How to check your RAM hydraulic bearing travel

If you experience any problems with your hydraulic bearing such as non-release or o-ring leakage, you will need to check the travel of your bearing in the car to pinpoint the problem.

Different master cylinder combinations will provide differing amounts of travel with the RAM hydraulic bearing. It is a very simple operation to check your bearing travel and make sure the bearing is not going to travel to the stop (snap ring) before full stroke of the pedal. If the bearing reaches its stop before full pedal stroke, it will pressurize against the stop and eventually push the font o-ring out of the bearing, causing leakage and failure. Taking this extra 15 minutes on the install insures trouble free operation of your RAM bearing and may save hours of work down the line.

Once you have determined the proper setup distance for the bearing, slide it back off the transmission collar and connect it to the master cylinder, letting it ‘hang’ under the car.
Connect the bleeder hose and have someone operate the pedal while you bleed the bearing. After each stroke, manually push the bearing back to its shortest height. Stroking the bearing to the snap ring when bleeding will help get the air out of the system.
Make sure you achieve a good bleed. The bearing should not feel soft when you manually retract it. If it does, continue to bleed until it pushes back smoothly and firmly to the shortest position.
When the bleed is complete, make sure again you have the bearing fully retracted to the shortest position (see image 1).

Image 1 – bearing fully retracted into base

Measure from the back of the bearing housing to the end of the piston (where it contacts the shims on the collar when in position in the bellhousing). Some bearings will be flush to the back, some will protrude as much as ¾ inch (see image 2).
Have a helper stroke the pedal one full push and hold it down.

Image 2 – measuring starting travel point

Re-measure from the bearing housing to the back of the piston (see image 3).

Image 3 – bearing extended (full stroke)

By subtracting these two numbers, you will get your total bearing travel. Ideally this number should be between .450 and .550” to work with most clutch systems.
Do this procedure a couple of times to make sure you have consistent measurements.
By taking the total travel of the bearing and subtracting the amount of movement you are getting, you will get a maximum number for bearing gap that you can achieve without bottoming out the bearing on the snap ring.

For instance, if your bearing has a total of .850” potential movement, and the bearing travels an average of .550” when you test it, that leaves .300” as the maximum gap.
At this point if you set up the bearing .250” off the fingers, you would still have .050’ of travel before bottoming out, more than adequate.
RAM recommends a gap that allows at least .050” margin before the bearing reaches full travel.

If the bearing strokes from the base all the way to the snap ring when tested, STOP. You will need to limit the travel of your hydraulic system by the use of a smaller master cylinder, pedal stop, or stop on the master cylinder itself to address this issue. Failures to do so will likely cause leakage and failure of the hydraulic system.