• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

Hard Shifting NV4500, less than 2 years on clutch

The pilot bearing depends on what's left. The bread/soap/grease method I have heard of but never tried. Depends on how well it seals to your drift/punch thingy could use a little electrical tape to tighten it up maybe. Use a rag to cover it I imagine it can be a messy process.
I have used a puller from Autozone rental and I have hacksawed through a bushing (use one of those blade handles or vice grips and blade only. Cut most all the way through it then hammer with chisel or punched it a little to bend it. It is soft and will cut bend easily then hook it out. A needle bearing cup might not cut so easy.

The puller didn't have that big of prongs but worked. I imagined if the puller didn't work I might try to rig something up like this ......With an angle grinder cut a bolt down to make an "L". wiggle it in then stick something in beside your L to hold it to side hooking behind the bushing. Make the L and pieces a size that can fit in a bigger deep 1/2 drive socket then put socket over long end of "L" washer then a nut and vice grips to hold end of bolt then wrench to tighten nut to make a puller. Just have to get creative if you don't have the right tool.
 
Thanks for the link @schiker. Didn't show up for me when I went to summit, entered my truck info and went to input/ pilot bearings section. Did you use this extra long bearing yourself with good results?

Going to be a fun weekend pulling everything meself, at least my neighbor who is kind enough to let me use one of his garage bays for the weekend has radiant heat in the floor so I'll just be miserable instead of cold and miserable 🤣
 
I have used the method of a length of shaft, a bolt or whatever else fits the pilot bushing or pilot bearing fairly close.
Pack the cavity behind the bushing/bearing with grease, insert the shafting material and fire away with the hammer. Sometimes need to install a little more grease but is seems to have always pushed out the bushing or bearing.
After seeing many of them beatings fail, I got to where I would go back in with a bushing.
And I always have used a slight smear of white assembly grease on the shaft and within the new bearing.
Many of those have outlived the engines or chassis.
 
No, I have not used it but am planning on looking at it in my hand to compare to standard options then decide. I posted it to show at least someone else believes the length of bearing surface is important and some don’t seat flush with crank end.

Also, I like it might help square seating.
 
IIRC, hasn't there been issues with the TO bearing fork bending? I seem to remember a thread on here by somebody way back (possibly before the site update) having clutch release issues that came back to the fork bending due to being cheap, stamped Chinesium. Also, shift rail wear issues and also bent shifting forks can definitely cause issues of grinding not going into/popping out of gear.
 
schiker said:
The pilot bearing depends on what's left. The bread/soap/grease method I have heard of but never tried. Depends on how well it seals to your drift/punch thingy could use a little electrical tape to tighten it up maybe. Use a rag to cover it I imagine it can be a messy process.
I have used a puller from Autozone rental and I have hacksawed through a bushing (use one of those blade handles or vice grips and blade only. Cut most all the way through it then hammer with chisel or punched it a little to bend it. It is soft and will cut bend easily then hook it out. A needle bearing cup might not cut so easy.

The puller didn't have that big of prongs but worked. I imagined if the puller didn't work I might try to rig something up like this ......With an angle grinder cut a bolt down to make an "L". wiggle it in then stick something in beside your L to hold it to side hooking behind the bushing. Make the L and pieces a size that can fit in a bigger deep 1/2 drive socket then put socket over long end of "L" washer then a nut and vice grips to hold end of bolt then wrench to tighten nut to make a puller. Just have to get creative if you don't have the right tool.
Click to expand...
I've actually done that myself!
 
MrMarty51 said:
I have used the method of a length of shaft, a bolt or whatever else fits the pilot bushing or pilot bearing fairly close.
Pack the cavity behind the bushing/bearing with grease, insert the shafting material and fire away with the hammer. Sometimes need to install a little more grease but is seems to have always pushed out the bushing or bearing.
After seeing many of them beatings fail, I got to where I would go back in with a bushing.
And I always have used a slight smear of white assembly grease on the shaft and within the new bearing.
Many of those have outlived the engines or chassis.
Click to expand...
I'm back to using the bushings only. I think I've seen one bad bushing in the last 40+ years working on vehicles but many bad bearings.
When you think about it the only time the pilot bushing or pilot bearing comes into play is when the clutch is depressed.
I wish the clutches were still mechanical. Hardly ever had issues with them and the throw out bearing didn't touch the forks till you depressed the pedal. Now they spin constantly because of the design of the hydraulic pedal, especially with the external slave cylinder. I'm sure the new bearings are designed for it but I'm old school and was taught not to "ride the clutch".




y
 
Hey, it could be worse. It could be a non-synchro Spicer 4-speed with electronic Reverse behind a 6-71 Detroit where you have to double clutch and match RPMS on every up and down shift - like what was the powertrain in my parents' Flixible VL-100 conversion motorhome I learned to drive when I was 15 and had my Learner's Permit and became dad's "relief driver" on family summer vacations. You should have seen the looks on some of those semi drivers' faces being passed by a 35' ex-Trailways bus with a 15 year old kid at the wheel!
 
Well found the culprit...

Threaded section of clutch fork pivot had snapped off so fork wasn't moving properly on pivot ball. Replaced in April 2020, unreal. I had the small little washer/ nut on the threaded section of the pivot ball, reused as they don't come with the new ones. Didn't think I had it too tight, although perhaps with the throw out bearing not being long enough the fork was pushing further than the nut allowed in order to fully disengage clutch, eventually snapping it off

Also pulled the clutch and pressure plate, clutch looked good as new. Until I picked it up and a small piece of spring fell out. Sheesh. Guess @twistedsteelperformance had the right idea getting an upgraded clutch. Didn't want to shell out $700 for a clutch but here we go

Pilot bearing was fine, but I decided to pull it anyways and replace with the bronze bushing. Or rather attempted to pull it using the grease method. No dice. Started breaking into pieces so I decided to call it a day and go back in there tomorrow with a die grinder.

Had already ordered adjustable t/o bearing from Novak, should arrive Tuesday. Ordering clutch now. Just hope my neighbor letting me take up his middle shop bay will be ok having me take up space for a few more days.
 
I went with the South Bend Stage 2 clutch, it was the highest rated clutch they make for our platform.

I like Torque King, but they wanted $160 to ship so I said nope

Got free shipping from here

usdieselparts.com

South Bend Clutch 375hp (Repair/Replacement) - 1992-1995 Chevy GMC 6.5L 04-163TZR

04-163TZR - South Bend Clutch 375hp (Repair/Replacement) for 1992-1995 Chevy GMC 6.5L diesel.
usdieselparts.com usdieselparts.com

For future reference, Novak adjustable t/o bearing instructions here

Novak Jeep Conversions - Home

Novak Engine & Transmission Conversions for Jeeps
www.novak-adapt.com www.novak-adapt.com

@Twisted Steel Performance thank you for offering to help with the t/o bearing, let me see if I have it correct:

Install clutch and pressure plate. Lay straight edge across pressure plate with enough edge sticking past plate so that you can measure distance from back of engine block to straight edge. Basically measuring distance from pressure plate face to back of engine block. This is measurement #1

Then install bellhousing on transmission and measure from front flat face of bellhousing back to the face of the transmission's front bearing retainer. AKA the rearmost point of the t/o bearing's travel. This is measurement #2

So subtract measurement #1 from Measurement #2. Next subtract about 1/8" for air gap clearance of bearing, then another 1/8" for clutch disc wear/ pressure plate finger rise allowance. This is the final t/o bearing size. Clear as mud?!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top