Replacing Rod Bearings

Hose92SVX · #1 09-18-2006, 01:11 PM

Does anybody know if it's possible to replace the Rod Bearings with the motor half's together? I thought I was in for a easy job when I looked below at the Oil pan and seeing how exposed it was but boy was I wrong. I guess I'm used to a inline motor where you can get to the rod bolts. Plus a bigger motor where you can slide a Rachet between the Cranks counterweights to unbolt the caps. I think I can still remove the caps but there is know way I can think of how to re-torque the caps back on once they are removed. I could guesstimate on the torque. Anybody ever tried re-useing and guesstimating rod bolt torque values? I just use the car to drive me and my son to the local Hamburger and Shake joint everyother Friday and Saturday night so longivity or relibility is not a concern. Any advice would be helpfull, even it's to tell me I'm SOL. One more thing, I've priced some of the gaskets and main bearings, etc. and it seems cheaper to buy a motor from JDM then to rebuild. Does that sound right?
Thanks in advance, Adam

TomsSVX · #2 09-18-2006, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hose92SVX

Does anybody know if it's possible to replace the Rod Bearings with the motor half's together? I thought I was in for a easy job when I looked below at the Oil pan and seeing how exposed it was but boy was I wrong. I guess I'm used to a inline motor where you can get to the rod bolts. Plus a bigger motor where you can slide a Rachet between the Cranks counterweights to unbolt the caps. I think I can still remove the caps but there is know way I can think of how to re-torque the caps back on once they are removed. I could guesstimate on the torque. Anybody ever tried re-useing and guesstimating rod bolt torque values? I just use the car to drive me and my son to the local Hamburger and Shake joint everyother Friday and Saturday night so longivity or relibility is not a concern. Any advice would be helpfull, even it's to tell me I'm SOL. One more thing, I've priced some of the gaskets and main bearings, etc. and it seems cheaper to buy a motor from JDM then to rebuild. Does that sound right?
Thanks in advance, Adam

Yes... get a used motor. No, you cannot replace main bearings without splitting the block.

Tom

92svxinmn · #3 09-18-2006, 04:49 PM

I got the torque values for all the different bolts if you want them just ask.

svxpert · #4 09-18-2006, 08:02 PM

what did you do to the engine to need rod bearings? overheat? ran without oil?

Hose92SVX · #5 09-19-2006, 06:39 AM

I bought the car earlier this summer and has it made a ticking sound the whole time. I'm not 100% it's a rod bearing but about 95% sure it is. I didn't do a oil test but the noise is coming from the lower crankcase area, spans the entire rpm band, louder when you put a load on the motor, and is louder the first few seconds when started. Plus I've had 4 other motors in the past with bearing damage and so far it has always been rod bearings and not main bearings. I was hoping someone knew if subaru or some other tool company made a special tool that could reach and remove the upper cap nut. So far I haven't had any luck and I'm starting to think a used motor might be the best route if I can't replace bearings without splitting the motor. Thanks again for the responses, Adam

Mr. Pockets · #6 09-19-2006, 07:03 AM

Your ticking sound could well be something else. Far be it for me to diagnose your car through the interweb, but bearing failure - of any kind - just seems so rare on these engines.

TomsSVX · #7 09-19-2006, 08:03 AM

sounds like you have a sticky lifter.... Nothing to worry about really eventually you may want to replace them with new ones but for now let it tick

tom

Hose92SVX · #8 09-19-2006, 09:13 AM

I was thinking lifter as well but, the sound is almost transparent when placing a stethescope on the oil pan, also I should use more descriptive words. "CLACKING" is a better word to describe the sound. I'm trying to find a solution asap because I,m in route to NJ in my semi and if there ever was a good time to buy a JDM motor, now would be the time since they have a motor in NJ, however I hate buy a motor if I think I can repair my motor for a couple hundred and make it last another 10k miles. Sorry to post a question when I've kinda already made up my mind, but I just wanted to give it one more chance at saving the currant motor. Thanks, Adam

Hocrest · #9 09-19-2006, 09:46 AM

What motor are you buying in NJ?? There is one that has been sold a number of times on EBay without ever changing hands. Most of the story is in the Buyer Beware Thread.

I guess if your picking it up in person, it will be harder to rip you off though...

TomsSVX · #10 09-19-2006, 12:42 PM

try placing the stethescope on the bellhousing for the trans... I do not believe you have any wrist pin slap because that would be the only thing I can think of in the motor that would make that sound. I am thinking maybe a flexplate. The bottom ends of these motors will hold up to serious abuse and mileage so I HIGHLY doubt that is your problem... Maybe as simple as a lifter or it could simply be a cracked flexplate... it would really help if you could get a sound clip of the noise

Tom

P.S. there is no reason to buy a JDM motor except for the availability. There are no differences between the JDM engines and USDM engines

Hose92SVX · #11 09-19-2006, 01:21 PM

I'm in Ohio right now which is about 650 miles from the car so I can't get a sound clip or re-check it now. I didn't put the scope on the bellhousing area and I don't know to much about the flexplate problems associated with this car so I wouldn't know what it would sound like but if I don't end up getting this motor in NJ, I'll try listening to it one more time. Since it's not under a load I could turn it over without the oil pan which would really tell me if its a bearing but at this point I didn't want to take a chance on damaging the journals on the crank so I haven't tried that. The car has 120k which is not real high for today's motors but the car doesn't look like it was taken real good care of, not abused but just driven and forgotten about. One other thing that is kinda wierd is that the pan has been removed before, because there is gasket former thats smeared around the area. That repair could just be from repairing a oil leak but the belly of the car has some pretty good scars which makes me think the car might have taken a trip off the road at one point and for all I know the pan could have been cracked and let debri inside. It's hard to say that happened but like I said there are some long scars that are more then just hitting speed bumps underneath. The other big thing is that the oil pressure makes a difference in noise level which I wouldn't think oil pressure wouldn't affect the flexplate noise. Also putting a load on the motor makes a difference in the noise level, which cancels out the lifter. I've been wrong before so I'm not gonna say for sure that it's the rod bearings and would have to research the flexplate issue some more but everything else points to a bearing problem. Also I don't think it's the wrist pins since once again the oil pressure seems to make a difference in noise level. I really should have taken more time and had the oil analyzed, oh well. Thanks again for the responses, Adam.

P.S. The thing that scares me about the JDM motor is that they couldn't tell me the excact milage on the motor, or the leak down test results for the motor. It seems to me they would keep a logbook with some info regarding each motor. That has me kinda worried. The cost of the motor is surpisingly cheap but I don't want to go thru the hassle of taking a couple days off from work to swap out the motors only to find out something is wrong with the new motor.

Hose92SVX · #12 09-20-2006, 10:23 PM

Welp, after reading some of the post concerning the flexplate and seeing how I go to Jersey quit a bit I figured I should go home and put the stethescope up to the bell housing and check the flexplate first, then if it's not that, I'll book another load to Jersey and buy one of the motors for sale in that area. Thanks again for the info and I'll keep you posted on the outcome so you can use this info in the future.

Hose92SVX · #13 09-22-2006, 03:42 PM

I got home this morning and did some more checking on the motor and it is a rod bearing that is smeared, luckily it didn't seem to damage the jornals. I"m not sure if that was the only damaged bearing becuase I could only get two caps off. For what it's worth this is how I removed the rod caps nuts while the motor is still together.

This so far has only worked for removing the two center caps.

I took three 6 sided 12mm sockets and welded them on some 10" long wrenches (used the boxed in side of wrenches to weld the sockets on ) I posistioned the three sockets so each one of them is welded on 120 degrees oppisite of the others that allowed me to reach the upper cap nut and slowly remove the nut by alternating wrenches untill I was able to unscrew it with my fingers.

Using a 12 sided socket has to much play and won't remove the nut because the wrench hit's cranks counter weights.
Using any kind of ratchet (even a little 1/4") won't work because there is not enough room to get in there and then the problem with a breaker bar is that it has too much play it in to twist the nut more then a fraction of an inch before you run out of room and bump the handle against the crank. Taking the socket off the Breaker bar and rotating it didn't allow it to fit on the nut and get another twist.

Anyway I doubt this would help anybody but for what it's worth this is what I've ran into with removing the rod caps with the motor intact.
Thanks again for the help and for what it's worth this is a great site. Adam

TomsSVX · #14 09-22-2006, 03:48 PM

good luck to you... I hope you get it all sorted out

Tom

pearlm30 · #15 09-29-2006, 03:01 AM

Hi Adam
If you are not too far from St Louis, I have a parts car with good engine that still runs(150,xxx miles). Check out my locker. PM me if interested. Thanks