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ACT throw out bearing fix

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There is only 2 reasons why I'm making this tech post and them reasons are
1. People complain about ACT TOB's all being junk but in some cases in mass production of them there is 1 or 2 with defects but other than that the rest of them can be made to be as good if not better than OEM TOB's in some cases.
2. I hope ACT or an ACT REP sees this to help them better a potentially great product like most of there true time tested other great products. They just lack the proper amount of grease in them like the OEM bearings have and thats what I think causes them to fail so early in there life span. I like ACT and have bought a few clutch kits from them and I will keep buying as they are good.

After Installing an ACT 2900 kit on my Fidanza flywheel in my 94 AWD talon I decided to just use the ACT TOB that came in the kit. After about 300 miles of driving it started to make a dry bearing noise. So I threw in another ACT TOB my friend had laying around that he didn't use with his 2100 kit all to have it happen again after only 50 miles this time. I decided to take a look at the inside of the bearing to find out where the issue was being caused from. I have rebuilt and cleaned my skateboard bearings allot so I figured it would be almost the same procedure.

This cleaning process took me under 20 minutes and it went from making funny noises to being as quiet as a brand new OEM. I'm sure that if there is damage to the TOB I cleaned that there wasn't any when it was new and if I were to of greased and cleaned it like this from day one it would not of given me any problems.

TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:
snap ring pliers (can be worked around with a creative mind)
acid brush (can use a tooth brush or a parts cleaner brush)
flat head screw driver (used to pry the small fingers out in step 10)
razor blade (HANDLE WITH CARE AS 1 SLIP CAN RESULT IN A VERY DEEP CUT)
rubber gloves (keeps hands clean and free of contaminants from chemicals)
shop towels (napkins or a rag to clean everything up)
eye protection (I lost vision in my left eye 4 years ago from no eye protection and house stripping chemicals while contracting a log home)

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED:
degreaser/cleaner (I used rubbing alcohol as it drys fast and cleans ok)
lightweight high performance grease (synthetic wheel bearings grease works)
2 clean containers (one for scrubbing the bearing and one for flushing it clean)

STEP 1:
Clean the TOB of dirt and gunk before proceeding on so you don't get anything inside the bearing that can destroy it.
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STEP 2:
Remove the snap ring from the back side of the bearing (be careful to not break the lip that holds the snap ring in place as the center guide pole of the TOB is plastic).
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STEP 3:
Remove the clutch release fork retainer plate by wiggling it off (note its position on the spacer plate and the 2 nubs on the center guide pole to keep it from spinning when assembled).
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STEP 4:
Remove the plastic spacer plate by wiggling it off (take note of what side faces the bearing for re-installation).
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STEP 5:
Remove the plastic center guide pole by wiggling it out of the little retaining forks that line the whole inner diameter of the TOB (DON'T YANK IT OUT just shift it to one side and keep turning slowly as you lightly push it out until it comes out of the bearing).
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NOTES ON STEPS 2-5:
Here is the order and direction that all the parts go on the TOB for reference.
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STEP 6:
Carefully take the point of the razor blade and slip it under the outer lip of the dust shield on the front side of the bearings to pop it up out of the lip (BE CAREFUL and take your time to not cut yourself or destroy the dust shield).
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STEP 7:
Carefully peel up the dust shield to expose the internals of the bearing for the next step (careful not to bend the dust shield as its really thin aluminum and if bent it wont seal properly).
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STEP 8:
Take one of the empty containers and put some of the cleaning liquid in it and scrub the internals of the bearing with the brush to remove what very little bit of factory grease is in there if any is even there (make sure all of it is out by spinning the center race and swishing it around in the fluid so no cleaning solvents get trapped in the bearing).
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HERE IS WHAT LITTLE BIT I REMOVED TO MAKE IT CLEAN
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STEP 9:
Flush the bearing again to remove any left over contaminants that may be left over after the cleaning step (here is what I got out of it after repeating step 8 a total of 2 times) I got a few large particles out that could of cause a steel ball to go flat on one side, cause race imperfections, or even cause it to lock up.
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NOTES ON STEPS 6-9:
After letting it sit and dry for a few minutes it should now be nice and clean like this (let it dry fully because degreaser left in it defeats the purpose of putting good grease in it as it will only eat away at the grease).
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STEP 10:
Bend the little fingers that hold the center guide pole in place out a bit more with a flat head screw driver and then pack the bearing with grease until it seeps out threw the bottom side of the bearing (the only way to do it really is by hand and thats why were wearing gloves as this can get messy).
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PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO INSIDE THE BEARING TO SEE HOW THE GREASE SEEPS OUT OF THE BOTTOM
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STEP 11:
Clean the dust shield and snap it back into place on the bearing to trap the grease in there. Then clean up the remaining grease that made a mess of the bearing (make sure the whole outer diameter of the dust shield is fully in the lip of the bearing so it wont pop off while it's in use on the car).
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STEP 12:
Reassemble the rest of the TOB in reverse order that you got it apart in (be careful with the snap ring as the lip it's retained under is only plastic).
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