i got a serious problem. yesterday i was dropping my tranny because of a pilot bearing failure (i could not select any gears with the car running). i get the tranny off, and after removing the clutch and pressure plate, i watch as little parts of the pilot bearing that have disentergrated fall to the floor. so i get my pilot bearing removal tool that i have only used once, to remove the pilot bearing and after a few futile attempts at removing the pilot bearing one of the teeth on the pilot bearing tool broke off! and the bearing didn't even budge. has any one ever had this problem, if so what were are some possible ways to get the bearing out. i exchanged my tool for a new one today, and if this doesn't work, i think i will be taking a propane torch to it

please help.......

 

please someone help.......

 

Is it the proper mazda puller? I can't imagine how you'd break one of those if it was! If you search you'll find some people grind them down with a dremel then collapse it and pull it out.

 

is the pilot bearing on the e-shaft? i have my engine apart and i still havent relaly taken notice to it

 

You need the pilot remover tool that doesn't have a thick prong. I picked up a tool at a rental place and it didn't work. I used a screw driver and placed the flathead on the inside of the bearing lip and tapped it off wth a hammer. You need to be careful not to scour the wall of the ecentric shaft. I'd be careful if you're using a dremel to cut into the bearing as the walls are really thin.

 

I used the Mazda puller, it worked like magic.

 

i had the same problem man-- chisel and some time thats how i got mine out--such a pain in the ***-- well good luck

 

thanks for the help guys, i think i'll try the dremel tool next.

 

Be careful not to scour the walls of the eccentric shaft.
If you can, dremel the lip enough for you to be able to bend the lip and pull it out. I didn't have the right remover so I tried 2 different methods.

 

i used a generic puller with a slide hammer, had to break off all the needles to get the tool in, and comes out with a few blows

 

im in the process of getting mine out right now, and i made 2 custom tools and broke them, made a third custom tool, and had a sort of slide hammer on it, and it is just bending, gonna get the real tool from autozone tomorrow and see if that works, if it doesnt then i think i am going to go crazy, finally found a socket big enough for that flywheel nut and now i cannot get the pilot bearing out....damn mazdas =D

 

Step away from your motor

just kidding The pilot bearing is inside the tail end of the e-shaft. Look where the big flywheel nut screws on. It should be inside that hole. If you have a automatic tranny, it shouldn't be one in there. If you replace the motor in a car that has an auto tranny, and you use the motor from a car with a manual tranny, you don't have to pull the pilot bearing out, but you do have to pull out the bushing that sits in front of the pilot bearing. The bushing will prevent the torque converter from seating against the flywheel, but the pilot bearing sits too far back inside the shaft to get in the way.

 

ya i have had to cut all the ones that i replaced out. i have tryed everything nothing seems to work as good as the old dreme. l

 

Some of the questions that haven't been asked yet:
is a solid or roller pilot bearing, kinda hard to dremel it out if its solid brass? Have you used a penetrating lubricant like PB Blaster on it? The manual should tell you how to remove it, but you can try heating the metal up with a propane torch first. remember to spray it down and let it sit for a while. What kind are you going to put back in? Its just a recommendation but you might want to put a solid brass pilot bearing in it, you wont have to worry about the roller bearings whereing out on you.

 

I have tried all makes and shapes of pullers on the
pilot bearing and the only one that worked every time
with no effort at all,, is the mazda puller.
if you are doing any numbers of rebuilds its a must
have kind of tool, makes life much easier.
if you are doing only one or two ask nice at the mazda
dealer and they might lend you one..

matt