pilot pushing or bearing?

[don izzo]

what is the best replacement for longevity the bushing or the new bearings I see in the Summit & Jegs catalogs? This is for the input shaft on the manual tranny located in the back of the crank shaft. When installing them do they get greased or will the grease get hot and melt all over the clutch disk?

Don

[Stephen L.]

Re: pilot pushing or bearing?

Typically a bearing will last longer than a bushing in a given application....
However, in this application the bearing/bushing is only seeing "work" when the engine is running, and the clutch is disengaged. Bushings have been used for years and lasted for thousands of miles in this application.

High temp grease, not standard ball joint grease, should be used that can stand the temps experienced in this application. The appropriate grease should be included with the bearing. A small amount is applied during installation of the bearing. The bushing typically is impregnated with lubricant....

[Gene M.]

Re: pilot pushing or bearing?

if you use a needle bearing make sure the end of the tranny shaft is in perfect condition. otherwise use the bushing.

[Joe C.]

Re: pilot pushing or bearing?

Why look for trouble? Use the bushing. Bushing is a simple, reliable unobtrusive part which rarely fails unless there is misalignment or galling of the pilot shaft.

Joe

[Phil P.]

Re: pilot pushing or bearing?

i've used the bearing (gm diesel truck) in stock and race applications---there are a couple of draw backs---if and when the trans is installed and forced into place the bearing could get damaged---if there is bearing failure down the road for what ever reasone you could trash the input on the trans---while i've seen a lot of bushings that were shot with no adverse affect on the input---with all that said i tend to agree with joe on using a bushing---good luck either way

[Mark #28455]

only use the sintered bronze bushing

There is a brass plated steel bushing out there - DON'T use it. You cal tell because it's attracted to a magnet.
Mark

[Noel K.]

Re: only use the sintered bronze bushing

If you use the bushing, which suggest, use just a dab of high temp grease. When I rebuilt my engine, everything in the block was cleaned, including,of course, the crank - and I ended up with a clutch noise that sounded like a bad throw out bearing. Had the transmission out 4 times replacing clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, before realizing the bushing was gaulding because it was too dry.

[Joel A.]

Re: only use the sintered bronze bushing

The bronze bushings normally used in these applications are lube(oil) impregnated(can I say that here?! ), meaning they have a lubricant made into them. If you use a grease on these bushings, the grease will clog up the "pores" of the bushing, and not allow the oil in them to properly seep out. This will accelerate the wear on the bushing, and possibly damage the input shaft.
It's best, if you insist on lubing these bushings on install, to use a lightweight engine oil very sparingly.

I agree on the use of bearings for the pilot...don't really like them. They will damage the input shaft way faster than the bronze bushings if everything is not lined up just right.

[John H.]

Re: only use the sintered bronze bushing

The correct bushing is made from Oilite bronze, which is oil-impregnated powdered bronze, and requires no lubrication. When you buy a bushing, take a magnet with you; if the bushing is attracted to the magnet, it's one of the millions of mostly-iron Chinese knockoffs that are still out there - leave it on the counter and keep looking.

[don izzo]

Thanks to all. I will use the bronze bushing! *NM*

[Mike McKown]

I'm suprised nobody posted a source

for the correct oilite bushing. Good luck in your search. I can't be much help but I can tell you that I searched high and low last year for a non-magnetic brass/bronze pilot bushing in this metropolitan area of about a million people. No luck. I found some highly magnetic and some slightly magnetic. No non-magnetic.

After the need for one passed, it was posted on another internet forum that NAPA has two numbers for Chevy pilot bushings. One is for the magnetic type and the other, which must be a secret number is for the correct oilite. Sorry, I failed to record the number.

[J M.]

Re: I'm suprised nobody posted a source

I think the correct number from NAPA is 615-1161.