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Replacing the pilot bearing or bushing is the cheap, easy step everyone skips and then regrets. It sits in the back of the crankshaft (or the flywheel, depending on the setup) and supports the nose of the transmission input shaft. If the old one is dry or notchy and you reinstall the transmission over it, you get a growl in the clutch pedal, hard shifting, and eventually a chewed input shaft. The part costs a few dollars. The right way to get the old one out costs a little more, and the wrong way costs you a crankshaft.
Two things live in that bore depending on the vehicle: a caged roller bearing or a solid bronze bushing. Both come out with the same tools, but the bronze bushing is friendlier to the grease trick. Know which one you have before you start.
The Four Ways to Get One Out
| Method | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Blind-hole (internal) puller | Collet expands inside the bearing, slide hammer yanks it straight out | The reliable, do-it-right method for bearings and bushings |
| Internal jaw puller + slide hammer | Jaws hook behind the bearing race, slide hammer pulls | Bearings with an accessible back edge |
| Grease / hydraulic trick | Pack the bore with grease, drive a snug dowel in, hydraulic pressure ejects it | No tool on hand; works best on bushings |
| Bread trick | Same idea as grease, using white bread as the medium | Emergency, when you have no puller and no grease gun |
If you do clutches more than once in a blue moon, buy a blind-hole puller set and stop improvising. If this is a one-time job, the grease trick genuinely works and costs nothing.
Blind-Hole Bearing Puller Sets — The Right Tool
A blind-hole puller is a set of collets (usually 8mm through 32mm) that thread onto a slide hammer. You pick a collet a hair larger than the bearing's inner diameter, slip it in past the back edge, then thread the center bolt to expand the collet so it grabs behind the bearing. A few sharp pulls on the slide hammer and the bearing walks straight out, square, with no side load on the crank bore. This is how a shop does it.
OEMTOOLS 27027 — Best DIY Value
The OEMTOOLS 27027 is the blind-hole set most home mechanics reach for. It covers a wide collet range for pilot bearings, bushings, and other blind bearings, and includes the slide hammer. It is not lifetime-shop-grade steel, but for the handful of times a DIYer needs it, it pulls the bearing and goes back in the box. Hard to beat for the money.
Check OEMTOOLS 27027
OTC / Powerbuilt Blind-Hole Sets — Step Up in Quality
OTC and Powerbuilt make blind-hole puller and slide-hammer sets built to survive a working bay. The collets are better steel, the threads hold up to repeated slams, and the case is organized. If you turn wrenches for a living or just want a set that will still work on the tenth clutch job, spend the extra here.
Check OTC blind-hole sets
ABN / Generic Slide-Hammer Puller Set — Budget
The generic 9-piece blind-hole sets sold under names like ABN cover roughly 8mm to 32mm collets with a slide hammer for well under the branded sets. The tolerances are looser and you may have to fiddle to get a collet to bite, but for a single pilot bearing it does the job. Inspect the collet threads before you slam on it.
Check budget puller sets
Dedicated Pilot Bearing Puller — Simple and Cheap
If you only want to pull pilot bearings and nothing else, a single-purpose pilot bearing puller (an expanding tip on a threaded shaft with a puller nut) is the smallest, cheapest option. It is less versatile than a full blind-hole set but takes up no room and gets the one job done.
Check pilot bearing pullers
The Grease Trick, Step by Step
When you have no puller and the bore is blind (closed at the back), hydraulic pressure does the work. It is messy but it is reliable, especially on a solid bronze bushing.
- Clean the bore of old oil so the grease seals against the walls.
- Pack the bearing bore completely full of thick wheel-bearing grease. No air gaps.
- Find a dowel or old input shaft that fits the bearing's inner diameter as snugly as possible. A close fit is everything; a loose dowel just squirts grease past it.
- Drive the dowel in with a hammer. The grease has nowhere to go but behind the bearing, and it pushes the bearing out toward you. Repeat: refill grease, drive, refill, drive.
- Bread works too if you have no grease. Stuff the bore with white bread and drive the dowel. Same hydraulic principle, less mess to clean but weaker.
Wear eye protection. Grease under a hammer blow comes back out the front around the dowel with real force.
Installing the New One — Do Not Skip This
- Check orientation. A caged roller bearing usually has a marked side that faces out (toward the transmission). Bushings are symmetric. Confirm before you press.
- Drive it square. Use a bearing/bushing driver or a socket that matches the outer diameter so you push on the outer race, never the cage or rollers. A cocked bearing binds the input shaft.
- Set the correct depth. Seat it flush or to the depth the old one sat, per the factory spec. Too deep and the input shaft nose bottoms out.
- A light film of grease on the bearing surface, then reinstall the clutch and transmission. Do not pack a sealed roller bearing full.
A proper bearing and bushing driver set makes the install as clean as the pull. It is the companion tool to the puller.
Check bearing/bushing driver sets
Doing the Clutch? Get the Kit Right
While the transmission is out is the time to do it once. gearboxinsider.com stocks clutch kits, pilot bearings and bushings, throwout bearings, flywheel hardware, and rear main seals so you are not making a second parts run. Same-day ship before 2pm Eastern.
Shop Gearbox Insider →FAQ
Do I really need to replace the pilot bearing during a clutch job?
Yes. It is a few dollars and the transmission is already out. A dry or notchy pilot bearing causes clutch chatter, hard shifting, and can chew the input shaft nose. Never reuse a questionable one to save five minutes.
What is the difference between a pilot bearing and a pilot bushing?
Same job, different design. A pilot bearing is a caged roller bearing; a bushing is a solid bronze sleeve. Both support the input shaft. Both pull with a blind-hole puller, and both respond to the grease trick, though the bushing responds best.
Will a two-jaw gear puller work?
Only if you can get the jaws behind the bearing, which you usually cannot in a blind bore. That is exactly why the blind-hole (internal expanding collet) puller exists. For a closed-back pilot bore, use a blind-hole puller or the grease trick.