pushed the bushing out. for installing one if its just a but too big, go to Safeway and buy a block of dry ice, pack the bushing in dry ice for a few hours and then immediately press it in. thats an old aircraft mechanic trick.