V8 Pilot bearing install

Luk clutch kit.

Need to install a pilot bearing in AMC V8. In the FSM it says to soak the new bearing and the lubricating wick in engine oil.....then....Install lubrication wick.

I've read several places the bearings should not be soaked in engine oil. The oil in the bushings are forced in under pressure and I'd assume the soaking is a complete waste of time and oil. Unless it needs the oil to seat properly and act as lubrication as it slides in? Still makes no sense.

And what is the wick? The motor had an auto and I am going to a manual.

I assume the newer bushings don't need to be soaked in oil and they don't need a wick.

Plan is to toss the bearing in the freezer, quickly line it up and tap-tap-tap it in, keeping it very straight until it is flush. Install flywheel to 105 foot pounds. Do I really need to check the face runout of the clutch housing?

Then install clutch.


Attach bellhousing to tranny, install throwout bearing and slide it all together.

Thoughts or comments?

 

Thanks. Will soak in oil. And put in freezer.

 

When I tapped mine in, I used a small piece of wood as a cushion and to distribute the tap so that I didn't mushroom the bushing. When you install the clutch alignment tool, you should know if the end is mushroomed inward because the tool won't slide in.

I also didn't soak my bronze looking bushing, and it was my first clutch job

 

I got the clutch 2 days ago. I checked again last night. I did not get any instructions. I got a warranty card. I'll see what LUK has on it's website for instructions.

 

I've always soaked any I've installed....
Back in the day, our mechanics did the same, but usually not enough time as most clutch jobs were in and out in a day.
But I do recall mechanics getting the bushing and dropping it in a cup of oil to soak, before they even started the repair.
We always installed the wick as well.
But we were a dealer....

 

All Good points.............

From the factory "Oilite" is vacuum impregnated................I've never soaked one just from the standpoint I did not like having any chance of oil getting on the clutch friction surface's....Of course that's a personal opinion............if I were to soak one perhaps I would to do that for several hours of soak and perhaps overnight for a drain..........Then again I would almost think that heating up the bushing and oil together might allow for a better imprenation of the lubricant ?? Personally............I put a little Anti-Sieze on the tip of the input shaft and call it a day! There is also the option of using a sealed two piece roller bearing pushed into the back of the crank that works great if your application allows!

Oilite is formed using powder metallurgy so that tiny pores are present in the metal. The pores are then vacuum impregnated with an oil to improve the materials bearing ability.[SUP][3][/SUP] The material holds approximately 20% oil by volume.[SUP][4][/SUP] The most common lubricant is SAE 30 oil.[SUP][5][/SUP]
Due to the porous structure, machining Oilite poses a special situation. To machine Oilite, the cutting tool must be—and stay—sharp; therefore, tungsten carbide is often used. The sharp tool preserves the open-pore structure, because a dull tool would smear the material and close up the pores that are on the surface adjacent to the journal, which is where the lubrication needs to be. Reaming is not recommended, but can be done with an extremely sharp tool. Honing and grinding should not be performed on any surface that is in contact with the journal as these processes always smear the pores.[SUP][3][/SUP]
[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
Chemical composition of various Oilite grades[SUP][3][/SUP][TR]
[TH][/TH]
[TH]Copper [%][/TH]
[TH]Iron [%][/TH]
[TH]Graphite [%][/TH]
[TH]Tin [%][/TH]
[TH]Other elements (max.) [%][/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Oilite[/TH]
[TD]87.2–90.5[/TD]
[TD]1 max.[/TD]
[TD]0–0.3[/TD]
[TD]9.5–10.5[/TD]
[TD]1.0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Super Oilite[/TH]
[TD]18–22[/TD]
[TD]Balance[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]2.0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Super Oilite 16[/TH]
[TD]18–22[/TD]
[TD]Balance[/TD]
[TD]0.6–1.0[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]2.0[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

I got the clutch 2 days ago. I checked again last night. I did not get any instructions. I got a warranty card. I'll see what LUK has on it's website for instructions.


From the website:
Lubrication




Never lubricate conventional ball bearing pilots. A small amount of bearing grease can be used on needle bearing pilots; however, never use grease on sintered bronze bushings. The material in the bushing is designed to gradually release lubrication through small pores. Use a few drops of SAE 30-weight motor oil as an aid to installation.
Lubricate the input shaft splines with a very small amount of high-temperature grease. Then test fit the disc on the splines to distribute a thin film of grease. Make sure it moves freely. Remove the disc and wipe away any excess grease.
Lubricate the bearing retainer with a very light film of high-temperature grease applied to the sliding surface. If the inner diameter of the release bearing is made of nylon, do not lubricate.

 

Patrick
It consisted of a maybe 2" circle diameter by 1" thick piece of foam.
You soaked it in oil, squeezed out the excess, and stuffed it into the crank opening before installing the pilot bushing.
S6 and V8s both used them if I recall.

 

Pilot bearing all in. Tossed in freezer, put a thin coat of oil in the end of the crankshaft where the bearing seats and tappa-tappa right in with a hammer and a socket. Measured .02 different in size right out of the freezer with the pilot bearing the smaller of the two.





New bearing retainer on the front of the trans, sealed with black RTV. Hardest part was cleaning the oil out of the lower bolt holes so I could get a seal there.


Thanks for all the help.

 

The bushing I installed for my T15/304 must have been longer than that one you have because the outside end of mine didn't seat flush with the outside of the crankshaft cavity. Neither did the original one that I pulled out. Probably sticks out a good 1/8"-3/16". I checked the inside, and it seated all the way against the inside taper.

 

Check and make sure pilot on input will fit... I just did a clutch in my'79 and neither the roller bearing that came in the clutch kit nor the bronze bushing I bought would fit. '79 was last year of the T150, so not sure WTF was up with that, but much easier to test now then when you get the trans/t-case all the way up but that last 3/4".