Paul,
1980s Subarus used a caged needle bearing in place of a bronze pilot
bushing. I have worked on many Subarus that have had that bearing fail due
to clutch dust and dirt entry. When they fail, the hard brittle needles do
tremendous damage to the transmission input shaft. The right way to repair
it is to replace the input shaft and needle pilot bearing at a cost of many
hundreds of dollars.
I doubt there is any significant resistance, drag or heat generated at
the pilot bearing, certainly none when the car is in 4th gear, and neither
bearing would have any effect on the engine rear main seal because there is
no rear seal on a Rootes engine. I have seen the needle bearing replacement
similar to Subaru that is sold for use in Sunbeams and Hillmans, and
personally I would never use one. I use a chamfered brass pilot bearing with
a dab of grease and not one of dozens in 27 years has failed or worn loose
either in the crankshaft or on the input shaft surface.
Jim Leach Pacific Tiger Club Seattle
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