Pulled the #2 main bearing

doh! looks oil starvation...u might as well replace all the bearings...how's the crank journal?

Along with a bunch of ridges. Son, that engine is tired! To do it right you are going to basically wind up with a rebuild. If all the cylinders are in good shape - and they might be judging from the previous pics - you probably need to pull the crank and have it turned. I wouldn't do that, tho, until you pull the rest of the caps and get a good idea of what you have. Check the bearing of over/under markings. If they are standard, that's a plus. Check all the cylinders - if they all look like #2 that's another plus. Have the cylinders checked for taper and round. If they were recently bored they should be OK, but check them. You can rent/borrow/buy an inside mic (even the Harbor Freight cheapies will do - you are after relative measurement, not absolute here) and check them yourself. If the cylinders are reasonable, check the piston clearance. If it's within tolerance for the bore then it sounds like somebody did a half-assed rebuild and you can come out OK by having the crank turned and put it back with new bearings. So help me, it almost looks like someone had that block bored then put it back together with the old bearings and crank.

Given the appearance of the bearings, I would have all the above checked out and be ready to bail on it if anything else is screwy.

Looks like a complete rebuild is in order.. the question is whether to put money into the old block, or just acquire a newer one.. the choice and chance is yours.. and have you made your wife/partner aware of what is happening to her best white bathroom towels?..

Actually, I get these towels at the flea market from .50 to 1.00 each depending on who I'm dealing with at the time.

Billo

Check the outer surface of a rod bearing for some stamped information. If you find a "1980" you know that you're looking at the factory original bearings.

You guys are talking about a rebuild....what exactly does that entail!? And be gentle....me electronics guy, me no know vroom vroom!!

sb

SB did pass the time by typing:

In a nutshell, it entails a whole lot of work that goes much easier with the engine on a stand.

Basically this is the point where you decide if it's worth the time and effort to rebuild or are you better off getting a rebuilt or crate motor.

Bill, could you expand on the 10 10 crank. What does this mean?

Thanks,

Bill

It means the crank was ground .010 of an inch undersize in order to restore roundness and the proper surface finish to the rod and crank journals. You then use a .010 undersize bearing to restore the proper oil clearances.

Chris

Is it THAT drastic? It sounds as though the block is at issue when you talk about tossing it for new.

I mean...a crate motor is what...$6-10k (guessing here...and using Canadian guessing....our taxes suck!...but yeah, health care!).

Is it more or less the time it takes to get other shops to check the valves/cores/heads/blah/blah/blah???? I understand that if it's your only vehicle, you want to get it done and over with right quick. But how much work is it really?

This bearing looks brutal. I would suspect it's seen many miles between oil/filter changes. Something else that I find alarming is the sharp contrast in the finish on the left side. I think it's time to invest in some plastigage and see what's going on down there. I'd pull all the main caps and if you're really energetic pull the rod caps too. Remember to mark them.

You are done trying to patch it up. I can often buy a rebuilt engine for less than the parts to properly rebuild it myself, and get a good warrantee on it. Motor Works in Sea-Tac is one source. I haven't done business with them in 4 years, they were good then.

-- Paul Calman, Hathaway Pines, California

If you need to replace pistons. God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O mailto: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com

Mike

"L.W.(ßill) Hughes III" wrote: