I am fairly new here. I have been posting on the 97-03 forums, until someone directed me to this part of the site.
The story:
1999 F150, 5.4 engine.
Last spring I started hearing a rattle on startup. A few weeks after the noise started I was pulling our camper into a strong head wind. I was running between 3000 and 4000 RPM's pretty steady when I lost oil pressure and it started knocking.
Got it home and pulled the engine. The rattle was the timing chain rubbing on the timing cover. It rubbed off a bunch of metal filings which clogged the oil pickup screen. The low oil flow burned up 2 rod bearings. The bearings were not spun out, but they were chewed up pretty bad.
Fast forward, last week I put a reman crank in the pickup and got the engine back in. When I tried to start it, it turned over very hard and had a whine while turning. I am now in the process of pulling the engine back out to see what the problem is.
I torqued the rod caps to 29ft lbs, then turned 90 degrees or 1/4 turn.
I greased the main journals before installing the main caps, but did not grease the rod journals.
I didn't have any plastiguage, so I didn't check that. I assumed the crank was correct and would be fine.
The 2 rods with the bad bearings were blacker than the rest, from heat and oil baking onto the metal I am assuming.
I am looking for any advice on what I should be looking for that would make it turn over hard. If I plastiguage it and find the bearings too tight, what should I do about it?
On these engines if the rods were torqued too tight could this cause the problem? I know many years back I worked on a Ford 302 that a high school kid had overhauled. He torqued the rods and mains to about double what they were supposed to have been. That engine wouldn't even think about turning over! I wonder if my torque wrench is not calibrated right. That last 1/4 turn felt very tight, I was afraid of breaking the bolts!
Any advise or thoughts would be greatly appreciated! I will hopefully have the engine out and apart in a few days and will hopefully have some other information!

 

Did you use new rod bolts? The old ones will not streach to the torque, they are a one time use part,also dont run the motor w. the old becuase they WILL break. Also anytime a crank is replaced have the main journals checked for alignment or even align bored. Also make sure to install the thrust bearings properly. I have read w. john deere diesels not to use grease but use oil or assy. lube.

 

Thanks for the information.
I had read the rod bolts were a torque to yield bolt. I tried to get new bolts at Orielly's when I got the crank. They couldn't find any. I checked some parts places online and couldn't find the rod bolts. I will check directly with Ford and get the new bolts when I go back together with it!
The thrust bearings are I right, the end play is good. I installed the mains and the crank still turned over like it should. It was only after I installed all of the rods that it turned hard. Not hard like something hitting, but hard like it is too tight.
I should have the engine torn back down tomorrow or Thursday. I think I will pull the connecting rods one at a time until I find one that is binding up. Then I have decided the block will go to the machine shop to have the bottom end checked. So much for trying to take shortcuts to save a few bucks! I should have learned that lesson long ago!