dcarroll95

iTrader: (3)

I inadvertently knocked some needles off a pilot bearing while putting in a manual transmission, and unfortunately used my 2 jaw puller on it which worked for me the last time. This time I managed to pull out the inner casing and was left with a very thin pilot bearing outer shell that even the Mazda puller (after waiting most of this week for) couldn't budge. I think I even broke my Mazda puller on it or at least seriously weakened it. I ended up buying a few tungsten carbide Dremel bits and tried them out on an old pilot bearing. The Dremel 9901 tungsten carbide cutter made short work of the outer casing and is flat across its length which seems like it would help prevent cutting into the E shaft. I got under the car on jackstands and laid it level across the underside of the top of the bearing and gently wore away at it. Stopped every 15-20 seconds to make sure I wasn't going through it and into the E-shaft. Then I pressed it further back to get the back 1/4 and was able to spin it and pull it right off with my fingers. And not a mark on the Eccentric Shaft (whew).

Side view with the single cut.

With the inner casing pulled out, there wasn't enough to grab on to.


I did a lot of searches on this and hadn't found which bit people were using, plus some posts said it was a 30 minute or longer nightmare, so I wanted to share that this bit literally took me < 3 minutes of work and turned what I was thinking might be a "tow of shame" to Rotary Performance into a much happier event.

And of course, use the Mazda puller first, but if you're in this boat fear not.

Dan

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Thanks for posting.

DaveW

I've used that approach multiple times to remove pressed-in DU bushings (used many places on my racecar, including the spider gears). In particular, in the differential's spider gears, they are pressed in against a shoulder that is almost the same ID as the bushing, making the use of any normal extractor impossible. As the OP said, this technique works like a charm, but you have to be careful to not ruin what they're pressed into.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Yep. This is a LAST RESORT to remove a pilot bearing, it's VERY easy to go too far and eat into the eccentric shaft.

If you are going to use this method go slow and steady and wear safety glasses for sure.

Big problem here is it's typically hard to get comfortable doing the work and it's hard to see what's going on, that makes it easy to go too far, have too much angle, and cause a major problem.

I have heard of cases of E-shafts that were damaged to the point a new pilot bearing wouldn't stay in place. At that point you're looking at a full engine rebuild to replace the shaft.

I'm glad OP solved it, just wanting to be clear this is a LAST RESORT and this method should be used VERY carefully.

Also, if the pilot bearing is good, I typically recommend cleaning, re-greasing, and installing a new pilot bearing seal. The seal can be pried out with just a screwdriver. If you don't have the Mazda tool you're often in better shape to leave it be than going down the rabbit hole of trying to remove it and cause more of a problem.

Dale

derSchwamm

iTrader: (1)

I spent several hours with a Dremel and different grinding stone bits removing mine when I rebuilt the engine (after it was reassembled of course...).

I tried every trick and nothing worked. I believe I did nick the e-shaft just a tiny bit in the process, and I haven’t had any issues (though I also haven’t taken the trans off). You still want to avoid it at all costs, but it doesn’t necessarily ruin the engine either