Hi folks,

 

I'm in the middle of a clutch job on my 2002 Outback EJ25.1 - also doing head gaskets, timing belt, water pump, etc. Just purchased the vehicle a few weeks ago from a private seller and making sure everything is tight for winter.

 

Anyway, back to the clutch. It turns out that the new throwout bearing that came with my Exedy kit doesn't match the old one. The diameter on the new bearing is too small for the shaft. After some research I realized that the existing bearing was installed along with one of these snout repair kits (http://www.subaruwrxparts.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1793&idcategory=0). Unfortunately, this car needs to get on the road ASAP and I don't have time to wait for a snout kit to come in the mail. So my question is: should I pull out the snout kit and old throwout bearing and use the new one without the sleeve? Or keep the sleeve and old bearing in place and reassemble with the rest of the new clutch kit parts? The old bearing seems to be in decent shape. I'm just wondering which will be worse - using the old bearing, or using the new bearing without the sleeve kit.

 

By the way, I can't say enough about how seriously amazing this forum is. This is my first post so hopefully I can add something to the pile of knowledge here!

 

 

If its one of those actual kits with the removable sleeve, I would reuse the bearing. Those kits come with a high quality bearing that won't wear out in the amount of miles you'll get out of that clutch.

 

If its a cheap press-on sleeve, yank it off and use the new bearing.

Yes, that makes sense. Problem is, how do I figure out if this is one of the high-end kits or a cheap press-on sleeve? This is the first one I've seen so I don't have much to go on. Here's a photo of the shaft with the sleeve installed...

Edited September 30, 201312 yr by kjalbert

That's one of the cheap press on kind. The nice ones (the one you linked to) have a set screw at the back that you can unscrew and the sleeve slides right off. Useful of you need to remove it to open the trans case, or put it on another transmission.

That one doesnt look like its pressed on all the way. I'd almost bet it will slide off fairly easy if you can get an indexed prybar behind it (or something similar)mand work around it. Then you can decide if the quill is too worn to use the new bearing.