Pilot Bearing Puller didn't work right for me...

[Chythar]

Replacing the pilot bearing while I have everything apart. I rented one from my local auto store, and it only pulled out the middle bearing. The left bearing was removed, and the right one is the replacement bearing.

I tried to hook the bearing puller into the two notches on the back of the bearing, but that didn't work. Is there a special Ford pilot bearing puller that I need?

 

[R.J.]

At this point a slide hammer with a hook attachment will work.

 

[HGFireHazard]

The puller I used was from Autozone and it had two prongs on it and it was attached to a slide hammer. It worked perfectly for me the first time, it took 30 seconds.

I know a lot of people have problems getting these out, but as suggested above a slide hammer is perfect with the right attachment.

 

[Adam95GT]

yea same thing happened to me use a slide hammer...

 

[whitesqual]

find a socket that fits tight in the hole. If you cant find one that fits tight, used the next smaller size and wrap tape around it till it fits in the hole snug. Stick an extension in the socket and fill the socket and the hole with grease. Stick the socket in the hole then pound it in with a hammer. The hydraulics will force the stuck part of the bearing out. A little messy though!

 

[94-302-vert]

find a socket that fits tight in the hole. If you cant find one that fits tight, used the next smaller size and wrap tape around it till it fits in the hole snug. Stick an extension in the socket and fill the socket and the hole with grease. Stick the socket in the hole then pound it in with a hammer. The hydraulics will force the stuck part of the bearing out. A little messy though!

x2

 

[revhead347]

They always seem to come apart like that for me. I always do the center part of the bearing, and then go back and do the outer bearing. I used to use a slide hammer, but the one that you that you rent that turns it out with a screw works better.

Kurt

 

[Chythar]

The problem I had is that the "hooks" on the end of the tool I rented weren't small enough to fit in the notches in the outer bearing. Looks like I rented a worn out tool. I'll be checking out my local Autozone next.

 

[Chythar]

Problem solved, rented the Autozone tool and it pulled the outer race right out. For anyone else that reads this thread, be sure the hooks on the end of the pilot bearing tool you get are not rounded off. If they are, they won't grab the outer race around the bearing and you'll have to find another tool.

 

[302GTS]

Clutch swap's coming up soon on my car I think, so I'm glad I know what to look for in the pilot bearing puller when I rent it.

 

[GDTrumbo]

Here's a cool method. I would have never believed it if I hadn't watched it.
Grab a hammer, a 2" or 3" hex head bolt that the hex end will fit into the pilot bearing center hole, water and a bunch of notebook paper.

Start soaking pieces of notebook paper with the water and stuffing it into the pilot bearing opening. Place the bolt's hex end into the paper and pack the paper with the hammer. Keep packing more and more, over and over. After performing 8 or 10 packings on the paper you will start to notice the pilot bearing slowly working it's way out. It almost looks like a simple hydraulic action. It's kinda slow but the bearing comes out without a single scar anywhere.

I know, sounds silly. I worked fantastic.

GT