328 GTS Timing Bearing Install Problem

When I was pressing on the bearing using my old nut and a series of custom bushings, the bearing went in and then got hard. There is just a little bit of the bearing sticking out past the cover. These were Ferrari bearings and I measured the width before installing them to be sure. The distance more that I need to go in is a little wider than the bellville washer on the back side. Any thoughts?

 

Take some pics and post in the 308/328 section. Many there have done engine work, including bearings.

 

Those two statements seem to conflict a little -- the bearing needs to go in well past the outer cover surface in order to get the snap ring back in:
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My engine is still in the car with the timing cover bolted up. I made a custom puller to pull the old bearing out. I am using custom made bushings a little smaller than the OD of the bearing to push the new bearing into the bore with the old nut. I made the bushings different lengths to utilize the shaft threads. When the bearing got almost flush with the housing it seemed to get real hard to turn the nut. I figure I need to go approximately a 1/4" more to get past the snap ring groove. I was thinking last night that maybe the old nut is galling up on my bushing face and that I might have to add more grease to the surface.

Do you know what thread the shafts are so I can get a regular hex nut for the pressing. Those ring nuts are a real PIA.

My other concern was that maybe the washer fell inside the bore and got hung up but the bore is not that deep and the washer is almost the same OD as the bore.

If I can't get the bearing to move in anymore, then I guess that I am going to eat a brand new bearing to get it out. I was told that pulling this cover can be a nightmare.

 

17x1.0 mm which is an odd size. Both the inner and outer races on the bearing must be pressed on/driven in simultaneously. A simple tool can be made for this purpose. The outer bearings can be done with the engine in the car.

 

Yes, sometimes that's the case, and that gives you a chance to reinspect the bore on the engine and the diameter on the shaft to make sure that neither has sustained any damage -- and repair them (with a little local hand polishing), if necessary. Want to second David's point that the flatness, strength, and parallelism of the "washer" used for the pressing needs to be good down to the few micron level -- i.e., using an ordinary washer is not the best -- it really needs to be a thick, flat, parallel spacer. And your point about the lubrication is well-taken -- lube should be used on all the surfaces moving relative to one another during the installation process (the tool, the nut, the bearing, the engine) to reduce the friction forces.

 

Just out of curiosity, did you compare the new and old bearigs for size? The 328 uses a non standard bearing in the outer drive position and you might have gotten one too large in width.

 

+1

 

Besides grease you can do what Ferrari does at the factory they use liquid nitrogen to shrink the parts to make it easy to install. You may want to use dry ice on the front of the engine case but not on the rubber parts to prevent cracking of the rubber.

 

I had measured them before I started. Ferrari, instead of boring the timing cover out to accept a normal 6303 bearing, they decided to have a custom bearing made (6303 ground down 4 mm from 47 mm). This is why I am upset. These bearing s were around $265 each from Ferrari. I will be trying the grease in a few days. I have a head cold that is knocking me down pretty good. My bushings are machined to cover the whole face of the bearing. I just hope that this bearing moves on in.

 

Since the front bearing locates the shaft, is it possible you've pulled the entire assembly out a little bit? Maybe the bearing is home on the shaft but now the whole assembly needs be pushed home in the front cover.