been there
Pilot Bearing Hell.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,335
Likes: 167
From: Truckee CA
Pilot Bearing Hell.
Has anyone else gone thru hell trying to remove the pilot bearing? This isn't my first rodeo doing it, and I have gone through 4 or 6 pullers, 3 diamond bits. Looking forward to getting this one out, and hope it's the last time.
Mark.
Mark.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 874
Likes: 107
From: Detroit MI
I rented the puller and slide hammer from O'Reilly. The puller fingers didn't quite fit, so I disassembled the puller, put the fingers in individually, and reassembled. The bearing was out in less than 5 minutes.
Instructor
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
From: Land O Lakes FL
Haven't done one on the current car, but I did on my '02. Took forever and the old pilot bearing was utterly destroyed in the process. Didn't break, but did damage the puller a little. It's been a few years so I don't remember how well the pull fingers fit, but it's possible that's what my problem was back then.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,956
Likes: 135
From: Maryland
Like the others, I used the slide hammer puller and disassembled it to get it in the bearing. Some people grind the puller but I'd rather leave as much metal on it as possible.
Don't worry about tearing up the bearing. The outer lip is significantly stronger than the inner lip. I broke the inner lip, cleaned the bearings out, set the puller on the outer lip and it practically slid right out.
Don't worry about tearing up the bearing. The outer lip is significantly stronger than the inner lip. I broke the inner lip, cleaned the bearings out, set the puller on the outer lip and it practically slid right out.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
Racer
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 316
Likes: 45
From: Sarasota
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,008
Likes: 57
From: Kensington MD
Same, except the little fingertips on the puller I rented didn't quite have enough grab, and the fingers were a little too fat to fit inside the PB, so I did a little grinding to clearance everything. The bearing did basically have to be bashed to hell with the slide hammer, though—even if I wanted to, there's no way it could have been reused.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 472
Likes: 9
From: San Diego CA
Last edited by SVT_Z06; Jun 10, 2017 at 01:02 PM.
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 15,685
Likes: 1,330
From: Machineguns, because I don’t compromise
Everyone uses a slide hammer puller. Duh.
Some of them seem literally seized in there. All you can really do is cut the bearing which does two things. 1) weakens it. 2) makes you feel better by destroying it.
Some of them seem literally seized in there. All you can really do is cut the bearing which does two things. 1) weakens it. 2) makes you feel better by destroying it.
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 32
Likes: 2
I also used the harbor freight puller. My pilot bearing was only 2 years old, so it came out fairly easy. At first I was gripping the slide hard with my fist and slamming it against the stop. I had much better luck throwing the slide at the stop. Energy increases with the square of speed, so the faster you can get the slide moving, the more yank it'll impart