The next year they replaced the bronze bushings with needle bearings – and replaced 5,000 powerheads under warrantee when the first bearings used failed. In testing they ran 1000 hours at wide open throttle. It turned out that at an idle the needles rocking back and fourth would ware through the retaining edge of the shell and drop out into the crankcase after around 200 hours.That of course totally destroyed the powerhead. Replacement bearings were a much better quality. Powerhead were sent to the dealers to replace all first production motors. Ralph said that’s what Ole would do. Some owners missed being contacted. Some were pleasantly surprised when the bearing failed five years later and got a brand new powerhead under there one year warrantee.
If you do remove the wrist pins, be sure the piston is well supported and push on the loose end. (Yes, the pistons are marked “loose” on one side, it’s a tapered bore.) If you push on the tight side, the piston will go out of round,
