Pilot bearing Info Please.

[AZKen]

My Pilot bearing fell out when removing trans/clutch. Read on the web it should fit tight. Light to medium press. None of this info was for 305E, but general chevy, ford, etc. They all said to punch/burr up the crank shaft recess that receives the bearing. Or knurl/punch the bearing. This will create a tight fit. I have done this on other parts of trucks and it generally works. My question is: The 305 bearing is in the flywheel not the crank end. I'm getting ready to gouge the recess in the FW. Has anyone done this? and is the 305 bearing supposed to be tight in the flywheel as it is in other installed bearings in other motors? I know it can't escape with the tranny in place and it is not loose in there except axially. Not going to have it knurled or get a new FW. New bearing is 7109.

[bobdylan]

The manual just says to clean the pilot bearing and check for roughness by turning the bearing race. Replace if rough. Thats all it says.

[AZKen]

It does need to be lightly tapped to get past the entrance lip which has a "ring ridge" from years of operation. After it's tapped past that and bottoms out on shoulder, it can be pulled back and forth (slides back and forth). I'm all for leaving it that way if others can state if theirs was a press fit or a slip fit. As I say, everything on the internet says pilot bearings are pressed in/tapped in albeit not a 305 V6. Having the OD spin in the hole is not what a bearing should do, if it does that.

[bobdylan]

The manual mentions using a puller to remove the pilot bearing on the straight six only, so I would think that the v6 is not pressed in. But Would like to here what the experts have to say.

[AZKen]

Thanks Bob, I did notice that also on my 1960 Manual.

[AZKen]

Well I went ahead and chiseled up some burrs on the FW recess and she pressed in tight. Had to hammer pretty hard so I'm satisfied. Put a washer in there first to keep my chisel/burrs out away from the rear shoulder so that burrs would not bunch toward back and keep bearing from seating (bottoming out). Thanks

[bobdylan]

I'm glad your getting it figured out. I need to but a clutch in my Suburban, and would just as soon learn from you mistakes.

[Clyde]

Green loctite.

[FetchMeAPepsi]

The bearing on mine went in the flywheel if I remember right. It just sits in there though. I tried pounding it in the crank hole forever and kept thinking, wow, it wasn't this hard to get out! What's wrong here? I looked at my pics and lo and behold, it didn't go there. Little grease to hold that sucker in and she held right fine till I got the rest of the tranny stabbed through and bolted up.