No pilot bearing, is that my noise?

[aaronkneeland]

I have a 99 cobra with a navigator 5.4 swap. After about 1000 miles it started tapping and sounded low in the engine. I checked a bunch of stuff and finally pulled the motor (almost a year ago). Yesterday for some reason I was thinking about the car and realized that I never installed a pilot bearing in my Navi auto 5.4 so it didn't have one. Is there any way that is causing this noise? I checked the trans input shaft and it's a little wobbly now so maybe the noise is from the trans, not the motor? I had planned on a new motor but this is supposed to be a 75k motor. I checked al crank connecting rod bearings and they seemed tight. Thoughts?

Video
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WJkFhNduGLi7saCF6

 

[Revvv]

If you do not have the bearing, you will have noise, and at some point potential destruction.

Sent from my [trashcan S5] using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[MG0h3]

Any weird marks on the input shaft or end of crank?


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[aaronkneeland]

Nothing really noticeable but the input shaft to the trans does seem to have a little play now.

 

[aaronkneeland]

Pulling this back to the top. Looking for ideas on how to prove this one way or another. The engine is out of the car now on a stand.....untouched.

 

[01yellercobra]

You said you checked the rod bearings already. Check the mains as well. And by checking I mean take the caps off and inspect them. That sounded a little high pitched to be a bearing to me. What you heard might've been valve train by the way it got quieter when you revved it. You should have checked oil pressure while it was running with a mechanical gauge. And being a 75k engine doesn't really mean anything. If it wasn't taken care of it'll be toast.

Someone on here was missing the pilot bearing a long time ago. He had all kinds of weird issues. But I don't remember the sound it made. This was years ago.