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M818 throwout bearing failure (bigtime!)

msgjd

Well-known member
1,062
3,245
113
Location
upstate ny
Wow! I am about to pick up the parts for a clutch change. I will definitely be repacking the T/O bearing. I have read that moly grease is common on them. How hard was it to get the bearing open?
You will likely want a high-temp sticky grease.. In a normal bench vice it was a piece of cake.. For the disassembly task, the vice should be holding only the forged slider assy, not the bearing case itself.. Never put clamping pressure on the bearing case, you don't want to distort anything except the tiny retaining lip portion holding the outer race (face).. Crude, but I used a sturdy flat screwdriver with finer tip to get the retaining lip to bend outward in one spot, and worked it gently around until just past halfway around the circumference , at which point the bearing case fell away from the face .. If you don't want to open it all the way, maybe you prefer to bend enough lip to make a small access for one of those pencil or needle grease tips.. But in doing that, the grease will be only be applied to one side of it.. Maybe enough grease will get to the other side during operation, but I wouldn't recommend..

When you are done packing, the only thing to watch out for when re-bending the retaining lip is to avoid distorting the bearing case, especially the 1/4" flat edge (shelf) running around the bearing case just below the retaining lip .. This "shelf" needs to rest firmly down on top of unclamped vise jaws as if sitting on an anvil or supported by some sort of collar.. You don't want to distort the shelf (or any other part of the bearing case) while you are rolling/tapping the retaining lip back into place with a hammer.. Leave the vice loose enough for you to rotate the bearing case little by little while you are tapping only the portion of retaining lip directly above the supporting part of the vise jaws.. I am sure there is a better method involving an arbor press and collar to re-roll the lip
 
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Mack90

Member
40
28
18
Location
Georgia
I picked up a clutch kit from a local milsurp place. The kit came with a standard clutch disc and a greaseable throwout collar. The pressure plate nuts are a little different also. I hope this kit is right kit 👀
 
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