9o7yota

Hey!
I just got my main bearings taken out of my engine last night. 22re to be exact. its still attached to my engine, so my crankshaft is slightly hanging from the tranny..only like half an inch though so it didnt bother me...
anyway, anyone got any advice for doing this?

So far, i have the Haines manual, but thats not as good as personal advice...and what ive been told so far is that all i have to do is:

Assembly lube the new main bearings before inserting
Since the top bearings are above my crankshaft, ill have to slide the bearings inaround the crank.

Then of course, ill insert the bearings into the lower journals/caps and then reinstall all the caps.

Ive never done bearings before, so is there anything i need to know before i put these in?

Someone said something about plastigauging once...im not sure if that will be important or not...

Also, in the thrust washer set i got from engnbldr out of the bearing kit.... My center cap has the two spacers... Each spacer has two grooves in them, do the grooves face out? i cant remember. The engnbldr set has 2 extra spacers though that dont look like they would fit...are they extras for maybe a 22r and just come with the kit?

Again, any advice for me before i get started will be gggreeat

laketrash

I would use the plastigauge (you'll need to find the specs for appropriate tolerances), it will tell you if your crankshaft was worn down at all (assuming at least one of the bearings was bad causing you to tackle this job). If it's worn down you'll need to remove it completely, have it machined down and buy the larger bearings as needed for the amount machined off.

I'm speaking only from book knowledge and minimal witnessing of similar jobs so far, I've been reading up prepping for my first rebuild so please take my advice with that level of weight behind it.

Someone else will have to chime in on the spacers.

9o7yota

yeah, the bearing job was for a slight bearing noise... turns out it was 2 completely worn down connecting rod bearings... fully down to the brass.. My main bearings however, only have small scratch marks in them...im assuming from over use and maybe dirt particles. the crank seems fine, and considering i dont have the money to buy a new crank...thats a no go... Plus the engine is still in my truck..

Anyway, so plastigauging the bearings is just to check if the crank is bad? so i dont actually NEED to plastigauge it to install the new bearings?

Cyberman

You should plastiguage every bearing, to make sure they are within tolerance. That tolerance lets you know whether your crank will receive enough oil to move the pistons up and down. If any are worn beyond spec, the engine could seize, or you will spin another bearing (more than likely the one that already spun). Do it right the first time. You really don't want to do this job in a couple of months again (or worse replace the engine), do you?

abecedarian

IF you do plastigauge the bearings do not apply assembly lube until after checking the clearances. The lube will take up some clearance between the bearing and journals and throw the readings off. I would recommend some lightweight oil like sewing machine or such to lube the bearing / journal surface- nothing on the back side of the bearing to let you slide the top half of the bearing around the crank, and nothing at all on the cap side bearing, torque the cap bolts down, then release and use the plastigauge. After you read the plastigauge, if things are within spec, remove the upper bearing, apply the lube, etc. and install as usual.

9o7yota

Well i didnt have a plastigauge.... The main bearings were actually in great condition when i took them out.. minus some dirt wear.. The new bearings, held side by side with the old ones, looked exactly the same. So i just went ahead and put them in. Good luck to me hoping everything works out.. haha.. Rod bearings and pin bushings..maybe rings as well tomorrow!..

I kind of am scared that i didnt plastiguage, but there was nothing i could do. I'm going to have to gamble that the new bearings will allow oil. I used assembly lube for installation, nothing on the back sides.

Hardest parts were probably cleaning the surfaces... putting in the thust washers(i hope they seated correctly)..and then some minor torque wrench clearance issues

After I torqued all the caps to 76 ft lbs i turned the crank a bit to make sure it was okay with spinning.... spun great. Only thing i can complain about is the slight noise from the thrust washers...

The Haines said i needed to tap my crank back and forth to seat the thrust bearings completely...well i tried to knock it backwards from the front of the crank...and it didnt move..im guessing that is really good...buuuuuuuutt what about seating the thrust bearings lol?...help?

Cyberman

Not to scare you but...

The oil clearance is measured in thousandths of an inch. I don't think anyone can put two bearings side by side and see that small of a difference. Besides, the clearance you are measuring is to see if the crank has been worn, not the bearings. Too much clearance (i.e. crank wear) is not good.

Also, if you plan to put new rings in how are you going to accomplish that with the engine in the truck? You have to pull the engine, and remove the head to change the rings.

You can buy plastiguage at pretty much any auto parts store. It's less than a dollar.

9o7yota

Heh, okay i think i understand now about the plastigauging...so im scared and we'll see how it goes once it runs.

As for the pistons..their already out of my truck bro. The head is already off the engine too, its naked. and still in my truck I pulled the pistons by pushing them through the top. Installation is reverse, ill insert them from the top and then connnect them from the bottom.