1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I posted on here (and got a good ribbing for it) a while back my idea on refurbishing the pilot bearing in place, in cases where it seems a little dry but is not seized or rattling and where getting a new one is difficult. Getting it out is a pain in the neck because Saab puts such excellent thread locker on the flywheel bolts that they fight all the way out, and because they have such low-profile heads that the socket wants to slip off them. (Could try grinding a 17mm socket down to eliminate the flaring at the mouth, that would make it fit and stay on the bolt heads easier.)
My bearing fix: drill a tiny hole through the seal (it's the least invasive way to get past it; prying it up can deform the internal tin that gives it its shape and it might never seal again). Then use a grease injector needle available at auto parts stores and some hardware stores, in a grease gun, to squirt a small amount of fresh grease inside. Don't overdo it or you'll blow the seal, or the back side seal. Could put in a tiny squirt of oil too. Don't worry about the dried lube inside, the new grease will revive it. Then wipe the hole area well and put a tiny daub of silicone over it if you worry about grease coming back out.
The drill can't do anything to the ball bearings inside; if it hits one it will just push it aside. And the drill waste will all be pulled out the hole, and even if a tiny amount got inside it's pretty trivial stuff and can't hurt the bearing. The bearing is only called on to turn during those brief periods when you have the clutch depressed, and not at tens of thousands of RPMs but usually 1,000 to 3,000. New grease should set you up for years if not for ever.
I have an idea to make an in-place pilot bearing puller, using a 6mm (M6) bolt a few inches long, with the head ground away for about half the circumference, and some short tube with a notch down the side to go in the hole and keep the bolt pushed over to the side so the head it does have stays behind the pilot bearing's inner race. Then put a washer and nut on the bolt and tighten till it pulls bearing out.
posted by 64.222.25...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
