They ordered the throw out bearing from Branson today and should be the first of next week when they split her again.
I asked about the Pilot Bearing and he told me on the phone just minutes ago to look at my Invoice from last time it was in.... its on the invoive as "Bush" and cost $10.44 .... Soooo I was mistaken about that ... he is telling me he doesn't believe that is an issue. [Zork- A pilot bushing and bearing can be dry and cause noise or be so worn (bushing) that it causes the clutch disc to not rotate true and crack the disc or cause it not fully disengage from the pressure plate/ flywheel (drag); of course if you have a disintegrated pilot bearing some of that debris can get lodged in the disc/plate/flywheel area. Additionally, I would think that a worn bushing could cause transmission input shaft seal leakage, depending on the softness of the seal and how much the shaft depends on the bearing for support.]
As for the flywheel, he says it was excellent and didn't need surfacing. [Zork-That's fine, some shops resurface flywheels whether they need it or not.]
Tell me what concerns I should be sharing with them ... obviously there is a reason the bearing failed... and as they have stated they need to find out why it failed and address that. [Zork- My understanding is they haven't taken it apart yet, so its still an "educated" guess right now. A bearing can fail due to manufacture defects, handling (i.e. dropping/ improper mounting or placement on/in fork area) usually placement doesn't affect the bearing but it does effect the operation of the clutch and could damage the pressure plate if a wait and see attitude was taken and it ran for long period of time. Riding the clutch can prematurely wear (fail) the throw-out bearing as well. Best bet is for them to try and diagnose it first while it was running then take it apart and see (WHA'S UP!!! (a little comic relief), lol)
So far because this was just done they have agreed that anything related to the clutch will be at their cost. [Zork- Fair enough and worthy of compliments. The term t��he clutch should apply to the entire clutch job. Its not your fault. If the mechanic makes a mistake or if the part fails because you paid them for their expertise to correct an initial shift problem (assumed). I did do a clutch job on a large 4WD truck once and when I was finished it did not disengage or shift properly and I explained to the owner that if it didnt clear up to come back and we would replace it. It did clear up and the customer was satisfied. I guess the initial tolerances whether clutch disc; rivet or pressure plate was off and after some wear it cleared up. I was very glad because I wasnot looking forward to taking that apart again.]
It was Mid March when they did the work ... I only used it a few hrs in April and then went to the hay field with it and I'm thinking with about 50 hrs on the new clutch is when it stopped shifting and the first call was to them ... so it went on record at that time. [Zork- Keep in mind that once the equipment leaves a shop the owner can do anything to the clutch, as in abuse. In vehicles hi rpm shifts (burn outs) usually shows up with clutch debris everywhere with burned surfaces (clutch, plate and flywheel) and damaged tires. Good luck and I would consider buying them a few cases of drinks when its done and you are satisfied. I would ask about the new warranty and press for a full length of the term if it is different from the first, however.
At least at this time they are cooperating very nicely with me.
