Transmission Input shaft

Hi there,from what I've seen input shafts do have quite a bit of play, the pilot bearing in the flywheel keeps the shaft tight and centered. As long as the pilot bearing still fits tight on the end of the shaft and the splines on the shaft aren't worn, it should be good to go. Imo the clutch should be fine, I've seen that happen more than once, clutch life usually isn't effected.

 

Do not take a chance, replace the input shaft and the bearing it rides on. I had a bearing for the input shaft go out on my last truck, I wound up getting a new transmission, clutch and motor. When that bearing goes everything in the transmission drops down and it will lock up. Bent the crank so bad that they had to cut it so they could get the connecting rods off. It was ugly, cheap insurance to replace anytime you have to pull the transmission.

 

Wow I've never seen that happen! Maybe it is cheap insurance

 

Well, since everything is apart, now is the time to replace it. Input shafts do have some play, like the others said the pilot bearing supports it. The problem now is that the shaft, clutch and pilot bearing have all been stressed by the trans to engine mis-alignment. Hard to say if anything is damaged, depends how long it ran like that. I would say to be better safe than sorry and just install a new input shaft, clutch and pilot bearing!

 

Get an Eaton k2468 install kit, runs about 200buck, input shaft, bearing, cross shafts bushings, fork, pilot bearing etc.

 

If the transmission was hanging on the clutch in anyway, the clutch drive discs will be bent in the hub area. This will cause disengagement problems

 

Spend a little now, save a whole lot later.

Knowing what could happen now will give you a whole lot of peace of mind down the road.

 

Mr. Haney is correct. The clutch disks could also be fractured from being run with the misalignment. If they are, they will eventually fail, likely it will be while the rig is rolling down the road, and that can get ugly. At the very least everything should be disassembled and inspected.

If there was as much misalignment as you say there is also likely damage to the input shaft bearing, and that could explain excessive free play.

One thing you don't mention is what kind of free play you have. Is it in and out, or side to side, and how much?