2.9 and 2.8 flywheels and clutches?

[rickcdewitt]

My reconditioned flywheel has about 1.125" hole for the pilot bearing...but the pilot bearing in the clutch kit for a 1991 has needle pilot bearing that is about 0.625" OD...what do I need to buy? DOn't have my old flywheel and don't remember what size the hole was in it, but thinikin it was smaller like the pilot bearing that I bought. My 1987 manual seems to show two different sizes of pilot bearings and one is in like a sleeve with a shoulder so that it can only go in the flywheel one way. Also what size are the clutch pressur plate bolts supposed to be?

wasen't some one saying that the 2.8 has the bearing in the crank?i've never seen a pilot bearing thats 1" i bet its a 2.8 flywheel where the input shaft goes through.a new flywheel is about 70$ which is pretty good compared to 35$ to have an old one surfaced and maybe have problems with it.all my fords 88-91 have the small roller bearing.

 

[Natedog]

Yes, that's what was said. Dangit...now I gotta drive way back out to BFE where the clutch/flywheel place is!!!

 

[Natedog]

SO the clutch place that I got the rebuilt flywheel from says it's the right flywheel. It's for a 1985-92 Ranger with a 2.9.

I need the small pilot bearing hole flywheel...what do I tell them it's for?

 

[cocoasranger]

Natedog,
I recently did the auto to Mazda R-1 swap so I can spare you the grief I went through. I had all the same questions you are asking and finally figured it out with the help of many on the TRS site.

There is a collar you need which has an o.d. that's a press fit into the flywheel hole,and an i.d. which the pilot bearing press fits into. I had to get one used since auto parts doesn't have them ( or know about them apparently.) Then you can use the flywheel with the large center hole as I did.

I used the M5OD R-1 trans from a 4.0L Ranger along with my existing 89 Ranger manual transfer case plus the 10" clutch and starter upgrade. Also upgraded to a 93-94 clutch master, line, and slave for a better clutch pedal release. The twin shift boot assembly screwed right into the holes in the floor without any modifications.

 

[Natedog]

I'm using 91 Ranger clutch parts for 2.9 (not the 4.0 setup) but mine is the qd clutch fluid line. The one you used has better clutch release?

I saw that piece for the flywheel that you described...in my factory manual but it doesn't really say much about it. I need to get this straightened out with the supposed clutch specialty place that I bought my flywheel from today....costing me more vacation time to drive way out there!!!!!

My core flywheel had teh smaller pilot bearing hole....what truck it came from originally I don't know. Does anybody know?

 

[cocoasranger]

My hydraulic clutch has the quick disconnect also. The earlier trucks had the pilot bearing pressed into a hole in the crank flange. The earlier transmissions had longer input shafts which were able to reach this far forward. The Mazda trans has a shorter input shaft, so the pilot bearing in this setup is pressed into the fly wheel which sits further back so the front of the input shaft will fit into it.

I had the same problem you have. Flywheel listed for my truck had a hole way too big for the pilot bearing listed. Do yourself a favor and just get the sleeve (collar) from the junk yard or have someone on this site press one out of a junk flywheel they have laying around and mail it to you. Then just press the small pilot bearing into the collar, then press the collar into your new flywheel. That's what I did and the Ranger runs great. By the way the actual collar is just a thick walled short piece of steel without the flange like they show in the repair manuals.

Yes, my clutch release is great. No complaints.

 

[Natedog]

Good news is I got my original core flywheel back from the shop....they couldnt' get one until Monday and I'm tired of waiting on them and driving back and forth to BFE. Bought a new ring gear and having local parts store press new gear on, machine flywheel surface, and press pilot bearing in and out.

Bad news is when I went to pick it up, they machined a 0.006" step into the clutch surface....making the pressure plate sit up 0.006" higher than the disc clamping surface. I thought these flywheels are supposed to be flat....which when he looked it up, it shows them all as flat. He says some early ones had the step and mine did, so he machined it that way. The new made in China flywheel I looked at earlier today was flat. Which way should it be, flat or stepped?

 

[Natedog]

Good news is I got my original core flywheel back from the shop....they couldnt' get one until Monday and I'm tired of waiting on them and driving back and forth to BFE. Bought a new ring gear and having local parts store press new gear on, machine flywheel surface, and press pilot bearing in and out.

Bad news is when I went to pick it up, they machined a 0.006" step into the clutch surface....making the pressure plate sit up 0.006" higher than the disc clamping surface. I thought these flywheels are supposed to be flat....which when he looked it up, it shows them all as flat. He says some early ones had the step and mine did, so he machined it that way. The new made in China flywheel I looked at earlier today was flat. Which way should it be, flat or stepped? Nothing is going easy lately on this.

 

[rickcdewitt]

91's are flat those guys sound clueless.i bet the new chinese flywheel is sounding good about now(also less $).

 

[Totalled]

Hmmm when I put the M5OD into my explorer, the 4.0 flywheel had the large hole in the center... I wasn't aware there was a bushing that pressed into it's center to take the pilot... fuggin ford.I put the pilot into the crank as that's what the Ford illustrations seemed to show for the 4.0...

 

[rickcdewitt]

hmm,i wonder if there are different input shaft lengths on the m5od.my 91 exploder had the small hole like my 2.9.i guess you want to use the flywheel for the right app.
you tech advisors know anything about that?

 

[Natedog]

Had mine machined flat and yeah the Chinese junk is sounding better...lol. Fawkin machinist didn't get the starter ring gear on all the way around either!!!! I took it anyways cause apparently this particular NAPA auto parts could screw it up even worse. I'll finish the job with a brass drift and bfh.

Totalled, sounds like ya might want to pull your tranny and give a close inspection.

 

[Totalled]

EDIT: Hmm.. The Ford Shop Manual is wrong.

I'm using a 2.9 M5OD FWIW in my explorer.

Now that I think about it, I remember sticking the flywheel/disk/pressure plate onto the input of my FM145 from my 2.8 and the input pilot stuck past the crankshaft side of the pilot bearing in the flywheel... I really don't think the input shafts are different lengths. I will however go to pick a part in the morning and look at the 1992 M5OD explorer I was taking other parts off and hopefully the flywheel is still there so I can be sure.

 

[rickcdewitt]

i just checked my old 88-92 2.9l and 91 4.0l flywheels and noticed they have the steel sleeve the little roller bearing sets in neither are like your one piece sleeve/bearing.they both go in the flywheel but i guess if the bearing wound up in the same spot it woulden't matter if the crank or flywheel held the bearing.i haven't seen a factory installed m5od 2.9l truck maybe they use the in crank bearing.either way if the bearing is set further away from the tranny the input shaft would have to be different.what year and model vehicle did you select for those pictures?

 

[Totalled]

Well never mind... I just got back from the yard and the 1992 explorer has the iron bushing and pilot bearing in the flywheel... Guess I get to R&R a trans for the 4th time in my explorer... Sucks. Would have been nice to have had a 4.0 manual vehicle for reference when I did the swap. Oh well.

Those are shots from the 1992 Ford shop manual for a 1992 explorer.

I pulled the M5OD out of a 1990 Ranger 4x4 with a 2.9, 1354E, D35, and 7.5 rear. I didn't pay attention to it's clutch/flywheel when I pulled the trans since I wasn't gonna use the smaller 2.9 clutch on a 4.0 anyway. That and it was on a record hot day so I just wanted to get the trans and get out of there...