• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Replacing a clutch pilot bearing

Share this page

rkep01

rkep01

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Any advice on replacing the clutch pilot bearing? Any particular tool to get the old one out? Does the new one have to be reamed after pressing it in? This is the first time I've replaced one and I really don't want to "ham-fist" it.
 
Easiest way to get the old one out is to fill the hole with grease, find a fairly tight fitting dowel and push it into the hole, tap the dowel with a hammer.
The hydraulic force should force the pilot bushing out.
BillM
 
Thanks, Bill. I'll give it a try.
 
For the past 20+ years, I've been using a "Cape" chisel shaped tool. Catch the tip in the gap between the crank and the pilot bush and hit with a ballpien hammer. Breaks them right out. Not quite as messy as the grease method.

One word of caution. If you have one of the later 1275's with the thick walled pilot bushing or the needle type bearing, the grease method might be better. Those thick walled (3/4" OD rather than the 5/8") sintered bushings can be stubborn and the steel needle bearings don't fracture like the bushings.

I make a tool to use to install pilot bushes. Uses a 1/2" bolt with the threaded section removed and just enough shank to fit the length of a pilot bush. Slip a 1/2" AN960/SAE washer over the bolt shank and braze both the washer and an old short head stud to the head of the bolt. Makes a handy tool for installing pilot bushings. Gives the pilot bushing something to be "piloted" with.

HTH,
Mike
 
Hi Mike - Thanks for the alternative method. Since I don't have a cape chisel, I'll try the ikky grease method. I have a nice 1/2" brass drift to which I'll affix an inverted paper cup to catch any grease spatter. If this method fails to work for me, I'll locate a chisel and try your method.
 
One more that is never fail for bronze bushing's is to run a tap thru the bronze bushing and screw in a bolt. The bolt bottoming out will usually push it right out. if not the bolt head will give you something to lever against. Tap need only to cut a little into the bushing to give enough "bite" for the bolt.

Kurt.
 
Good luck finding a pilot bushing remover tool that is that small!
BillM
 
Billm said:
Easiest way to get the old one out is to fill the hole with grease, find a fairly tight fitting dowel and push it into the hole, tap the dowel with a hammer.
The hydraulic force should force the pilot bushing out.
BillM
Click to expand...
This works like a charm every time if you get the right fit. It squirts the old one out and will even give a little smoke, the pressure is incredible. I use a 4 pound hammer, don't be gentle.
 
Spridget64SC said:
For the past 20+ years, I've been using a "Cape" chisel shaped tool. Catch the tip in the gap between the crank and the pilot bush and hit with a ballpien hammer. Breaks them right out. Not quite as messy as the grease method.

One word of caution. If you have one of the later 1275's with the thick walled pilot bushing or the needle type bearing, the grease method might be better. Those thick walled (3/4" OD rather than the 5/8") sintered bushings can be stubborn and the steel needle bearings don't fracture like the bushings.

I make a tool to use to install pilot bushes. Uses a 1/2" bolt with the threaded section removed and just enough shank to fit the length of a pilot bush. Slip a 1/2" AN960/SAE washer over the bolt shank and braze both the washer and an old short head stud to the head of the bolt. Makes a handy tool for installing pilot bushings. Gives the pilot bushing something to be "piloted" with.

HTH,
Mike
Click to expand...

Cape chisel :smile: Oh my brainy buddy Mike, just likes using big words to keep us mere mortals on our toes :jester: Any small chisel small eough to give you working room in the ID will work, the idea is o get a couple of groove gong down the sides of the bushing, and it basily crumples and you blow the remaining pieces out, pretty easy. I never had the grease method work for me on MG A or B series engines, and real messy I do this way quite often with the chisel method and it works well. Some of the later 1275 had the roller bearing pilot busihing, now talk about a mother to get out, but the oil lite bronze one is piece of cake, remember to soak the new oil lite bronze pilot in motor oil for bit before installing. Hope this helps.
 
Hap - I've got a #7 EZ Out that I was thinking about using. It's the right size. I just don't know how tight the bushing is.
 
Once upon a time, I used a long bolt and a socket. The bolt head needs to go just inside the bushing. IIRC, I ground down the corners of a bolt to fit inside it. Next, jam the bolt to one side behind the bushing. Put the socket over the bolt w/ the drive end facing you. Put a washer on the socket and the nut. Tighten nut till bushing pulls out.

I did this on a few different cars. Don't know if it'll work in your case. Gotta have enough room behind the bushing.
 
:lol:

I've not had good luck with the grease compression on A and B engines either. If it's a scintered one, shattering it works best for me. Other types can be coaxed out with a suitably ground bolt head (as Billy suggests, ya need room behind the bush) and a slide hammer. Proto has a good variety of "anvil" tools for slide hammer use in pulling bushings/bearings out of their "home", too.

An EZ-out may put more expansion pressure on the bush, defeating the ease of removal. Better to thread the I.D. and try the bolt method, methinks.
 
I have bought a couple of them and haven't found one yet that fits (of even one that can be modified to fit)
BillM
 
I've never removed a pilot bearing and this might sound far fetched, but when removing a cylinder shaped object from another cylinder I've always used a tight fitting wooden dowel with a slot cut in the end. Place a wooden wedge that sticks out a 1/2" or so and hammer it in. The wedge drives into the dowel and spreads it out forcing a very tight fit. This should allow you enough leverage to pull out the bearing. I use this when attaching furniture legs, chair legs, etc. and it works well. Thoughts?
Rut
 
Is this a great forum? Or what? Man, the many and varied answers, like all you guys that have made them, are great! It's gratifying to know that when you're stuck for an answer on how to do something, there are so many good people willing to help out. While I'm really good with mechanics, I'm sure there'll be more questions coming. I think the course of action that I have decided upon is to try the EZ Out. If that doesn't work, then I'll just chisel it out. Probably do that tomorrow. I'll post and let you know how it came out.(Pun intended!) Thanks again for all your helpful suggestions.
 
Here ya go. Take the projectile out of a .40 S&W. Place the powder end of the brass case w/ powder into the bushing. Strike the primer cap with a nail and hammer. :hammer: Next, go have the bushing removed from your forehead at the emergency room. Take the bushing with you when you leave the hospital so you can match it up at the parts store. Might want to take a few advil before you try this. :jester:
 
Back
Top