How to Remove Pilot Bearing? Please ASAP!

[Drew1287]

I am trying to install my spec stage 2. I just finished putting the headers on and now I am ready to start reassembling. I cannot get the old pilot bearing out. How did you guys do it?

 

[Drew1287]

Nobody has any ideas even?

 

[TJM01]

Nobody has any ideas even?

You need a special tool to do it. It's a slide hammer with two fingers on the end that go behind the bearing. I don't know if you can rent one somewhere but that's what is used.

 

[yellow2kgt]

This is how I got the one out on my friend’s cj 5. Cram the hole with thick grease (wheel bearing grease should do the trick.) Then use a punch that is as close as possible to the id of the pilot bearing (I ended up just turning one down on a lathe so it had just a few thousands clearance.) Give it a whack or two with a hammer. The idea behind this is it forces the grease in the hole, which has nowhere to go so it presses the pilot bearing out with hydraulic pressure. This is a trick that my dad taught me, and it actually worked quite well for me.

 

[Qrazy02GT]

Yellow2kgt has it right on the money...Thats how I have always done mine...The trick is finding a punch a metal rod that is close enough in diameter to create a hyrdaulic situation....In the old days when I had access to a lathe I just turned on up...It works really well for an old school method...

 

[Scrody96GT]

Yellow2kgt has it right on the money...Thats how I have always done mine...The trick is finding a punch a metal rod that is close enough in diameter to create a hyrdaulic situation....In the old days when I had access to a lathe I just turned on up...It works really well for an old school method...

When I changed mine out a couple of years ago, NOTHING would get it out. I tried two slide hammers AND the grease method. I finally had to take a dremel and cut a notch in the outer lip of the pilot bearing. I took a screwdriver and hammer and tapped the notch till it started coming out, then yanked it on out with the slide hammer.

 

[Realdealoo8]

Autozone has the tool and the slide hammer in their loner tool program.