three week old southbend is not working right at all. called peter and he has me a new one on the way, with no problem. there customer service is off the chain. anyways, i have had my old man, and my uncle tell me when i put the new one in, to put a pilot bushing in it rather than a bearing. no moving parts in a bushing. makes sense to me, but wondering if anyone has done it or had any problems with it

 

I have to disagree. Bearings are used almost exclusively on heavy duty applications. All modern big rigs use bearings also. Bushings are a thing of the past. A bushing will not hold up on a Diesel, no offense to your dad or uncle. There are also different grades of bearings. You can purchase high performance bearings with better grease and seals, made in the U.S. etc, if you are worried about reliability but please don't run a bushing, you will be pulling that tranny out again real soon if you do.

 

By the way, whats wrong with your clutch? I have seen so many discs installed backwards and people replacing flywheel bolts with standard thick headed bolts that cause release problems. Anyway let me know maybe I can shed some light.

 

the clutch grabs real bad. if i am at a atop light and push the pedal in and as soon as it starts to go into gear the truck lurches forward. it feels like its not disengaging all the way. also if i leave it idle in neutral, it feels like im goin to break the stick off tryin to force it into gear... it just started doing this when i put the sbc in it. i do know the clutch was installed correct, cause i did it. also got the correct flywheel bolts from napa. it just hasnt felt right from day one. it rattled real bad when i first put it in also, but thats gone now.

 

[QUOTE=Delectric;1713146]All modern big rigs use bearings also. Bushings are a thing of the past. A bushing will not hold up on a Diesel, no offense to your dad or uncle. QUOTE]
it takesa lot more than that to offend me or them... lol they are real old school mechanics. back in those days that is how stuff was. they dont undrestand technology these days.. ha ha. my uncle does have a bushing in his 94 12v though. he swears by it

 

are you there man

 

this always seems to be a great debate. Recently, in two different applications, i used one of each. It was mentioned to me that in passenger cars, there is no way to regrease the pilot bearings, thus they burn through the small amount of grease they get, and then start to fry needles. I too was told (by clutch/tranny parts retailer) to not get a bearing, and run with the included bronze bushing.

I too would like to know which is the better option.

 

my truck only has 10000 miles on it but. my dd is a honda civic i just put a clutch in it at 185,000 miles. the bearing that came out was still in great shape. i would use a bearing and not a bushing. less moveing drag also.

 

yeah. i think im finding out that bushings are kind of a thing of the past. most moderate clutch kits come with bearings

 

I own a transmission shop and work on alot of diesels, I would not install the pilot bearing. I have seen way to many of them explode and eat into the main shaft. All i install is the bushings, never seen or had any problems with them, even on turned up diesels. Just my 2 cents

 

Just to shed some light on pilot bearings/bushings. The only time the bearing or bushing is doing anything is when the clutch pedal is depressed. Basically it is only doing anything when the flywheel speed and transmission mainshaft speed (clutch) speed are different. This is on shifts briefly and when sitting at a light. A quality bearing in my opinion is much better than a bushing if it is installed properly. Cheap bearings can have problems. A bellhousing not aligned with the transmission properly can cause improper loading. A bearing that is aligned and installed correctly will have less friction/heat buildup than a bushing. I have replaced bushings on many cars with bearings because the bushings become dry and make horrible noises. Would it be wise to replace wheel bearings with a bushing because someone had a wheel bearing go bad? Why not? Easy, because there is less friction and heat build up from bearings then from bushings. The really good turbo's use bearings also....

Personally I would make sure to use a made in Japan or USA bearing (ie NOT one made in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, etc)and one speced for the application. You may want to use a dial indicator on the bell housing to verify the bell housing is true with the crank/trans mainshaft. But a quality baring installed correctly will be better than the bushing.

 

Just curious did you install the after market improved hydraulics??? Does this make a difference with a single disc OFE and your year model truck?

 

is is exactly why I said in my ist post that there are bearings of different quality. If you get a Chinese bearing it will wear like a Chinese bearing. Even U.S. bearings can come in different grades but a bushing will not perform like a bearing period. I too was in the clutch business for many years and I know many old timers like bushings but if you had a choice of having a TURBO with bushings or a TURBO with bearings what would you choose? Many bearings get damaged in installation because the input shaft is jammed into it or there are some who like to run the tranny in with the belhousing bolts because the input shaft is hanging up on the bearing and the tranny won't slide in easily which trashes the pilot brg. Anyway usmcduncan001, it's possible that the disc is bent or in backwards, or hanging up on the input shaft (not moving back and fourth because of burrs on the shaft), bent clutch diaphram or even a little oil on the disc. I always used a little emery cloth to make sure no burrs or nicks were on the shaft. Also I never put grease or any lubricant on the shaft, it can attract dust causing the disc to hang-up. let us know what you find I am very curious. That sucks to have to pull out the tranny again. I've been there before myself. THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE. Are you active now, reserve or prior service? Good luck to ya on the next clutch and hopefully last.

 

im active duty right now. stationed in yuma az. anyways, i will let you knoe how it goes. i am tryine to figure out if my syncros are messed up in second gear. it grinds every time i try to go into gear regardless if i double clutch or not. will what you mentioned in the previous post cause this?? i just dont want to pull the tranny to put another clutch in, and have the syncro messed up and have to pull it again. when i installed the clutch it went in smooth as butter. not as easy as some others i have done. that clutch has not felt right from the beginning. i was also told the redline mtl/ mt90 mix i have would cause this. but it used to feel it pull through the syncro in second gear and now it feels like its not even there. im lost as to what to do. i have been told all sorts of stuff

 

I have an auto but I know many newer manual trannies run very light oil, even ATF if I'm not mistaken. I gotta run but will comment more. The problems I mentioned will cause the disc to drag in some cases and the tranny can still rotate a little when disengaged causing shifting problems.