IMS bearing install

[sam c.]

First I do apologize for over posting about something that's prob pretty straight forward to u guys that have done it a time or two.

What I found: a two row bearing without a clip. The bearing is in great shape but wasn't installed far enough into the shaft to see/install the c clip. Also, the tensioners on both sides looked the same. Different diameter threaded base but the tensioners themselves looked identical. I expected the driver side to have a spring like the one in other people's posts... is this normal? I expected a single row bearing and a spring on the DS tensioner since the car is a 99.

[sam c.]

Haha. Well, I didn't see your guys post but your info pretty much answered my questions.. I did a little reading and looking over the problem and ultimately decided that everything looked safe enough to forge ahead. Thanks for the posts tho and for filling in all my info gaps!

[Jake Raby]

If your car is a 99 you don't have a single row, you have a dual row. This explains why the retention clip is not visible as it is an internal lock that must be compromised to extract the bearing from the housing.

[Jager]

Originally Posted by sam c.

First I do apologize for over posting about something that's prob pretty straight forward to u guys that have done it a time or two.

What I found: a two row bearing without a clip. The bearing is in great shape but wasn't installed far enough into the shaft to see/install the c clip. Also, the tensioners on both sides looked the same. Different diameter threaded base but the tensioners themselves looked identical. I expected the driver side to have a spring like the one in other people's posts... is this normal? I expected a single row bearing and a spring on the DS tensioner since the car is a 99.

sam,
Double check your tensioners, look at the head/top you should see a different ring count on them identifying the position they belong.

[sam c.]

Yeah, I kept them in separately labeled bags and the head sizes are different too so its not so much a problem as having them mixed up. I was just surprised to see them different then the ones Meir removed in his winter project thread. Pictured below are mine cleaned and ready to go back in. I see where a lot of guys are replacing these though... is there a test that can be performed on them to verify functionality?

[sam c.]

Meanwhile, I didn't get much time to work on it today, put here's what I did get accomplished..

[sam c.]

New bearing and spacer installed and timing all visually verified. I froze the **** out of it before installation and it tapped right into place. Also, to avoid the nut stuck on the shaft down inside the tool nightmare that someone on here endured, I used a tight fitting rubber bushing/donut down in the tool to hold it all together. Once done, I just pulled the tool off by hand without having to worry about trying to remove the nut or anything.