rod bearing question
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Senior User
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From: Balfour
rod bearing question
My beater 360 has a rod knock and recently I fired it up and tracked it to #2 cylinder. I'm debating whether to slap in my spare 360 or take the oil pan off and stuff a new bearing in.
Do I just pop the bearing in and torque the cap on??? Or do I have to get some picky little guages and tools to do this?
Do I just pop the bearing in and torque the cap on??? Or do I have to get some picky little guages and tools to do this?
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Iowa
the last engine my dad rebuild fe 390 he didnt use any gauges to ut the new bearings in and the motor runs great with over 30,000 on the rebuild and no problems. i suppose if people want them perfect like a pro they might use gauges but im not sure if you need to.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: East Bend, Carolina, U.S
The crank will no doubt have damage on the journal when a bearing has been knocking on it. The amount it has is hard to tell without a micrometer. Save yourself some grief down the road and pull this engine apart and fix it right. Get a crank kit from a parts supplier you trust and have a machine shop check it for you just to be sure the journals of the crank you received is what it is supposed to be.
If this engine has quite a lot of miles then just do a complete rebuild or find another used engine to replace it with. I don't think you will see a good outcome for the rod bearing replacement alone because you don't know why the rod bearing went bad in the first place. A more serious problem lies within this engine than you will find by just poking around in the bottom end with the oil pan off.
If this engine has quite a lot of miles then just do a complete rebuild or find another used engine to replace it with. I don't think you will see a good outcome for the rod bearing replacement alone because you don't know why the rod bearing went bad in the first place. A more serious problem lies within this engine than you will find by just poking around in the bottom end with the oil pan off.
Last edited by Purely Ford; Nov 27, 2003 at 01:04 AM.
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From: Balfour
My idea is the crank is somewhat worn so I shouldn't have to worry about bearing clearance. Oil pressure is at 30lbs at idle and 60-70lbs at speed so I should be all good in that department.
Any body ever just slap a new bearing in through the pan? I read about it before but I can't find the post.
Any body ever just slap a new bearing in through the pan? I read about it before but I can't find the post.
Hotshot
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 11,141
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From: south louisiana
I've done it before. Just pull the pan, take the cap off the rod, inspect the crank for excessive wear( like maybe it's grooved)if it ain't grooved, just replace the rod bearing and button it back up. Sure it ould be nice to do a complete rebuild, but it ain't always practical to do, especially if money's tight.
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From: Iowa
that would be my best bet i dont think you plan on going to the race track or have the money to do a complete rebuild which may be nice but not totally necessary, i dought you drive your truck on trips either so i wouldnt worry about it, and i would just put a new bearing in it and forget about it.
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From: Quaker Hill ,CT U.S.A.
Buy a set of bearings and do all 8 rod bearings - then you wont have to mess with it again and it will buy you some time to build / find another engine . your oil pressure looks good so do that and keep running it .
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From: East Bend, Carolina, U.S
Not even a day has passed since I said to not just pop another bearing in and let it go and my father-in-laws engine in his truck began knocking after being patched this way a while back. His crank was checked with a micrometer, new oil pump, new main and rod bearings, cleaned as good as possible and checked for anything you can think of while the engine was still in the truck. There is just something not in good enough condition to perform this type of repair and expect much out of it. One bearing just doesn't go bad unless something else is wrong. Bad oil pump, plugged oil passages, debris in oil or crank journal diameter or the big end of the rod is not in specifications.
Maybe this new bearing will be tougher than the last one.
Maybe this new bearing will be tougher than the last one.
Last edited by Purely Ford; Nov 27, 2003 at 06:45 PM.
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: suburban atlanta
I've done both rods & mains lying on the floor... Funny how oil can drip for DAYS right in the eyeball. One time glad to be a 4-eyes.
You can tighten up the clearance if you go back to FoMoCo for the parts, as they have slightly tighter bearings available in different sizes. If you don't want to bother, you can get a set for cheap. Make sure that the crank has not been reground.. or FACTORY ground undersize. It can happen to you... when you're young.. etc.
Pull the old insert and look for 010 or 020 markings on the outer shell side.
You can get a lot more miles if you don't load it too hard, and are a CLEAN freak when re-assembling...
tom
You can tighten up the clearance if you go back to FoMoCo for the parts, as they have slightly tighter bearings available in different sizes. If you don't want to bother, you can get a set for cheap. Make sure that the crank has not been reground.. or FACTORY ground undersize. It can happen to you... when you're young.. etc.
Pull the old insert and look for 010 or 020 markings on the outer shell side.
You can get a lot more miles if you don't load it too hard, and are a CLEAN freak when re-assembling...
tom
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