Nothing for puller to grab - pilot bearing

FWIW, the hydraulic pressure method (grease + snug-fitting item) worked perfectly for me. The slide-hammer I rented from Autozone was a total waste of time. I dug through all of my sockets and found one just the right size of outer diameter, packed the hole as full as I could of grease (you have to smoosh it in there right good with your fingers and get rid of ALL the air pockets, because air compresses easily and will ruin the hydraulic effect), then poked a 3" extension onto the socket and smacked it a few times with a 5-pound sledge (BFH). Popped right out.

Maybe give it another try, and PACK that hole full o' grease - I know there doesn't look like there's any space behind it, but trust me, there's enough to matter. At worst, you'll only be out a bit of axle bearing grease and a few minutes' time.

If you look at the new pilot bearing you'll notice 2 small relief's. This is where the tool hooks into on the backside of the bearing. Using the removal tool for me was a piece of cake. The last ditch effort would be the hydraulic method…and I've heard that using bar soap shavings instead of grease is cleaner and easier…and just as effective.

Booksix said:

Ok, I'll try again. I think I need to get more air out. Had a lot of compression (bouncing) the first time. As for the reliefs, I noticed, but they are way to small to hook the claw of the slidehammer onto.

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I thought so too...but it still grabbed just fine.

+1 on grease method works great everytime ....for me

Booksix said:

Well, the reason the claws don't grab is because they are to big. So big that I can barely even get ONE of the three claws into the bearing. And using just one claw also sets the whole thing off for a pull.

Anyway, I tried the grease method again, now that the inner bearing is out and it worked first try (the inner bearing didn't allow a good enough seal because of the bearing needles - it all oozed out). Anyway, that was way easier than I thought it'd be. Thanks for the tips... guess I just needed to try a few times/different tools to get it right.

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3 claws?!? You have the wrong puller man. There is a specific 2 prong puller tool used specifically for pilot bearings. Both legs fit inside the bearing and you tighten the tool which spreads the legs. You then attach the slide hammer and give it a couple of good tugs…and viola!

Anyways, at least you got it out.

same exact thing happened to me, i had to take a carbide dremel bit to it and cut it in half. took 5 mins.

I had to use wet paper torn in little pieces and kept pressing them inside. I used the brown paper bag. no grease no scratching the inside of the crank.

Allen