Timken Throw out bearings

[Vanspeed]

Hi guys. I ordered a new throw out bearing for my car since the engine/trans is out and it was making a bit of a noise. I removed the old bearing and bought a Timken. Opened the box and the bearing is a Aetna A-2256. It spins rather easily. I got this from a guy in California. I just looked at amazon and typed in Timken 2065 bearing. It shows up, Timken box but if you look close, you can see the Aetna name. Is Timken doing this? They are two completely different sellers. What gives?

[DavidG]

Aetna bearings were used by Ford in the day. Often as not if I opened a Ford box for a throwout bearing it would be an Aetna bearing inside.

[35fordtn]

Every Timken Clutch bearing I have stocked/sold (well over 200) was a Aetna bearing. This is a Timken thing, so rest assured the seller didn;t play swap out on you.

As a side note Timken is not my prefered bearing for a clutch release bearing. I have had 3 failures out of them, but would still use one.

We stock three brands of the Clutch release bearing and let the customer and their wallet choose. Chinese (QLZ bearings), Timken, and Bearing Technologies, LTD. I prefer the latter and have had no issues with them.

[RobR'35]

Interesting I have to admit.
The timken bearings that failed u, were they NOS, NORS, or more recent manufactured?

[1948F-1Pickup]

I work in the bearing industry at an actual manufacturer here in the US.
(not Timken)
The entire industry is really bad now but even back in the day it was this way..... Timken buys from us. We buy from Timken, SKF, NSK, Koyo, etc.
We manufacture and so does Timken and SKF, etc.
(everyone buys and sells from everyone else because no one can make all the darned things)

Aetna is still in business. They are an OE supplier, just like us. The NOS bearings for the clutch release function were Aetna in the Ford box at the service parts counter, as well as on the assembly line.

https://www.aetnabearing.com/about/

[35fordtn]

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Originally Posted by RobR'35

Interesting I have to admit.
The timken bearings that failed u, were they NOS, NORS, or more recent manufactured?

These were NEW Manufactured.
As 1948F-1 has mentioned we live in a world where vendors share suppliers. I learned this recently with ignition points.

[Talkwrench]

Ive just been through this. And the Aetna bearing spun easily . I Did not use it, it wasn't right. I even sent a email to Aenta , but it seems I have been ignored. I used a National bearing in the end. At least it had grease in it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShFS...ature=youtu.be

From what I can see of Timken , the only manufacturing plants I can find are in India , Romania and China.

[Phil Gillespie]

Originally Posted by Talkwrench

Ive just been through this. And the Aetna bearing spun easily . I Did not use it, it wasn't right. I even sent a email to Aenta , but it seems I have been ignored. I used a National bearing in the end. At least it had grease in it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShFS...ature=youtu.be

From what I can see of Timken , the only manufacturing plants I can find are in India , Romania and China.

Did you get the National bearing locally? As I'm in process of an engine rebuild and would like to do clutch bearings at same time.
Phil NZ

[deuce lover]

I just got a National from The Early Ford Store and appears to be a good one.

[Talkwrench]

Yes Phil a local statewide bearings store in Western Australia.

[Mac VP]

We’ve been stocking and selling the National brand 2065 release bearings for years. Up until about a year and a half ago, they were packaged in a Federal Mogul brand box. They’re the same bearing of course. The production of these was moved to a FM/Timken plant in Mexico several years ago. They were and still are the best quality option for release bearings from new production.

We’ve discovered that there seem to be some production issues with the product. About one out of every ten bearings in our orders was excessively tight or felt a bit “notchy” when you rotated the bearing. The issue remains but the percentage of defective bearings has dropped thankfully. However, in order to minimize any defective bearings reaching our customers, we inspect and test rotate EVERY SINGLE BEARING before it is allowed to go out the door to a customer.

[john in illinois]

Aetna bearings had poor quality and early failures with Model A,s. We went with Federal Mogul from Mexico.

John

[RobR'35]

Henry wouldn't stand for it.
Boy, how things have changed....

[35fordtn]

I haven’t had issues with timken (Aetna) until the last two years. I still prefer the bearing technologies bearings and they are based out of Ohio. To date we have sold 157 of them with zero issues, plus they are a little easier on the wallet

[1948F-1Pickup]

Originally Posted by Talkwrench

From what I can see of Timken , the only manufacturing plants I can find are in India , Romania and China.

Timken has plants in the US too. And they globally source as well.
They have one OE (hub) contract on Ford trucks and have pretty much gotten out of the OE automotive business. They are a huge (auto) aftermarket supplier, if not the largest, that I am aware of and a formidable competitor.

[barnfind08]

I do not buy anything current. Still selling parts from 50 years ago. In the case of the N1087 (78-7580 t/o bearing I bought from the us govt 1200 bearings new surplus in 1976. I have about 300 left and have never had a complaint or comeback. All my bearings are usa new surplus.

[RobR'35]

Incredible how your able to remember all those details with all that you have, and have sold over the years.

[BlueNotes]

I have a few NOS throw out bearings. Is there any risk that the grease has aged and got too stiff in them?

[Flathead]

I remember BCA being a big source of TO bearings at one time, are they still going?

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by Flathead

I remember BCA being a big source of TO bearings at one time, are they still going?

That's what I have. I'm about the put the trans in and on the fence on whether to use it or not. Bought it years ago at a swap.