Pilot Bushing Removal

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Map63Vette

Map63Vette

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So I got a rebuild kit for my transmission and after taking it all out and apart I decided to check the pilot bushing too since the car has been making a nasty grinding noise when the clutch pedal is down and the car isn't moving. With everything removed (i.e. clutch, pressure plate, etc.) how much play should the input shaft have in the pilot bushing? I have the input shaft out of the transmission for a rebuild and when I put it in the pilot bushing alone it seems to have an awful lot of wiggle. I went to try to take it out so I could measure it real good and fit it over the input shaft end, but I cannot for the life of me get the dang thing out of the flywheel. My dad and I were under the car for a good hour trying the grease and hammer trick (fill the pilot hole with grease and drive a socket into it to use the pressure to drive the bushing out), but after beating on it and dumping as much grease as we could into it, it still doesn't even budge. Does anyone else have any other ideas for how to get one out? Or maybe a very specific sized socket or bolt or something that we should be trying to hammer with? We're both stumped, and I really think the bushing is bad, so I'd like to get it out while the transmission is completely out of the way.
 
Map63Vette said:
So I got a rebuild kit for my transmission and after taking it all out and apart I decided to check the pilot bushing too since the car has been making a nasty grinding noise when the clutch pedal is down and the car isn't moving. With everything removed (i.e. clutch, pressure plate, etc.) how much play should the input shaft have in the pilot bushing? I have the input shaft out of the transmission for a rebuild and when I put it in the pilot bushing alone it seems to have an awful lot of wiggle. I went to try to take it out so I could measure it real good and fit it over the input shaft end, but I cannot for the life of me get the dang thing out of the flywheel. My dad and I were under the car for a good hour trying the grease and hammer trick (fill the pilot hole with grease and drive a socket into it to use the pressure to drive the bushing out), but after beating on it and dumping as much grease as we could into it, it still doesn't even budge. Does anyone else have any other ideas for how to get one out? Or maybe a very specific sized socket or bolt or something that we should be trying to hammer with? We're both stumped, and I really think the bushing is bad, so I'd like to get it out while the transmission is completely out of the way.
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If the grease don't work....small cold chisel
 
Are you using a socket that Just fits inside the pilot bushing? And it is reversed onto the extension so it has a solid face to push against the grease-If you try to use the socket in the "normal" way it leaves to much of a air pocket and the grease will not compress. And then a sharp rap with your mallet.
 
I've heard the grease trick all my life and I have tried it several times on different applications, have never once been even remotely sucessful. Do yourself a favor and go directly to the proper tool...a slide hammer with the appropriate end on it. They rent cheap, (actually free rent from AutoZone) and you won't cobble everything up using it. Even with the correct tool, those bushings don't come out easy. Once you get it out you'll see what I mean, that is not the place to be pokin and pryin, gotta use the right tool here.
 
Like was said, you need to use a pilot bushing removal tool. I've tried all the so called ways to remove bushings and the only decent way to do it with the least amount of wear and tear on the crank counterbore is to get in behind the bushing with the inside jaws of a puller on a slide hammer that will pop the bushing out. Rent one and save yourself an hour on your back under the car cussing and SOB'n the car to no end!
 
Hadahemi said:
I've heard the grease trick all my life and I have tried it several times on different applications, have never once been even remotely sucessful. Do yourself a favor and go directly to the proper tool...a slide hammer with the appropriate end on it. They rent cheap, (actually free rent from AutoZone) and you won't cobble everything up using it. Even with the correct tool, those bushings don't come out easy. Once you get it out you'll see what I mean, that is not the place to be pokin and pryin, gotta use the right tool here.
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With me it was the other way.
Once i learned the grease trick it rarely fails for me.
I've always used an old input shaft as a drift.
 
Yeah, I called AutoZone and they didn't have a tool specifically for a pilot bushing, just a generic slide hammer set. I know Advance Auto here in town rents a slide hammer as well, but there isn't a small set of jaws or anything in the kit. We tried with as many sockets as we coud, it was about as close of a fit as we could get, but it never seems to have enough pressure to get anywhere. It's like there's a cave behind the pilot bushing, you have to pump so much grease in that you never know when it's full. It's a 318 for what it's worth. I heard an idea to basically cut threads into the bushing and try to pull it out or run the bolt all the way in till it bottoms on the crank and then let it screw itself out, but it was too late and cold outside to give it a try.
 
........jUST LEAVE THE BUSHING IN THERE, BUY A BEARING FROM MOPAR.......94 up application....problem solved....kim.........
 
Map63Vette said:
Yeah, I called AutoZone and they didn't have a tool specifically for a pilot bushing, just a generic slide hammer set. I know Advance Auto here in town rents a slide hammer as well, but there isn't a small set of jaws or anything in the kit. We tried with as many sockets as we coud, it was about as close of a fit as we could get, but it never seems to have enough pressure to get anywhere. It's like there's a cave behind the pilot bushing, you have to pump so much grease in that you never know when it's full. It's a 318 for what it's worth. I heard an idea to basically cut threads into the bushing and try to pull it out or run the bolt all the way in till it bottoms on the crank and then let it screw itself out, but it was too late and cold outside to give it a try.
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One of the spreadable collets in the generic set is what I have used in the past and worked well.

I've thought about the thread and bolt idea before..never tried it, but should work.
 
oldkimmer said:
........jUST LEAVE THE BUSHING IN THERE, BUY A BEARING FROM MOPAR.......94 up application....problem solved....kim.........
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Lol, they go in the same location...even if he went with a bearing, the bushing still has to come out.
 
If you try the threaded bolt idea be sure to use a coarse thread bolt. Fine threads will strip out in the bushing. Ask me how I know!
 
Hadahemi said:
Lol, they go in the same location...even if he went with a bearing, the bushing still has to come out.
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I don't think so, but maybe I'm wrong. I think I've read before where this is a solution for a crank that wasn't finish machined for the standard bushing.
 
'64 Cuda said:
I don't think so, but maybe I'm wrong. I think I've read before where this is a solution for a crank that wasn't finish machined for the standard bushing.
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The new bearing goes in the converter register part of the crank. It works very well if your crank isn't drilled. The downside being you have to cut about a half inch off of your input shaft. Kim's right, you could use the late bearing and not worry about the old one stuck in the crank. Or, you could by an actual pilot bushing removal tool. (Not the slide hammer). They're not that expensive and if you are gonna play with stick cars, it's a nice little deal to have in your box.
 
Revhendo said:
The new bearing goes in the converter register part of the crank. It works very well if your crank isn't drilled. The downside being you have to cut about a half inch off of your input shaft. Kim's right, you could use the late bearing and not worry about the old one stuck in the crank. Or, you could by an actual pilot bushing removal tool. (Not the slide hammer). They're not that expensive and if you are gonna play with stick cars, it's a nice little deal to have in your box.
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My mistake, just learned something myself!
 
I have always used a grease and a wooden dowel rod. If that does not work a cape chisel is the next best for removal.
 
.............Believe it or not, there is always a few things even old guys can learn, well i actually thought of that myself..........kim........
 
oldkimmer said:
.............Believe it or not, there is always a few things even old guys can learn, well i actually thought of that myself..........kim........
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Lol, I guess thats one of the costs to my being stuck in the seventies!
 
Put a threading tap in a drill, that just will thread into the bushing. When it bottoms out, it will pull the bushing out.
 
Well, I managed to get lucky and find one of the gear puller type removal tools more or less locally. It worked like a charm and made my day. I really didn't want to have to try to chisel that thing out with the bellhousing in the way while still in the car. Thanks for all the tips though, I'll have to remember some of those. The thing seemed to be in there pretty good, but the tool managed to get it out without tearing it up. It was also nice because I kind of wanted to measure up the old one and see how bad it looked. Chiseling it out would have made that hard, lol. Turns out the old one was a little under .8 inches as opposed to the stock .75. Don't know if it just got worn out or if it was wrong to begin with (my guess knowing my car).
 
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