How to Break a Pilot Bearing

The pilot bearing, also called a pilot bushing, serves a very important function on the automotive vehicle. The pilot bearing, usually made of brass, keeps the input shaft of the transmission steady inside the crankshaft sleeve, so that it can rotate freely. Bearing grease keeps the transmission input shaft from wearing against the pilot bearing. When a pilot bearing loses its grease or deteriorates from rust, it ultimately fails and must be broken loose from the crankshaft sleeve and replaced. A competent DIY repair person can break their pilot bearing out with a few tools and easy steps.

Instructions

1

Clean the inside of the crankshaft bearing sleeve with a cylindrical tube brush and carburetor cleaner. Remove all old grease and buildup inside the pilot bearing, all the way back to the end of the crankshaft recess hole. Twist a rag into a spiral and clean out the inside of the pilot bearing hole. You should have the engine out of the vehicle and on an engine stand, or remove the transmission and flywheel, if you have not already performed this procedure.

2

Insert a drift pin inside the pilot bearing to test it for fit. Use a flat-end, round drift pin that has a slightly smaller diameter than the pilot bearing hole. Fill up the pilot bearing cavity with heavy-duty wheel bearing grease, so that it protrudes from the end. Place the drift pin at the edge of the pilot bearing, just inside the hole. Wrap a rag around the end of the drift pin, to keep grease from splattering outward.

3

Place a medium-size sledge hammer on the free end of the drift pin and start hitting it with medium blows. Continue to hammer the pin inside the pilot bearing hole, forcing the grease to push the bearing out (from the backside) with hydrostatic pressure. Add more grease if it escapes out the end. Hammer until the bushing pushes out from the sleeve, where you can use a pair of pliers to grip it and pull it out.

4

Clean the inside of the pilot bearing hole with carburetor cleaner, a round tube brush and a rag. You will need to use a pilot bearing extractor tool if the grease procedure did not work on your vehicle. Unscrew the long bolt from between the two extension prongs on a pilot bearing extractor tool. Insert the prongs inside the pilot bearing, far enough to allow the end barbs on the prongs to catch behind the lip of the pilot bearing.

5

Screw the pilot bearing bolt back into the prong threads, by hand. Use a socket and wrench to tighten the bolt clockwise. Keep turning the wrench and watch for the bearing to back out of the sleeve. Keep turning until the bolt hits the back of the crankshaft recess. The bearing will exit the sleeve completely, allowing you to pull it free.