4104 Pilot Bearing Greasing

Nova Eona · August 31, 2020, 09:14:13 AM

Hey all, went to grease my pilot bearing yesterday and found that the grease within the channel was pretty old and hard-packed; I remembered reading someone on here had once used a length of wire to clear the tube and tried that, but the 14 gauge copper wire I had on hand was either too thick (hopefully) or else the grease was so solid it couldn't get through. Took it for a drive to heat it up, but that made no difference; eventually I just added a few pumps of grease anyways, on the premise that not knowing whether any of it got to the bearing is better than knowing for certain that none got there. Any tips or advice?

thomasinnv · August 31, 2020, 09:21:19 AM

Heat the wire with a propane torch and it should push through the old hardened grease and soften it. Then push through a few pumps of new grease.

Utahclaimjumper · August 31, 2020, 01:52:21 PM

If you heat copper wire it will be too soft to push anywhere..>>>Dan

thomasinnv · August 31, 2020, 04:05:47 PM

Quote from: Utahclaimjumper on August 31, 2020, 01:52:21 PM
If you heat copper wire it will be too soft to push anywhere..>>>Dan

Then don't use copper

Utahclaimjumper · August 31, 2020, 04:20:25 PM

My point!!>>>D

luvrbus · August 31, 2020, 07:31:54 PM

Can you grease a pilot bearing on 4104 ? lot of those have a brass bushing

Nova Eona · August 31, 2020, 07:38:41 PM

By the book, there's a plug in the flywheel which allows you to, and the original bearing was grease-able. It's entirely possible that this bearing may have been replaced by a sealed bearing which no longer requires regular greasing, but I'd rather try to grease it than pull the transmission to find out for sure.

Found some steel wire in the basement that should do, I'll give that a try with some real heat.

dtcerrato · August 31, 2020, 08:39:21 PM

Correct on the plug in the flywheel but there's no telling if it is still a grease-able bearing or bushing. When I did a clutch job on our 04 recently I replaced the pilot bearing with a sealed bearing. I too unclogged the grease passage you're talking about after removing the plug to install a temp grease jerk. It was a pita to get the grease in but after wiring in persistently you could tell when the hardened grease let go by the stroke of the gun. Good luck.

Nova Eona · September 07, 2020, 05:51:37 PM

Alright, well went back again with a steel wire and a torch - got maybe two inches in, definitely not all the way to the bearing. Got to the point where I was worried about starting a fire if I kept shoving a glowing-hot wire in there and it was getting dark, so eventually I gave up, topped off what I could with fresh grease again, then closed it all up. I figure I'll keep trying to add grease annually just for good measure, and time will tell whether that bearing even needs grease or not.

That said, what are the early-warning signs to watch out for on these regarding pilot bearing failure?

sledhead · September 08, 2020, 04:32:02 AM

I know nothing about the pilot bearing greasing but I have had good success with a air grease gun getting old grease nipples to take new grease as way more pressure

dave

chessie4905 · September 08, 2020, 04:55:37 AM

Maybe someone installed a sealed pilot bearing.

Nova Eona · September 08, 2020, 06:09:37 AM

Quote from: chessie4905 on September 08, 2020, 04:55:37 AM
Maybe someone installed a sealed pilot bearing.

That's my hope, however I won't know for sure until it either fails or I have to pull the transmission for some other reason.

I've seen cautions against using a powered grease gun on this particular application, and honestly I don't think I could get the zerk seated well enough to take the pressure anyways, there's barely any room to work and I really don't want to get the fitting stuck.

luvrbus · September 08, 2020, 06:39:51 AM

Quote from: Nova Eona on September 08, 2020, 06:09:37 AM
That's my hope, however I won't know for sure until it either fails or I have to pull the transmission for some other reason.

I've seen cautions against using a powered grease gun on this particular application, and honestly I don't think I could get the zerk seated well enough to take the pressure anyways, there's barely any room to work and I really don't want to get the fitting stuck.

I never done it on a 4104 but have in other applications i just pump paint thinner into the line for a week or so and the grease will soften,I have a miniature grease gun that's all I use it for