Pilot bearing/input shaft.

[seijirou]

Alright, I should have done my research first. Now I'm kicking myself. But nevertheless.

I got ahold of a 4banger trans to put behind my 5.0 so it can be driven around. I did not know about that input shaft difference, so I just bolted it right up without changing the pilot bearing or the input shaft.

So here's the question. With grandma driving this thing. How bad is it going to be really, with the pilot bearing being too big for the snout of the input shaft.

Second question. Can I take a v8 input shaft and put it in the 4cyl transmission without changing the cluster gear?

Or is the only option when using a 4cyl trans to change to a different pilot bearing?

 

[bullitstang1313]

Just drive it around with the bigger pilot bearing in it. I drove mine that way for almost 2 years (almost 30,000 miles) with no problems. If you are going to upgrade to another transmission later on there is no reason to throw money at a 4 cylinder trans. I didn't grandma drive mine either, it went to the track several times.

 

[seijirou]

I figured it probably wasn't going to be all that big of a deal but I wasn't sure. Glad to hear someone else has actually done it. I'm still going to drive it like grandma though. This thing grenaded two v8 t5's already, I don't trust a 4cyl trans.

 

[jrichker]

What happens with the loose pilot bearing is one of these two things:
1.) It beats the pilot part of the input shaft up so that the pilot bearing rolller fragments jam between the input shaft and the pilot bearing housing. Then the input shft gets locked up with the engine and it is almost impossible to shift gears with the engine running. This ruins the pilot part of the input shaft in the process.

Or

2.) It wears the bearings in the pocket of the input shaft that holds the mainshaft. This allows the mainshaft to move around and tear up other things.


The pilot bearing you need is for a Ford Ranger diesel from AutoZone part #14672

 

[seijirou]

Anybody know offhand if you can actually put the 5.0 input shaft into the 2.3 trans box.

 

[jrichker]

The input shaft will fit. The cluster gear will probably need to be changed at the same time.


See http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/onlineorder/product.asp to download a FREE service manual for T5 or Tremec 3550/TKO
You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

See http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ or http://www.ddperformance.com for parts

A T5 rebuild kit with syncros, bearings and other small parts costs about $160. It does not include any gears or shafts.

http://www.hanlonmotorsports.com/ also has a video on how to rebuild your T5 or Tremec. It costs about $20, and is worth every penny of it.

I did a Tremec 3550 rebuild, and it wasn't that difficult. The video was an immense help, and I would recommend viewing it. At $20, it will give you an opportunity to look and decide for yourself if you think that it is something you want to try to do.

 

[seijirou]

Changing the cluter gear is what I would like to avoid if I can, that would mean all the other ones would have to be changed aswell, and then I'm into a complete rebuild. Rebuilding a T5 isn't that hard, I just don't have great facilities and it's getting coooold outside now.

I was thinking about this, if I'm not mistaken, the input shaft is basically 4th gear. In both the v8 and the 4banger transmissions, 4th gear is 1:1. So I would think if I had a shot of any of the gears being interchangable without having to fiddle with the others, it would be 4th.

Time to see if I can find some tooth counts.