PRE-LUBRICATION OF THE HYDRAULIC BEARING

Before starting, RAM recommends prelubing the inner piston with hydraulic fluid to make sure you have smooth operation and reduce the chance of damage to the o-rings during the installation.  Manually extend the outer housing to its maximum position against the snap ring.  Coat the rear of the inner piston with hydraulic fluid then cycle the bearing in and out a few times until it moves smoothly.

BELLHOUSING ALIGNMENT

Your RAM bearing is a floating assembly.  Misalignment of the transmission input shaft and engine block will cause o-ring failure.  Aftermarket bellhousings MUST be dial indicated to the engine to insure proper alignment.  These bellhousings care often not aligned on the center hole to the pilot bearing, and/or squareness top to bottom and side to side.  Follow you bellhousing manufacturer's instructions to complete this procedure.

HYDRAULIC FLUID

You MUST use a DOT 3 non-synthetic fluid with RAM hydraulic bearings or damage to the o-rings will occur.  If the hydraulic system had another type of fluid prior to installing this bearing, THOROUGHLY flush the system before installing this product.  Old, dirty, or contaminated fluid must also be changed.

POTENTIAL CONTACT OF SNAP RING ON CLUTCH FINGERS

The RAM hydraulic bearing is engineered to be compatible with RAM clutch systems.  If you are using a clutch other than RAM, you will need to verify that the bearing piston/snap ring will not make contact with the clutch fingers on your clutch.  To check this, bolt your clutch to the flywheel and measure the center hole opening of the fingers.  The bearing piston measures 1.690-1.710".  Make sure your center hole is larger than this dimension to avoid this contact.  If you should decide to remove the snap ring to increase your clearance, special attention must be paid in setup not to overtravel the cylinder and extend it off the end of the piston.

POTENTIAL CONTACT WITH WEIGHTS ON CENTERFORCE CLUTCHES

Verify clearance of the RAM hydraulic bearing cylinder with weights on Centerforce pressure plates.  Contact is possible with these units.  If you need a compatible pressure plate, contact RAM technical assistance.  No warranty will be allowed on bearing cylinders that show evidence of contact with outside sources.

PROPERLY SEALED INLET/OUTLET FITTINGS

The inlet and outlet fittings on the bearing cylinder must be properly sealed to avoid potential leaks.  Use Teflon tape ONLY on these fittings.  Do NOT use any liquid, PST, or other types of sealants or leaks WILL occur.  RAM cannot allow warranty for leaking fittings.

SETUP HEIGHTS/CLEARANCES

Proper setup height is critical to allow for clutch wear and achieve proper clutch release, as well as avoid o-ring damage.  Proper setup gap is .150-.200" maximum.  If you have not already reviewed the setup instructions, please do so and use these to complete your install.

GUIDE STUD LENGTH

Once you have measured and fitted the bearing, make sure the guide stud is not too log or short by manually extending the bearing to its full stroke and vidually inspecting.  The bearing must stay on this stud, but the stud length may need ot be trimmed to avoid contact with the pressure plate housing.

HARD PEDAL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STROKE

If you set up the bearing with more than .200" gap, or use a master cylinder that is too large, the bearing will bottom out on the snap ring.  Continuing to push on the pedal at this point will caue the o-rings to blow out of the bearing.  Use a pedal stop or adjust the master cylinder rod if necessary.

ALUMINUM BEARING SPACERS

Your RAM hydraulic bearing may have shipped with an aluminum collar spacer in 1/1", 3/4" or 1.25" thickness.  We have determined thay many appplications similar to yours require this spacer for proper bearing gap.  If you received this spacer, you should install it prior to taking your setup measurements.  All applications may not require this depending on your clutch choice.

TROUBLESHOOTING LEAKS

• If you should develop a leak with your bearing, it is imperative to determine where the leak is occurring and why prior to removal.
• Check your fluid.  Contaminated fluid can cause deterioration of o-rings, which will lead to failure or leakage.  The fluid should be clear and free of any debris or water, and should not smell burnt.
• Should the fluid appear burnt or have debris, make sure all hydraulic lines are routed away from headers and exhaust that can heat the fluid.
• Remove or pull back the transmission so you have sight access to the release bearing, or allow the bearing to hang and manually push the bearing all the way back into the base.
• Have someone actuate the clutch pedal while you watch.  Identify the location of the leak.  Make sure it is not coming from any of the fittings, connections, or lines.
• Once you have determined the nature of the leak:
• Leaking fittings – remove fittings and re-tape.  Make sure tape extends to the end of the fitting but does not overlap the bottom.  Securely tighten the feed and bleed lines to the bearing.
• O-rings – after noting the position of the leak, examine the top and bottom o-rings for damage.  If damaged, order the proper replacement set for your part number bearing. Some bearing kits include a spare set of o-rings.
• Change out the o-ring(s) using the instructions listed below under ‘Bearing Disassembly’.  

BEARING DISASSEMBLY/O-RING REPLACEMENT

If you must disassemble your RAM bearing for any reason, extreme care must be taken when reinserting the base into the cylinder so as not to damage the o-rings.

• Carefully remove the snap ring on the font of the bearing base.
• When installing new o-rings or re-assembling the bearing, liberally coat o-rings and piston with DOT 3 fluid or with approved o-ring lubricant*.
• Rotate the piston into the housing to avoid pinching the o-rings.  Pushing it straight on can easily cut the o-rings.
• Carefully re-install the snap ring.  

SPARE O-RINGS

• Your RAM hydraulic bearing may come supplied with a spare set of o-rings, should some damage occur to the originals during your install.  
• Part number for the replacement o-ring set is 78505.
• Use instructions above for replacement.  

*RAM recommends using Parker ‘O-Lube’ o-ring lubricant for assembly of the bearing.  Do not use any petroleum based lubricant as these will damage and deteriorate the o-rings.