Sealed front bearing in transmission?

[macrisel]

I am getting ready to assemble my transmission and was curious about the front bearing.  Novak has a sealed front bearing that is supposed to reduce the chance of leaks from the front.  The kit I received from Herm the Overdrive Guy has an open bearing. 

What are everyones thoughts about this?  Who used the sealed bearing and who used the traditional bearing?  With the open bearing, how much of a leak is possible?  Is there a downside to using the sealed bearing?  Is it worth the extra cost to get the sealed bearing?

One of the main goals of my rebuild is to eliminate/greatly reduce leaks.

Thanks!

[athawk11]

I have the standard bearing in my OD Willys.� This is, by far, the worst leak in my entire chassis.� This prompted me to use a sealed bearing on the current project.� (I followed the footsteps laid down by Bretto.)�

I found the right bearing on Ebay...� SKF brand.� Made in the USA.� Part number:� 6208 2RSNRJEM

There are two rules of thought when using a sealed bearing.�

1. Remove the inner seal so the bearing can get lube.� Leave the outer seal in position.

2. Do not remove the inner or outer seal.� It is designed to be sealed and does not need added lubrication.

I chose option 2.

Tim

[Carls_jeep]

As far as I can tell the felt seal in my tranny is not leaking. If I have to pull the tranny I will put a sealed front bearing in. Haven't decided to remove the inner seal of the bearing or not.

[bretto]

Here are my thoughts on this.  I only removed the inner seal.  I still have some seepage but not a dripping leak.  I think that overtime that the oil will still get in the bearing if both seals are left in place.  It shouldn't hurt it obviously.  If I were to do it again, I'd leave them both in place like Tim.
Brett

[macrisel]

Is this the same sealed bearing that comes in Novak's kit?  Also, is the bearing the same depth as the original and has the snap ring groove built in it?

[Carls_jeep]

bretto, that is my thoughts as well. The seals on ball bearings are not very good and leakage will happen both ways.

[athawk11]

Mac,

I don't know which bearing is offered in the Novak kit.
The bearing mentioned above is a perfect replacement in every way.  As mentioned, I used the same bearing that Brett found a couple years back.   I was very impressed with the quality.

Tim

[macrisel]

Thanks for the replies everyone.  I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and buy a sealed bearing for the front.  It turned out I was able to go to my local NAPA and they had the bearing in stock from an agri supplier named "AGRO". 

When I walked in, I had my spec sheet and part number for the bearing with me.  One of the workers, a younger guy, ran it through system and said it would be $65 and would take 4 days to get it.  I was sitting next to the manager and started giving him a hard time letting him know that this would be a good location to open up a parts store  (he always ribbs me for picking a 60 year old Willys to work on instead of an old Chevy/Ford)..............after a few minutes of good natured ribbing he finally relented.  He started asking more questions about the bearing and finally said, "you know, that sounds a lot like the bearings used in disks, brush hogs, hay mowers and other ag equipment......give me that spec sheet."  He disappeard into the back and came out with the bearing.  We pulled the spec sheet and compared them to the one I had and they were identical....even the part number was the same until the last digit.  Final cost was $24 and I walked out with the part.  The one drawback that I could see was it is a China part vs. Japan or US made.  I grilled the manager about the company and he stated they have sold them for several years and have had no complaints to date.  We'll see.

Just another reason to shop local and establish a relationship with knowledgable people.  Plus it never hurts to give them a hard time occasionally to keep them on their toes!

[macrisel]

Tim and Bretto,
What did you use to seal up the oil passages in the case and input shaft?  Novak mentions a tapered rubber plug.  Did you use something similiar and where did you get it?  I have some plugs in my shop, but I wasn't sure if they were very oil resistant and didn't want them to break down quickly...

[athawk11]

Mark,
I had some round rubber stripping that was laying around.� I think it was some kind of rubber weather seal, but I'm not sure. I made a plug from it, then coated with RTV.

I think Brett threaded his hole and made a small steel plug.� He can give you the details.� It's a pretty neat idea, but once I saw that Novak supplies a rubber plug, I figured this would be enough for my project.

Tim

Edit...I'm beginning to think my rubber piece was one of the rubber dowels used at the edges of the rear main bearing cap.� � �

[bretto]

Yep I tapped mine.  But I only ran the tap about 3/4 the way thru so the plug would never be able to make its way into the case.  Dapped a little peramatex 2 on it and ran it in.

[macrisel]

Very slick!  I like that idea.  What did you do for the hole in the input shaft?