Pilot Bearing

Okay so I'm swapping my motor on my cj5 and I realized I need a pilot bearing. I pulled the old one out of the old motor using the bread trick. Needless to say the old one is wore out. I bought a new one and the I.D. is too small for the trans input shaft. What has everyone else done about this? I have a Buick 231.

 

Assuming it is the typical bronze type, any machinist can ream it to size.

 

What transmission? If it's a conversion, Novak sells conversion pilot bearings ... but the machinist may be easier.

 

Do not ream oil lite bronze, you bore it. Reaming will close up the pores.

 

Novak was able to help me out. You will need your OD and ID.

 

I did not know that. Interesting.

 

I have this to swap even for a worn oilite bronze original.
New PB 656 .59 x 1.09 sintered pilot bushing

 

I thought that Oilite is sintered bronze?

 

Yes it is.
But there are now what I consider modern composite sintered bronze (not the original oilite bronze) containing a percentage of iron.
Enough iron to make them attract to magnets

 

Oillite bronze invented by Chrysler back in the 1930's for water pump bushings.
Super oillite 16 is iron bronze based and came several years later. The iron based is not bad but a lot of people don't like it, its different.

 

So any ideas on best ways to re-lube an oilite bushing ?

 

The material is put under pressure when it's made in an oil bath, not sure other than re soaking them maybe in a pan of warm oil.

 

Rebuilding generators and starters using oilite bushings we always re-loaded even new ones. Set the bushing over the end of your finger (open hole) and fill it with oil (full) then squeeze the top with your thumb and you will see the oil ooze out through the sides. You will know it's now loaded.

 

Thanks Walt i'l try that first.
I was thinking I could heat it with a bic lighter (not hot enough to distort the dimensions)
Then cool / soak it in motor oil.

 

Hot plate with a pot of oil?

 

Get it hot enough, the surface tension will decrease to the point that oil penetrates the pores. Such a temperature has to exist, since the surface tension will go to zero at the critical point, where the phase transition happens. Hopefully that's below the ignition temperature!

 

This is great info guys. I use oilite bushings on some of my work stuff. I press then into steel parts but have to ream to fit. Its no much, but I guess I am ruining the product? I also didnt know you could "reload" them.

 

Another bit of info about oilite pilot bushings, they used to come with a small slug of wool wicking material the size of the bore of your pilot bushing. They would soak it in the oil like the bearing material was soaked in and slip it in the pilot bushing before installing the transmission in the bushing. This would help insure oil was kept in the pilot bearing.

 

Got my Oilite pilot bushings re-lubed last night.
I was leery of using too much heat fearing that the bushings could possibly stress relieve and deform.
So I came up with the following...

First I put the Oilite bushings in a glass jar with some acrylic paint remover.
Soaked them a little while to remove the old oil.
Yes after 5 minutes the clear thinner turned a yellowish color.

In the meantime I made a couple of wooden pistons to tightly fit the pilot bushing bores.

I next placed a smooth plate on my hydraulic press and then a pad of flat rubber on top of that.
Set an oilite bushing onto the rubber pad just below the ram.
Filled the oilite bushing cavity with Mobil One 15W-50.
Placed piston on top and started to ram it down the bushing bore.
Piston entered maybe 1/8" and the oil soon bubbled out from all sides of the Oilite bushing.
Removed the bushing and knocked the wood piston back out.

Simple as that ! Worked great !
I recommend an oversized / press fit piston.