Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Clutch Pilot Bushing/bearing

[DProehl]

Does anyone have any experience with using a bushing verses a bearing on their clutch pilot shaft? My 96 ate the bearing and machined the pilot shaft pretty good. I'll have to lathe the shaft down and press on a chromoly sleeve to bring it back to . 750. I've replaced a lot of bearings on these over the years, seems like there should be a super fix for this out there. Thanks in advance.

 

[JWilkinson]

Quad 4X4 has the bearings you want. Good service from Dan, too.

 

[GCroyle]

Enviroment and Driver Input

Two topics to take into account while you are looking into this.

1. Enviroment. Check for dowel sleeves (on the back of the engine) and the condition of the mating holes in the housing. These control concentric alignment of input shaft to crankshaft. Easy for these to get lost in the shuffle.

2. Minimize the amount of clutch released / in gear stop light time. This is when the pilot is active, I pop mine into neutral at a light, foot off of the pedal.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

A bronze bushing won't last as long as the bearing if the bell housing is aligned perfectly. However, the bushing usually won't cause the kind of damage you have on our input nose. A bushing with . 75: ID and 1. 0” OD is a standard part, easily available for a few dollars from bearing companies. After about 19096, the lip seals and type of grease in the Mopar needle bearing were improved. Either type, bushing or bearing, shouldn't be expected to last more than 100,000 miles with the normal usage of a clutch. That would be a mix of city and highway driving, and using neutral at stop lights so the input is not stationary while the flywheel is turning at engine speed.