I've got the motor and tranny pulled on my '95 Dakota 3.9L V6 w/5-spd. 158K. There's a good amount of side to side play in the pilot shaft. Anyone know what the proper amount of play should be? I'm hoping I don't have to replace the front bearing but that's probably the way it's headed! Thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

 

Ya sounds like a bad bearing. I'm sure the play is supposed to be minimal. You can try to see if the service manual has specs on the play. You can download it from the FAQ in this section.