Anyone used a case saver kit on their transmission?
 

My throwout bearing shit the bed in a big way last week and I'm in the process of gathering parts to do the clutch/bearing. My retainer cover is shot so I was wondering if anyone has used one of the Tranquil Case saver kits on their trans? Up front cost is more then a replacement cover by itself, but its about a wash when I factor in the cost of an updated OEM bearing (I don't trust the bearings that come with aftermarket clutch kits). With that said, can anyone comment on which option would be better? I like that the case saver kit uses a stainless steel sleeve and oversize bearing but haven't found any reviews specific to the BRZ.

Link to kit in question:
https://sixstarbernie.com/i-23179109...1990-2018.html

Figured I'd take the plunge and guinea pig the case saver kit since no one seems to have experience with it here. I finally got around to installing it the other day and figured I would post up a quick summary. My car has 115k and is on its second bearing failure so the hope is that the bearing in the kit will work better for me.

This is what the original bearing from my car looked like. It essentially sized and separated into two pieces:
https://i.imgur.com/hlWsc9Nl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rUt3IIdl.jpg

The main issue with bearing failures on these cars (aside from the work required to replace it) is that it tends to gouge the aluminum snout on the retainer cover that the throwout bearing slides on. Mine wasn't as bad as some that I've seen, but still would have required replacement:
https://i.imgur.com/HBpE63Gl.jpg

The case saver kit is essentially a stainless steel sleeve that slips over the damaged snout so that you don't have to replace the the cover. It secures with four set screws that go into the back of the casing. In theory the stainless steel sleeve is stronger and less prone to damage then the factory aluminum cover:
https://i.imgur.com/1QV0r3Vl.jpg

What it looks like installed (I used red loctight on the set screws since you'll have a really bad day if they ever decide to back out):
https://i.imgur.com/cA4do89l.jpg

Since the diameter of the bearing retainer is changed slightly by the sleeve, the OEM bearing will no longer work. The kit provides a new bearing with an oversized inner diameter to compensate for this. The bearing that ships with the kit has the factory part number ground off and the company's own number stamped on. This is to try to force you to buy replacements directly through them, but a little digging says its an OEM Toyota bearing for transverse mounted 4AGE applications (FWD Corolla, MR2 etc.):
https://i.imgur.com/CzAKVaUl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/m9uDRkql.jpg

The kit comes with a packet of really nice high temp grease, so all you need to do once you install the sleeve is to lube everything up and put it together:
https://i.imgur.com/scWiEPbl.jpg

The case saver kit is around the same price as buying a new retainer cover and bearing so going this route won't save any money, but its nice to have the option. I decided to give this a shot since I don't have much faith in the OEM Frs/Brz bearings anymore and I really don't want to drop the transmission again anytime soon. The bearing that ships with kit has a proven track record so I'm hoping it will hold up better for me. The clutch pedal feels much smoother than stock after the install, but I also installed a Exedy stage 1 clutch and Cusco reinforced fork and pivot at the same time so I can't really comment on if the kit by itself had any impact on feel. My gut says it shouldn't but you never know.

Excellent! I've seen these for other models and even though mine's still serviceable, I'll install this kit preemptively.

Nice find... might consider it.

I didn't even know this was a thing. Thanks for teaching me something new.

No clue this existed. It could have saved me a pile of cash. Will be sure to link to all the new TOB threads that come up.
Very cool. Thanks!

bumping this thread for interest, a few years ago mechanic recommended the tranquil kit saying he used it on all his Legacy GT.
@RustyS14 how's this bearing been holding up for you?

Ha! I ordered mine right after seeing this thread the first time. Still haven't pulled the transmission.

I haven't logged in on here for ages so I'm a bit late on this, but the bearing and kit seem to be holding up great. The car has around 150k on it now and I haven't run into any issues with the clutch/transmission since the kit was installed.

Our snouts are replaceable. OEM snout $96 with bearing, Case saver $150. Fixing a problem that does not exist. But a good way to separate you from your money.

I think you're missing the point of the fix. The point of going this route is so that you can use the proven 4AGE throwout bearing instead of the OEM FRS/BRZ bearings which were known to have issues at the time. I had already gone down the OEM snout/bearing route before with this car and figured if I was pulling the trans again I mind as well give this a go instead of rolling the dice with another OEM replacement.

Also keep in mind this is going on 4 years ago. At the time the cost of the case saver kit was the same as purchasing a new OEM snout/bearing so it was a wash money wise. I haven't had a reason to follow current pricing, the OEM replacement parts could very well be cheaper now.

@Grady @RustyS14

I made another post about this but you guys seem to know.... For replacing the snout, all you need is the "32130B Retainer Bearing"? The picture is throwing me off I think because its shows a literal bearing in the photo. I won't need any gaskets or a new buy/install a new input shaft seal?


edit: Link
https://parts.irvinesubaru.com/a/Sub...10-110-03.html

I have not purchased one but the way the diagram is done when you buy the “Retainer bearing” snout it will come with a new seal. Unless there is an error in the parts manual.

The other key is, as soon as your throw out bearing starts making noise take care of it. Then the snout will not be damaged. Yes I could see an advantage of a higher quality bearing but the 2nd gen is a lot more robust so not as many failures as the original one.

The X clutch I just put in seemed to have a good quality throw out bearing.