100 S4 pilot bearing

[URS4 Avant]

Hey guys, I am half way through changing the clutch on my urs4. Wasn't slipping just yet but pedal was getting heavy and grabbing on the last 10mm at the top of the pedal.
So g/box out, im looking at the pilot bearing. Do i have to remove the flywheel to get the bearing out? I was hoping to hydraulic it out with some grease but have noticed a small hole in the flywheel cavity. Have seen some pictures of flywheels on the net that show a cap on the back of the flywheel with the small hole in it. So do you have to pry that off to drive the bearing out? Hope that makes sense..
Thanks in advance Kevin

[steve briance]

Can't speak for the urs4 flywheel but the pilot bearing in my 7a flywheel has a circlip either side of it which I think serve more as locators than to hold in place as it needed pressing in. You could get away with only taking one clip out and whack the bearing away from the remaining one. It wasn't a massive force required to press it so it may pull out in situ if you are lucky enough to get a tool to go through the centre of it. Not sure on the idea of pressing it out using the hydraulic effect of packing grease in there. The hole in the middle will allow grease straight though so you build no pressure and even if it did work, you'd have a big clean up to do afterwards to ensure there is no grease on the loose inside the bell housing!

If you are doing the work on your back on the driveway, you would do yourself a favour by getting the flywheel on the bench. (prob need new flywheel bolts as well)

[newsh]

You could tap a thread in it and pull it out with a bolt

[steve briance]

I thought that as similar to 7a/3b timing idle roller but didn't think it would be easy to tap a thread in the middle bit as it spins round?

[newsh]

I thought that as similar to 7a/3b timing idle roller but didn't think it would be easy to tap a thread in the middle bit as it spins round?

Ah, it’s a needle roller, not plain bearing