4876-4VGA $16 from Harbor Freight and it looks like it would work nicely!

4876-4VGA

 

You can also rent one for free from AutoZone. I wonder how well those work.

 

Looks good Damon. I believe it would work for all gens. The last clutch (1st gen) I did I left the pilot bearing alone. Just lubed it and left it. This was based on some other threads on the difficulty in removing it without a proper puller. The coments in those threads on the Auto Zone and similar pullers was that they would work with some modification.

Have you looked at the Harbor Freight generic brake kit? I was contemplating ordering both front and rear brake tools from Mazda Motorsports or getting that brake kit.

 

Dammit dammit dammit.

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/how-remove-pilot-bearing-without-pilot-bearing-removal-tool-339030/

But I didn't spend the $16! Bwahahahahaha

 

I've used this type before. If it's the one from Harbor Freight or the like (cheap), it's a piece of crap.

The ends are too large and the metal is too soft. I think it only worked once on one of my RX-7's, out of about 6 times I've pulled the tranny. 1X in a first gen, 2X in a second gen, 1X in a 93 and 2X in my current 94. I ended up renting a puller from a local machinery place; it worked okay.

The last time I was lucky that a friend down the street had a bearing puller identical to the one in the shop manual and the one MazdaTrix sells. He purchased it from the Snap-On tool truck.

First from what I remember, you may have to grind down some of the material to get it into the hole of the PB. Then its a matter of it catching enough to pull it out. Unfortunately, the ends arent small enough to get to the end of the bearing nor are they strong enough to tighten on the inside enough to get a good grip.

 

I don't think I have seen that. I do have the front caliper tool from Mazda Motorsports though and it's a real treat to use.

 

Too damn big.

Before I got my Mazda pilot bearing through some kind of import company of Mazda, the way to do it was

move the pilot bearing around a little with a socket, get a compressed air powered grease gun, stick one end of the grease gun into the pilot hole, force gease thru the hole, it will usually, not always, push the pilot bearing out.

 

I've always used the Autozone tool. It's virutally free, and it's worked every time I've tried it.

 

Yup, AutoZone is your friend. You just pay a deposit to rent the tool and when you bring it back you get your all your money refunded. $16 is pretty cheap....but its not free lol

 

I've used the Autozone tool - you typically can only get one of the arms in the pilot bearing to pull it out. When the arms are new and nice, it works just fine. When the tips of the claw get worn down, it's VERY tricky to get out.

I bought the Mazda tool a while back - it's AMAZING how easy it is to pull the pilot bearing with it. Literally takes 30 seconds.

Dale

 

u have to grind the tips on the harbor freight one. not too hard if you have a handheld or bench grinder. the way it comes it comes from factory it is too big. oh and the arms are too short, but a couple of 2x4 sections took care of that. i guess the point is, it isn't the right tool for the job, but you can make it work if you don't mind rigging it a bit.

 

Yeah, I can see how the autozone tool wouldn't work that great if it's not brand new. But I've rented one about 6-7 times, and it's worked great every time. I suggest anyone trying to tackle this project go there and try it first. If it doesn't work, then you haven't lost anything, other than the few minutes it takes to go there and sign it out.

 

Yeah, but it was like $100.


worth it though.

 

like JMunilla said, the ends were too big to fit in the hole straight out of the box. but after a little grinding to the edges (they give you at least a 1/8" lip to cut away at) it fits and gets the job done for pretty cheap.

 

i tried the harbour feight one. the metal was so soft that it just rounded off the edges. i ended up cutting the bearing out. anyways in my opinion its a total waste of money.

 

Yep. Once you get one, you feel like you've made it, you're a true hardcore RX-7 nut .

It's worthwhile for me, as I knew I'd be using it on multiple cars. It's a hard sell if you just have your car and don't forsee working on other people's RX-7's.

But, if you've ever struggled with the wrong tool, you'll appreciate it. It's a joy to use. The day I got it we were digging around the garage looking for old eccentric shafts that still had the pilot bearing so we could remove it .

Dale

 

Thanks for the opinion; you saved me ~$10-16! I usually wouldn't buy that kind of thing at Harbor Freight but was tempted when it was on sale recently. My slide hammer from Snap-On has a puller attachment that is very effective, and there is the oval washer on a long bolt technique.

 

This other technique where you grind the washer down before putting it in the hole:

 

hahaaha Could of used it last weekend. I love Ghetto rigging! Where's the best place (cheapest) to buy the official Mazda one?

 

The Autozone tool's "teeth are slightly too large and too deep. i had to use a bench grinder to modify it to work. Once modified, it works great.

BTW. "Old School" guys used to pack the pilot bearing orifice with grease. Then insert the clutch alignment tool and hit it with a hammer repeatedly. the hydolic pressure would push the pilot bearing out.

 

Probably Ray Crowe. Good question, though.

I wonder if you can just buy the end of the tool without the slide hammer - that would save some dough.

Dale

 

My guess is that the old school guys didn't care if grease went all over everything, and that they didn't have plastic clutch alignment tools

 

I have done it successfully this way once, with a plastic alignment tool. It does not splatter around, just gets all over your hands and tools. Correct, it's very messy though.

 

How many tries did it take, and did it pop all the way out? I tried that method once, using paper towels with water, then grease. It didn't work; didn't even budge (the seal was already removed). I use a transmission input shaft instead of plastic alignment tool.