Mechanic Hack! Pilot Bearing VS Slice Of Bread

When you’re out in the garage, sometimes, processes to work on a car just aren’t as efficient as they seem to be and you just need to make up your own little hacks.

This time, the task at hand is removing the pilot bearing from the back of a Ford 302 and instead of using the old-fashioned method of pumping grease in, they got creative. The mechanics here, instead, used a tight-fitting rod and slice of bread, creating a sort of hydraulic ram to get behind the bearing and force it out of place.

The pilot bushing is seldom thought of as a part of the clutch system but it is one of the most vital parts of the system. It pilots the end of the transmission input gear in the crankshaft. If it is worn or not running “true”, it can cause serious clutch problems or transmission failure. Pilot bushing bore runout should always be checked with a dial indicator and should be within 0.002″ total. The bronze bushing type should be a press fit in the crankshaft bore. It must be installed carefully. It should have between 0.002″ and 0.003″ clearance on the transmission shaft when installed. The pilot bushing is only functional when the clutch is disengaged but it is a factor in input gear alignment at ALL times.

Check out the video below that shows the cool little trick that could save some time and possibly a messy cleanup if you play your cards right.