Thanks. Sorry for the confusion. The snap rings came out okay (with difficulty). Once the snap rings were removed the PDS
SHAFT fell out of the 318 flywheel cover.
Again, PDS = Primary Drive SHAFT.
When we say "PDS", we are effectively saying Primary Drive Shaft! (I'm going to keep drilling you on these terms!)
Apparently the play I noticed in that shaft when I did a comparative check of the two PDS seated in flywheel covers was not the 318 cover's PDS bearing but the shaft floating too freely inside it. That shaft is pitted and scored. Next step was removing the seal and snap rings for the 360 PDS. This was difficult because a broken head snap ring was replaced in it by somebody.
I also noticed it has a sealed bearing even though the cover is fitted with a grease plug (318 PDS utilized an open bearing).
Yes.... if the F/C offers a grease port/fitting, then you should use an Open bearing!
Otherwise, it becomes senseless to add any future grease to a sealed bearing.
Neither the PDS shaft nor its bearing will come out of the 360 housing. I have tapped on the end of both PDS shafts with hammer (+ block of wood to protect surface) in an attempt to shake the bearings loose. No luck. They are really stuck in there.
The PDS shaft and bearing for 360 cover are both stuck in place. Given that this stuff is all supposed to be held in place with snap rings, I thought something was wrong. If I read you correctly I was right. Everything should have come out fairly easily. This morning I'll try heating the covers with propane torch and maybe I can get them expanded enough to release the bearings. If I can get everything out without damaging the bearings, I'll check the fit of 360 PDS shaft inside the 318 PDS bearing and if they mate up well, I'll use that bearing and that shaft inside the 318 flywheel cover. Given the amount of wear on the 318 PDS shaft I would be somewhat surprised if the bearing's shaft bearing face is not also worn. We'll see. If that bearing is not a glove-perfect fit to 360 PDS shaft, I'll buy another bearing. Even though the 360 sealed bearing is tight to 360 PDS, I won't use that bearing in 318 flywheel cover since it's obviously the wrong part for the job.
Did you remove two (2) 62mm snap rings?
The deeper snap ring secures the bearing. (keep in mind that the bearing is already secured to the PDS via the small compression snap ring)
The outer snap ring simply provides a stop for the AFT seal to rest up against.
I wrote down the National # on the 318 seal before tossing it. That one was very stubborn but the seal for 360 almost fell out on its own. A very different looking seal. Dang it, the garbage was picked up today so they're gone.
Once I have the bearing and shaft removed I can caliper those diameters and that should be enough to find a seal even if the National number can't be referenced.
Keep in mind that the AFT seal's ID will be 35mm. This seals against the universal drive shaft's female yoke...... not the PDS itself.
Some people get confused when they see that the seal is not touching the AFT end of the PDS. They see a large gap, and wonder what's wrong!
I will definitely pack the cavity with grease when replacing the bearing and seal.
No need to "pack" it... as in "packing bearings".
Let your grease gun fill it as you spin the PDS.
I presume when doing maintenance through the grease nipple I'm supposed to remove the "out" plug on the opposite side of the flywheel cover so the seal isn't overly pressured?
NO.... this is exactly why the AFT seal is to be installed in the Non-Conventional orientation.
Lip seals perform best when pressure is applied to the inner area of the lip. The more pressure, the greater the seal holds!
We DO NOT want this seal to perform in this way.
We WANT this seal to breach pressure!
What type of grease? Regular wheel bearing grease would seem to be pretty stiff stuff to shove through a nipple.
High pressure bearing grease works well. NOT the green Marine wheel bearing grease!
Also, remember to lube this bearing in the future (@ 40 or 50 hours), and do so with the engine at idle...... Dynamic -vs- Static lubrication!
With the cavity having been Pre-Filled, three or four pumps will do it.