And this is what I found. The horror!
Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes I wish things like this would have been shot to hell upon inspection.
But it's not.
It's intact, it turns beautifully and is not loose in any way. The seals do not appear to be brittle or broken. There is absolutely no wobble in the bolt shaft/front bearing retainer.
AND I'M GOING TO LEAVE IT JUST AS IT IS.
The car is a 2002 S with 67k miles. It ran very smooth before I ripped it apart to change the clutch. I did an oil inspection that turned-up absolutely no signs of above-microscopic metal. I will just change the oil every 3,000 - 4,000 and repeat the inspections until the engine starts to get clattery, or until I find silver in the filter...and THEN I might think of replacing it with pretty much the same damn bearing that's in there now.
I present to you, the unicorn. A decent NSK 4206DU17 bearing that has been in there since day one. It's fine.
..(knock on wood)
