Author Topic: Rod bearing replacement checklist  (Read 249 times)

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Offline Aceon

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Rod bearing replacement checklist
« on: December 17, 2024, 08:47:07 PM »
Hey guys, you may remember my engine rebuild posts from last year and having 0 oil pressure. Well, I tried everything without success and ended up saying screw it and riding a season basically no oil pressure. This year, I'm going to replace the rod bearings in attempt to fix issue, so I'd love some feedback to make sure I don't miss anything in my process.

1. Engine out
2. Remove valve cover
3. Rotate engine to top dead center to avoid having to adjust the valves and have a reference point (necessary?)
4. Loosen cam sprocket and pull chain aside
5. Remove bottom engine cover
6. Remove crankshaft
7. Figure out how to use Plastigauge and measure rod bearings
8. Order new rod bearings and install
9. Reinstall crankshaft and engine cover
10. Reinstall cam chain at TDC
11. Pretty much good to go?

Please let me know if there's any specifics I'm missing or notes that would be helpful, thanks!

P.S. Riding with super low oil pressure resulted in increased wear on the cam and rockers (obviously) and a some fine flakes in the oil, nothing catastrophic. Worth it to not miss the riding season!

Offline Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2024, 11:12:57 PM »
Flakes in oil and nothing catastrophic?

Do not make a prognosis until you get inside. Check rod bearings and main bearings too.

If you didn't have oil pressure it would have seized up. Get a new oil pressure gauge.     
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Offline bryanj

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2024, 01:43:47 AM »
You HAVE to take the cam out or split the cam chain and re rivet with new link as there is not enough play to get crank out, if it really had zero pressure for a full year i think the crank will be shot
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Offline Pbeattie89

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2024, 03:32:15 AM »
Add insection of the cam and cam carriers. Also, insect the oil pump.

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Offline PeWe

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2024, 03:38:39 AM »
Sure about no oil pressure?
Oil in tank, remove oil filter , spark plugs, kill switch off and spin starter for 5 sec.

 It will squirt oil if pump is working.
 (No air in it as it can if pump not properly primed in oil letting air out via relief valve that need to be opened when priming)
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Offline Aceon

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2024, 01:04:13 PM »
Thanks for the replies, my "nothing catastrophic" was based on a top-end inspection, which is where I believe had the least pressure. My theory is that the pressure loss was at the rod/main bearings so hopefully they should've been lubricated enough.

I had a steady stream of oil flow in the tank and I had rebuilt & primed my oil pump multiple times but my oil gauge (I tried 3 different gauges) always said 10ish PSI at cold start, then warmed up and settled at "0" at idle. I could still see oil flinging from the rockers if I had the tappet covers off, I'm just assuming it wasn't at the right pressure.

Bryan, couldn't I pull the cam chain down enough to have slack for the crank to come through? Would love to avoid undoing all the rockers.

Offline Don R

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2024, 01:22:51 PM »
 I'd suggest oil pressure leakage at the pump before excess loss at the rods. Your pump may have ingested foreign material or had a relief valve failure. There can be missing plugs at the end of an oil passage, I've seen broken castings on a pump etc, You might see bearing wear but it's the result of low pressure, not the cause. 
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Offline Pbeattie89

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2024, 01:46:39 PM »
Just a thought, but check the main oil gally plug on the alternator side of the engine. Easy enough to check the aluminum plug/oring by pulling the cover.

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Offline Don R

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2024, 01:50:15 PM »
 Isn't there also an oil plug in the shifter area? 

For rod bearings only you may be able to remove the rod cap and push the piston/rod assembly up into the cylinder or rotate the crank away from the rod with the cap off and replace the bearing. For mains you usually will need to relieve the cam chain tension somehow, although a few drag racers that are good at it can rotate a bearing shell out and roll in a new one.
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Offline Aceon

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2024, 04:00:32 PM »
I've checked all the common spots for the pressure loss, I'm 99% sure I did everything I could before I determined I needed to take the engine out again.

I'm going to do rod AND main bearings while I have it out, I'll give it a shot without removing the crankshaft, I could've sworn someone here mentioned it was possible without removing the cam.

Not sure if anyone here has tried that, maybe it's more effort than it's worth. I guess removing the rockers is pretty easy, just need to readjust the valves after.

Offline Don R

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2024, 04:15:18 PM »
 You could remove the tensioner and cam timing gear and slip the chain off of the gear, that will make some slack. Then you just need remember to not turn the crank enough to push a piston into an open valve.
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Offline HondaMan

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2024, 04:32:20 PM »
This first:
I'd suggest oil pressure leakage at the pump before excess loss at the rods. Your pump may have ingested foreign material or had a relief valve failure. There can be missing plugs at the end of an oil passage, I've seen broken castings on a pump etc, You might see bearing wear but it's the result of low pressure, not the cause. 

It is quite common (i.e., I have seen it at LEAST 6 times) for the casting on the oil pump to become distorted (to something less than round) where the pressure regulator piston resides. This results in the symptom of: about 10 PSI oil when cold, less when hot. So, that's the first place I'd look if it were here. New oil pump body will fix it, or a run thru the zone where the piston is, with a drill bit of the proper (large) size, followed by some polishing of the results so the piston moves easily. When the piston gets stuck partway open it diverts most of the oil flow back to the crankcase and to the transmission via the cross-passage that comes into the tranny on the left side of the engine.

All this said: I have (and I will say UNDER DURESS) replaced crank main bearings and rod bearings w/o top end disassembly: I just removed the cam chain tensioner to get a little slack on the main bearings, then made a 'bearing puller' for the main bearings out of a screw (IIRC it was a short 1/4-28 screw, with the head cut down to less-than-bearing thickness, with the head thin and very polished, and it had a flat made on one side for 'pushing' with). I inserted it into the oiling hole of each main journal in succession and rotated the crank (use the alternator bolt, not the spark advancer's side, and sparkplugs out) toward the bearing's locktab side to slide it out, then oiled up the new one and started it in by hand, turning the crank back the other way, using the screw's head to nudge the new bearing in. The crank MUST be pulled up a little for this to work, hence the cam chain tensioner's removal beforehand, for a little chain slack.

The rod bearings were much harder to do, but managed to get them done: all the new bearings were Black size, replacing Green and Yellow ones.

All of this was an effort to salvage a rebuild someone else did, and he had just stuck in the same colors of bearings as were original on a K1 engine with 60k+ miles. The result was 10-15 PSI oil pressure at 5k RPM after warmup, not nearly enough to go touring. When given the choice, I will NEVER remove the cylinders from a freshly-rebuilt engine, as it will disturb the ring seating, from which it will not ever fully recover. Yes, it will run, but it won't be optimum.

I learned this technique from an old farmer who used to rebuild his own Ford-tractored engines (170 CID and 200 CID inline Sixes). He replaced the bearings 3 times on each one before he finally had them bored for new pistons and rings, and he showed me how. And his homemade 'bearing pushers', as he called them, that he made with a file and sandpaper!
« Last Edit: December 18, 2024, 07:32:46 PM by HondaMan »
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Offline bryanj

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #12 on: December 18, 2024, 05:41:47 PM »
You will get enough movement to spin the shells out like Mark said but not enough to remove the crank so how will you measure for wear?
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Offline 69cb750

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Re: Rod bearing replacement checklist
« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2024, 12:01:19 PM »
Quote
You will get enough movement to spin the shells out like Mark said but not enough to remove the crank so how will you measure for wear?
Removing cam tensioner crank can be lifter slightly and measured with micrometer.
(I would not do this) Engine need to come apart and all parts inspected.