Hi all, Here is a really easy way to turn what could be a 3 to 4 hour job to a 3 to 4 minute job. Here are the tools required
TOOLS
1.Pilot bearing "install tool" or a bolt with same inside diameter as pilot bearing
2. Hammer
3. Slice of bread
4. 2 Slices of bacon (crispy)
PROCEDURE

1. Eat the bacon
2. Push bread inside pilot bearing and pack it with your finger
3.Insert install tool in the bearing and pack in the bread by striking the install tool
with the hammer.
4. Repeat steps 2-3
5. Rejoice for the simplicity of fluid dynamics

 

Tryed that on a mustang. pain in the ***. Ended up going to rent a bearing puller.

 

Dremel outside edge of bearing..use screwdriver to pry out Race with needle bearings.
Score the pilot Race( inside the eccentric shaft) forward to rear with a pencil like dremel bit.
The bearing can now be squished to get at with a pair of pliers.
If you file a flat screwdriver( my handy dandy method of shaping the flat tip to a "little bit cup like" ) it can be wedged in between the Pilot Race and the E shaft..
Bang,Bang,.,Pilot bearing starts to get smaller inside the E shaft.
It will fold in on itself and you just grab it with needle nose and yank.
DONE.
total time: 5 minutes..depending on Speed of dremel..lol!

NOTE: if you do not live in a Trailer Park,then this method may sound primitive!

(But ..I DO..and it works just Fine!)

Don't make me send Tanya Harding after you!

 

I admire the creative aspect of this, but you can never beat OEM. Besides, my car is gluten intolerant.
Bought this (MAZDA SST) several years ago. Used it...I don't know how many times. Takes < 30 seconds. No packing, no dremeling, no prying and no risk to e-shaft. As 'Ed' would say..."Job done".


Prices have gone up over the years but Harbor Freight also has a blind-bearing puller. It's now more than I originally paid for the SST. Still, over time, money well spent IMO....
Search results for: 'blind hole bearing puller set'

 

Worked great on my FD just yesterday.. the reason I posted this What kind of bacon did you use on the stang

 

$115.00 for the mazda tool or $0.12 slice of bread.

Right now I have more common sense than money.. lol.. Hopefully someday I can afford to throw away my cash on unnecessary things. Have had my eye on a diamond studded wash- cloth for some time now. lol

 

Wish I had that when I did mine, wasted almost 2 hours "packing and pulling" before I rented a puller, even that was a pain. Guess you can beat who designed the engine!

 

Lol skipped the bacon step...Must have been the problem.

 

I spent $14.99 Cdn on my dremel.(mind you I go through about 4 a year.)

I used the rest to buy a Gas Powered turtle neck sweater!.

 

You can do the same thing with grease, a dime, and a socket. Pack the thing full of grease, use dime to seal the hole in the socket, tap socket into pilot bearing.

Or if you are good with the Dremel it takes about 5 minutes to run a notch down the bearing and then pry out with screw driver.

If the bearing is destroyed (often they are) then the Dremel is many times the only way.