60K & rod bearings @ 269K miles (pics)

[gosho89]

Thanks for the detailed report, it looks like things went well and your engine should be voted to the Engine Hall of Fame. I've been preparing for the last month at this point I've been waiting to borrow a engine support to install my new clutch/trans and while the cars in the air rolling in new bearings. I hope things go as well for me. Have a great 2003 and thanks for all your input on forum.

 

[sdpatt]

My engine seemed to be doing quite well with no unusual mechanical noises before I decided to change the bearings. But after reading the many posts in the Forum about bearing wear and bearing failures, I though it would be good insurance for the life of my engine to change them now. I had noticed that the sound of my engine was rougher than that of all of the engines I had serviced and thought that only the bearings could be causing it. Apparently they were, as even my wife has noticed that the engine sounds smoother and quieter. After seeing my bearings and knowing their excellent oil history, I would think that 150,000 miles would be a good milestone to consider replacing the connecting rod bearings.

After spending the effort and time to perform the 5th 60K service on my engine, I was not willing to let something that I didn't make the effort to maintain be the downfall of my SHO hobby project. I was definitely wary when I first cranked the engine after changing the bearings. I know that I now touched something that could catastrophically end the engine's life. I shouldn't have been so worried, as the procedure was straightforward and the results were noticeable and impressive. To 300K... and beyond....

<small>[ January 02, 2003, 03:32 PM: Message edited by: sdpatt ]</small>

 

[speedy91]

Scott,
Sorry if I missed it early, but are you on your original oil pump? Do you believe they have a life span?
Thanks,
Eric

 

[Porod]

Scott, Once again, thanks for the informative "how to" for yet another SHO job! Without the help of people like you on this forum, my car wouldn't be as nice as it is, nor would I be in the process of aquiring a second SHO!. Thanks! thumbs_u

 

[pjtoledo]

sdpatt:
,,,,,, I found that the two 10mm bolts that attached the oil pan to the clutch bellhousing to be stripped and I suspect that at least one of the shops that did the several clutch replacements may have had something to do with that.

Up here in the great rusted/salted midwest, those threads have a tendency to just corrode away. Down low, they catch all the water and salt, we find white powder instead of aluminum.

Perry Toledo,Ohio

 

[sdpatt]

Yes, my car is still on the original oil pump. I have never had any oil pressure problems (knock on wood) and I would imagine that the new bearings had bumped the pressure up even higher.

Down here in the non-rust belt, even my exhaust manifold nuts popped loose with only a normal twist of the wrench handle. They then were spun off the long studs with my fingers (anti-seize over the years has helped here). No, these threads came out on the screw looking like a Heli-Coil insert.

<small>[ January 04, 2003, 12:18 AM: Message edited by: sdpatt ]</small>

 

[megaplay]

Ok it was mentioned on Kirt's page and Scott said he did it but what is Platiguage? Can't find any info on it or where it was used.

 

[shojuan]

speedy91:
Scott,
Sorry if I missed it early, but are you on your original oil pump? Do you believe they have a life span?
Thanks,
Eric

From what I understand, there is no reason an oil pump can't last the life of the engine as long as you're doing regular oil changes and not breaking other things in there or otherwise abusing the engine (overheating, running out of oil, having the oil screen corrode out and letting metal bits and grit into the oil pump).

In other words if the engine has always been properly maintained then the oil pump should last a real long time.

Rick

 

[sdpatt]

megaplay:
Ok it was mentioned on Kirt's page and Scott said he did it but what is Platiguage? Can't find any info on it or where it was used.

Plastigage is a filament of deformable plastic that will be mashed to a certain width when the bearing is assembled. The bearing is then taken apart and the Plastigage is placed against the scale on the package. The width of the mashed filament compared to the scale is used to determine the clearance inside the bearing. I bought it along with the Clevite bearings at a NAPA Auto Parts store. It was less than a $1 for a foot of it in the smallest size for the rod bearings.

I used it only once and determined that the risk from the extra bolt tightening did not outweigh the risk of an oversized bearing gap. If they weren't bad with the old bearings, they couldn't have been bad with the new bearings.

 

[luigisho]

You can look it up online IIRC it's spelled plastigage. It's very cheap at most parts stores and looks like plastic spaghetti. There are different diameters so be sure you get the correct one (diff. sizes come in diff. colors)

 

[Toolman]

RonPorter:
Same deal here, except mine started knocking in MD at the Convention. I put in 20w-50 oil, with some STP-type stuff, and drove it 550 miles home. The bearings were incredibly bad, but the crank journals were fine. Car only had 86K, but it's prior history is questionable:

Hearing your car made me feel much better about mine Ron I should have change my bearings as soonas I got home, but I drove it a few more hundred miles. The worst part about the whole thing was missing the drags at the Convention. I will have to bring two cars to the next Convention to make up for it.