A couple of years ago when I put my 617 turbo into my 240D, I had to face the pilot bearing issue as my engine was a 1985 build. My good friend Willard in Phoenix told me to freeze it in the freezer over night and stick it in. Well I did that, but I think in the rush to get that frozen bearing I really did not have a plan. So on a hot July morning with the engine in the sun, I took that bearing and it slipped into the bore probably 3 to four inches and I was not on the "ready" with a good socket and hammer to push it to the back of the bore. By the time I found the correct tools, (you know, minutes fly by then), it had warmed up and increased in size to the point where I had to really hit it hard with a shop hammer driving a heavy duty deep socket which really was to small. I felt at the time that I did not do that bearing any favor.
Well I got about 15,000 miles on it when last fall, with no warning it froze up. With the pilot bearing seized up of course you can have not clutch action and to run a Mercedes Diesel with a stick you need plenty of clutch action.
So it did work, but I would not recommend it as a proper install. Better to make a bronze bushing.
So I am in the process of pulling that very fine engine and I am going to install an 80 or 81 SD engine which I pulled out of a local junkyard about 4 years ago. I know it runs because I got it started in the yard. But I think it will be difficult to fine one as good as the one I am running. If I can get the pilot bearing out of that engine I will make a bushing. But I think the prospect of getting that bearing out is not good. Even to get the engine and transmission apart might be a challenge, but I think they will come apart. I just checked the compression on that 85 engine and it is 415 to 430 psi on all five cylinders. I was going to install a new vacuum pump this spring, but will have to postpone that for now. Now it is time to watch MLB. End of the practice season today, regular games start Monday.

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

I have never seen the Pilot Bearing on a Mercedes and don't know if it is a Needle Bearing, other type of Bearing or the mentioned Bronze Bushing. So I will speak in general.

I suppose it is possible to damage any of them during installation and when sticking the Transmission in.

I have dinged up the Bronze Bushing typed during Transmission installation before so I know that is possible.

The Needle Bearings generally need to be lubed before you install them. Other types of Bearings if they are from China or some place that makes similar quality Bearings I always suspect the Grease inside of them and if I can I pry off one of the Shields and take a look. If I don't like what I see I remove that Grease and fill it with Wheel Bearing Grease.

If there is an issue with the Transmission Input Shaft Bearing it will take out the Pilot Bearing. Of course a bent Input Shaft will cause issues.

If a Bronze Bushing is used it needs to be made of the Oil Impregnated type of material.

If it is a Ball Bearing type Pilot Bearing part of the idea of that is that it does not wear the end of the Input Shaft like a Bronze or Needle Bearing does.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Once the engine is out im sure you will be able to extract with a slide hammer.

Next time you will have to adapt a bearing ,or file the 1mm off the benz bearing outer race. (Which has been done sucessfully)

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

I took a die grinder to my bearing and ran it at a 45 degree angle against the bearing to keep it from spinning too much but still making the grind even...

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

The Pilot Bearing is 35mm as is the cranks prior to 85.
85 is a 34mm and maybe a few 84`s.

I found an engine in PNP that was rebuilt in a 80 300SD. Got rear ended and shoved the L/R
almost into the rear glass.

Any way the 80 should have a 617.950, but it had a .951, and the Block was from a 83 yr.

I get it home and going to install my 4-spd manual.

The pilot bearing was supper tight going in, and the transmission wouldn`t go in smooth. almost got it stuck.
Had to use a Dremmel Cut Off wheel to cut the bearing to remove it. Pullers would not work.

Checking the Crank Hole, it was 34mm. An 85 crank.

My buddy has a small belt sander, and we held the Bearing in our fingers giving it a little drag
and let it spin some and finally got the 1mm off the outer side to fit.

I really can not see freezing the bearing and then putting it in a too small of hole.
What happens when it warms up and squeezes the bearings?

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I just completed my 4 spd swap. I have an 84 with original engine. My pilot bearing was also super tight going in... Had to dremel out the first one I put in as well, as the center portion of the bearing would not turn anymore. The bearing is ball bearing type.

I picked a japan made bearing from NAPA, it seemed to fit better, but still VERY tight.

I have a scrubbing noise in neutral that goes away when the clutch pedal is depressed or when in gear. It also grinds when shifting into reverse.

Charmalu, you were able to force the bearing into the 85 crank??? I wonder if I have a 34mm crank? My build date is 6/84.

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'82 300TD
'84 300D OM617
Auto to 4spd Manual Swap 716.210
'85 300SD 2.88 Diff (Direct Swap)
W140 HD Rear Springs w/ bilstein shocks (SLS Delete)
'83 300SD Big Brake Booster Swap
Late model 240D Manual HVAC Swap
W124 Outside Temp Gauge
Aftermarket Keyless Entry

'84 300D RIP

Done there, been that.

The guys are right that it's necessary to remove a mm from the bearing OD. The 35mm OD bearing is a standard metric bearing that you can get from any bearing supply house and they're pretty cheap so you can experiment with ways to reduce the OD 'till you find a method that works for you.

Mine is still a tad tight - evidently I should have taken a bit more off the OD. It likes to grind into reverse but the synchros mask that going into the forward gears. It's improving as I drive so I guess the bearing is clearanceing itself. Not that that's a good thing!

As far as pulling the dead one - get a 3 jaw INTERNAL puller. I got mine from Car Quest. I had to slightly grind the outside of the arms so it would fit in the center hole (as you may have guessed I screwed one up and had to pull it). If you'll pay shipping I'll lend it to you. Anyhow, it takes a standard slide hammer and with some beating the bad one will come out. I wouldn't replace that engine, just turn down a bearing and replace the bad one. Piece o' cake!

Dan

I rented a two jaw bearing puller with slide hammer from oreilly and also had to grind a bit off the teeth to fit it in. However, the bearing did not budge and ripped out the center portion. Had to finish removing with a dremel cutoff wheel.

I must have a 34mm crank. It was tough to measure the hole with a tape measure

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'82 300TD
'84 300D OM617
Auto to 4spd Manual Swap 716.210
'85 300SD 2.88 Diff (Direct Swap)
W140 HD Rear Springs w/ bilstein shocks (SLS Delete)
'83 300SD Big Brake Booster Swap
Late model 240D Manual HVAC Swap
W124 Outside Temp Gauge
Aftermarket Keyless Entry

'84 300D RIP

I have a small 3 jaw Puller, and had the same problem, just slipped out.
Used another one a machinist friend has, and the same thing. That is when I cut it out with the Dremel.

I measured mine with a set of calipers and determined it was a 34mm hole.

The bearing is a standard sealed bearing. think the size is 34 x 15 x 11 mm.
I originally ordered 2 here off pelican, one a FAG and the other a SKF just to see the difference.
No difference, made in two different countries. SKF made in Korea.

I did a lot of searching to find a 34 x 15 x 11mm bearing, nothing out there.
I have ordered bearings from www.vxb.com (think that`s right) for my Datsun/Nissan Transmissions.
They carry the good Japanese bearings these trans use. I bought a bag of the 34 x 15 x 11mm for a good price, but made in China.
We`ll see how long they last.

That link doesn`t seem to work???

Googled it.

Ball Bearings | Bearing Specialist | VXB Bearings Online

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Charlie, how did you get a dremel tool in that hole to cut it up. I'm very interested and I imagine this thing is going to be impossible to pull. You can't get a puller of any size thru the center and it is smack up against the back of the hole. I think it is in there over 5 inch.

__________________
Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

I think it would near impossible to Dremel out with the pressure plate in place. Need to remove it. I cut the small center ring part out and remove the guts of the bearing, then made two cuts of the out shell carefully at around 9 and 3 o'clock positions. Careful, it will pop out pretty good when you get to the end of the last cut. Also, went through about 6 mini cutting disks. Their fragile.

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'82 300TD
'84 300D OM617
Auto to 4spd Manual Swap 716.210
'85 300SD 2.88 Diff (Direct Swap)
W140 HD Rear Springs w/ bilstein shocks (SLS Delete)
'83 300SD Big Brake Booster Swap
Late model 240D Manual HVAC Swap
W124 Outside Temp Gauge
Aftermarket Keyless Entry

'84 300D RIP

The hole in the back of the crank is no where near that deep.

Bust out the torch and melt it out. You should be able to easily superheat the bearing parts and melt them without really heating up the crank.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Well I just went and measured it. The hole in the crank is about 2 and 1/4 inch deep. I think when we ran into trouble we already had the clutch cover and of course the flywheel mounted. That gives me the 5.5 or so inches, maybe even more. Yes, I think the easy way to get it out of there is with a torch. Probably get it out of there in less than a minute. But I was not planning on using that engine with the four speed again. I have an 81 617 with turbo and it is just crying to see some action. Good engines are always salable, and I think if you have to frag with the pilot bearing, you might as well go with the right engine if the opportunity is there to do so. I just really hope it runs out as good as the one I am pulling out. I have had it for almost 10 years, runs great, top notch compression numbers and it doesn't mark it's territory.

__________________
Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

I would expect the bearings to have higher melting point than the crank. Dremel maybe?

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

I went through three pilot bearings trying to get the diameter correct for my '85. Trial and error seemed to be the only thing that worked.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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1985 Euro 300TD Turbo