Clutchswap WHAT THE FUCK

[Fries]

I'm in the process of doing a 5 speed swap.

Removed the AUTO pilot bearing.

Took the 5speed pilot bearing off of the supplied clutch alignment tool [Exedy OEM]

Put the pilot bearing into the crank, using a socket and a rubber mallet to get that shit in there.

Put my clutch disk on my alignment tool and it wouldnt fit into the pilot bearing.

I assumed it should be a little tough, I gave teh alignment tool a few smacks with a hammer and it was good. Put clutch cover on. Tightened to specs and did the bolts in the proper order.

Alignment tool will not fucking come out. Im not a small guy and I cannot pull this muther fucker out.

Thoughts?

[airforceone451]

Maybe ask that thing in your avatar to help you

[91drftr]

ive done a few 5speed swaps and i always grind down the pilot a bit to get the alignment tool to fit perfect and i always grind it too cus if u dont well glw putting the tranny in without grinding it down and if u got that tool stuck in ther ide suggest heat that thing up or melt that shit off and get a new alignment tool..... this is the way ive done all my 5speed swaps and ive never had a problem anyways hope this helps GL...

[palmdale_mob]

Maybe heat it up? But don't melt it though

[SlideStyle180]

when all else fails, get a wine bottle opener, heat that up and once heated, twist it on to the alignment tool. works wonders.

[nrmskate]

Just grind off some of the plastic on the alignment tool, it should fit snug and come out just as well.

[alt.240.130]

You probably mushroomed the pilot bearing. Get another one and be more careful.

I had the same problem with a friends swap.

[clark]

yeah i'm sure a plastic alignment tool will mushroom a metal pilot bearing.

[Fries]

Originally Posted by clark

yeah i'm sure a plastic alignment tool will mushroom a metal pilot bearing.

Probably not, but having a tough time putting the pilot bushing in may have caused this to happen. Thanks for the input you guys.

[Vision Garage]

yea you should have grinded the inside of the pilot bearing a little before installing it. For some reason it seems as though the bearing shrinks when put in. This will cause the alignment tool to be wedged in there. try using a long extension in thru the hole of the alignment tool. Leverage it against the pressure plate and pop it off.

[zugoi]

i swapped out my clutch with the oem exedy this weekend and had a similar problem. I first noticed the problem with the exedy pilot bearing have trouble sliding onto the input shaft on the transmission. It helped after i forced it on and slide it back and forth with grease. On top of that when i installed the pilot bearing i kinda dented the egde of the bearing which made it even harder to install. So i pulled the bearing out again and took out the dent and put dented side into the crankshaft first. It helps alot if u grease the pilot bearing and input shaft and the alignment tool tip as well. After i put the disc and pressure plate on i also had a bit of trouble sliding out the alignment tool. Doesnt sound like it was as stuck as yours but i never had to pull that hard to pull out an alignment on previous clutch jobs i have done. If your sure you have the disc and pressure plate aligned correctly use a screwdriver and slide it through the hole at the end of the alignment tool and pry it out. But if you have the time i suggest taking it all out again and inspect your pilot bearing because if you had to hammer a peice of weak plastic into the pilot bearing and its now stuck image how your going to slide your input shaft into it. Also i dont recommend grinding the inside of the pilot bearing as some people said because if you do and theres play in the end of the input shaft, whats the point of even having the pilot bearing in there in the first place. On top of that if your carrier bearing is worn out and nothing is stabilizing the input shaft, your going to feel vibrations and hear noises and good luck getting your clutch warrantied after that.


Im curious how your installed your pilot bearing. When i did mine i was rushing and used the "open end" of the socket by accident and didnt exactly center it correctly and thats how i dented it a bit. After i repaired it i used the "ratchet" end of a 15mm to knock it in. Wasnt hard at all.

[Fries]

Originally Posted by 91drftr

ive done a few 5speed swaps and i always grind down the pilot a bit to get the alignment tool to fit perfect and i always grind it too cus if u dont well glw putting the tranny in without grinding it down and if u got that tool stuck in ther ide suggest heat that thing up or melt that shit off and get a new alignment tool..... this is the way ive done all my 5speed swaps and ive never had a problem anyways hope this helps GL...

Never had a problem despite grinding the pilot down yourself?

I guess that wouldnt be very hard to do as long as I make sure its pretty even and smooth on the inside...

[Fries]

Originally Posted by zugoi

i swapped out my clutch with the oem exedy this weekend and had a similar problem. I first noticed the problem with the exedy pilot bearing have trouble sliding onto the input shaft on the transmission. It helped after i forced it on and slide it back and forth with grease. On top of that when i installed the pilot bearing i kinda dented the egde of the bearing which made it even harder to install. So i pulled the bearing out again and took out the dent and put dented side into the crankshaft first. It helps alot if u grease the pilot bearing and input shaft and the alignment tool tip as well. After i put the disc and pressure plate on i also had a bit of trouble sliding out the alignment tool. Doesnt sound like it was as stuck as yours but i never had to pull that hard to pull out an alignment on previous clutch jobs i have done. If your sure you have the disc and pressure plate aligned correctly use a screwdriver and slide it through the hole at the end of the alignment tool and pry it out. But if you have the time i suggest taking it all out again and inspect your pilot bearing because if you had to hammer a peice of weak plastic into the pilot bearing and its now stuck image how your going to slide your input shaft into it. Also i dont recommend grinding the inside of the pilot bearing as some people said because if you do and theres play in the end of the input shaft, whats the point of even having the pilot bearing in there in the first place. On top of that if your carrier bearing is worn out and nothing is stabilizing the input shaft, your going to feel vibrations and hear noises and good luck getting your clutch warrantied after that.

Fine. New pilot bearing is being ordered.

[zugoi]

good man. Do it right the first time. New one is couple bucks. Not worth pulling tranny out again. Be sure to use the ratchet end of the socket to tap it in to prevent mushrooming so what happened to me doesnt happen to you. Also lube all parts that will be sliding or contacting each other so it will slide easier but be sure none of the grease will touch the clutch disc flywheel pressure plate etc. Good luck

[Fries]

Originally Posted by zugoi

good man. Do it right the first time. New one is couple bucks. Not worth pulling tranny out again. Be sure to use the ratchet end of the socket to tap it in to prevent mushrooming so what happened to me doesnt happen to you. Also lube all parts that will be sliding or contacting each other so it will slide easier but be sure none of the grease will touch the clutch disc flywheel pressure plate etc. Good luck

I ordered the NISMO one, because well... it looked cool.

I'll be using something rubber based to put this one in so I dont mushroom shit.

P.s. Can anyone recommend me a pilot bearing puller tool that will fit in our cars? Min spread seems to be 1/2 inch which I think is cutting a little close.

How big is the hole in the bearing?

[zugoi]

just goto a tool store and find a universal one. The inner hole is about 16mm. So anything that can get shorter then that you should be good.

[s13 @ fullboost]

Originally Posted by airforceone451

Maybe ask that thing in your avatar to help you

haha thats the first thing I though that shit is scaryy =/

[Om1kron]

Originally Posted by Fries

I ordered the NISMO one, because well... it looked cool.

I'll be using something rubber based to put this one in so I dont mushroom shit.

P.s. Can anyone recommend me a pilot bearing puller tool that will fit in our cars? Min spread seems to be 1/2 inch which I think is cutting a little close.

How big is the hole in the bearing?

pilot bearing differences.
Bearing Briefing on Vimeo

pilot bearing removal
Pilot Bearing Removal on Vimeo

[zugoi]

that video only helps if he has that tool. Plus having that tool is self explanatory. But that video does help show which universal pulley you should get fries. I got one and its boss.

[Fries]

Listen Wayne T. Edwards. I already think you're funny. No need to whore yourself out. <3

I know how to remove one, I had to remove the HUGE ass auto one moments before. I have a bearing removal tool [Rented] it's just too large to fit in the hole of the new pilot "bushing" to remove it.

This will be fixed by either
A] Dremel to "bushing" so it can fit
or
B] Telling me where you bought your tool from so that I can buy one that will fit.

Would appreciate it.
KTHX.

p.s. I bought the Nismo one too. I don't know if it'll actually do anything special, but I'll be damned if it doesnt look cool when compared to a piece of brass.

[Om1kron]

be careful installing it. use a rubber mallet do not hit it with a piece of metal.

as far as the tool, my dad has had it before i was even born lol.

[Fries]

Nismo needle pilot bearing
www.thenismoshop.com

Installed waaaaay easier.
Lined it up, used an auto flexplate bolt on the top of the bearing and then a 19mm socket on that "gently" tapped it with my huge ass hammer until it got flush with the crank then switched to a 14mm socket put the side that you usually connect to the ratchet and again lightly hit it until it stopped going in.

Installed clutch.

Pulled alignment tool out.

Done.

Thank you guys for the assistance!

[babowc]

this happend to me too..
i had mushroomed the pilot bearing because i was using the wrong size socket.

next one, i put it in the freezer for a bit and it just slipped on the crank.
then i let it sit for a bit then lined everything up with the tool.

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by Fries

Nismo needle pilot bearing
www.thenismoshop.com

Installed waaaaay easier.
Lined it up, used an auto flexplate bolt on the top of the bearing and then a 19mm socket on that "gently" tapped it with my huge ass hammer until it got flush with the crank then switched to a 14mm socket put the side that you usually connect to the ratchet and again lightly hit it until it stopped going in.

Installed clutch.

Pulled alignment tool out.

Done.

Thank you guys for the assistance!

Cool glad you got it. I usually don't install the pilot bearing with a hammer, just put it on the end of the alignment tool and slide it in. I've never had to beat one in, just grease it and it should just sit in there. I've certainly never had problems pulling the alignment tool out lol.