hi folks, has anybody got a spigot bearing handy so you can measure the dimensions of it? also what size bore does the end of the crankshaft have for it?

i know it's an odd request but i'm puzzling over it right now

You need a sealed 6202. Probably too late now though!

ah yes, i've solved the problem now... it appears the input shaft fits perfectly into the vw crankshaft without a bearing being fitted, so i'm just going to grease it up and shove it in

Yes....but the bearing is there for a reason. Later front wheel drive cars came without the bearing and a solid metal ring instead. You need to fit the bearing if youre using the RWD gearbox. (or be prepared to fix it later)

yes i understand it's there for a reason, it's there to support the first motion shaft and to hold it central... there is 0.2mm running clearance between the spigot and the bore in the vw crankshaft. so there is literally nothing i can do other than just shove it in with a bit of grease, there's no way that crankshaft can be machined out to accept a sleeve or a bearing becuase it's nitride hardened. besides a lot of cars just use a plain bronze bush to support the spigot, and realistically what is the difference between having it running in a steel bore or a bonze one?? not a lot i'd say.. thinking about it further for most of the time the crank and first motion are turning at exactly the same speed anyway, it's only when the clutch is being actuated there is a mismatch in speeds, so very little wear will result from this

the later front wheel drive cars don't need a spigot bearing becuase the first motion in the gearbox runs in a tapered roller bearing and the bellhousing is machined for location dowels

Edited 18 September, 201015 yr by TeflonTom

I dont think the difference between steel and bronze is the issue.....its the turning of the bearing and the whole point of having it there. Youve already answered the question as to why its needed, you are just ignoring the answer....and for a while it will be ok. Just dont do too many miles and then sell it to someone you dont know on Ebay!

no, it's not about ignoring the answer, i know full well it should ideally have a bronze bush or similar, but sadly i'm just going to have to go with it and hope it doesn't run too dry

It shouldnt have a bush of any material, it should have a roller bearing that allows the different parts to move at different speeds. What I will say is that the roller bearings fail in normal Estelles, and if they fail then your solution is going to cause you grief a lot quicker. A sealed 6202 is less than a tenner......less bodging will save you time in the long run!

have you got a picture of what they look like?? how does it fit to the crankshaft?

I dontnhave a picture I'm afraid, but they just sit in a cutout in the crank. If youve got a Fav or Fel crank then it will have the cutout filled with a solid bush exactly the same size as the bearing in the Estelle crank....you can pop it out and replace it with a bearing......I dont know what the crank on your other engine has. If you search for a 6202 bearing (there is an international table of bearing sizes) then youve got the right size.