What is a pilot bearing?
A pilot bearing is a bearing located in a hole at the end of your engine’s crankshaft. It provides low friction between the crankshaft and the transmission as it is sandwiched between the two. The pilot bearing is important as it’s one of the only connecting points in this area and can be a major area of weakness. Can a pilot bearing go bad? A pilot bearing can go bad. When the transmission mounts begin to wear which causes more movement of the transmission while shifting, it results in extreme wear on the pilot bearing. It has a hard time compensating for the jostling of the transmission shaft as it’s cradled within the crankshaft with no room to flex or move. Similarly, if you engine’s crankshaft has problems, it will result in additional wear to your pilot bearing. So, it can just break? Anything is possible, so the pilot bearing could fail causing a slip between the transmission shaft and the crankshaft. Or even worse, it could cause the two to become disconnected or unseated. Luck
