My bearing on bearings and wear limit questions

[rapieper at yahoo.com (Ron Pieper)]

--- stetson <tim@unrealexpectations.ath.cx> wrote:
> The BAD news is the pinion rod bearings (and races) show war wounds and
> severe hazing over the contact surface in the races. Even some wear
> evidence from needle bearing area on the pinion shaft itself!

Pinion SHAFT bearings, iff'n ya don't mind...

> SINCE these secrets have come to light and shown their true nature I feel
> pretty good on saying the diff bearings are good (until I drill it and all
> those itty bitty tiny infintisimal motes of free floating sandpaper from
> drilling that you never seem to be able to blow out intermingle w/ the
> tranny oil), BUT since the pinion bearings show a bit of wear, how
> many of you think that replacing ALL of them (needle bearings) would be a
> good idea?

K...this is a TRANNY, not an engine, so it's not the swiss watch of the mechanical world.  I've
torn many down that "shifted fine!" according to either me or the PO, while the innards were a
DMZ.  They tolerate small bits of this-and-that fairly well, especially speedo gears.  The needle
bearings seem quite up to the task, as to the rear mainshaft ball bearings.  The PITA is replacing
the small pinion shaft bearing, it virtually always needs replacing, and about 50% of the time I
do the big end too.  Just depends on how it looks.  Your big end looks marginal, your small end is
toast and I can hardly even see it.  That being said, they still shift fine and otherwise behave
OK with really toasted small pinion shaft bearings.  

If you like the diff bearings, leave 'em.

FWIW if you put a tranny and and engine in front of me, and said "rebuild either!" I'd pick the
tranny.  Every time.

HTH, at least a wee bit,

Ron








	
		
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