Checking the crankshaft bearings

[mole42]

Since I have to drop the sump to replace the gasket, I might as well check the bearings while access is easier!

Not wishing to spend more time on my back under the car than I have to, which of the main bearings is likely to show the most wear? In other words, which bearing cap do I pull first?

Is there likely to be any real difference between big ends? I expect that looking at any one would give a reasonable clue as to the state of the remaining ones.

Richard

[flying farmer]

Main bearings 2 or 4 are narrowest and wear fastest and the half in the bearing cap shows far more wear than the half in the block.

[flying farmer]

Big ends don’t really wear until the mains are knackered and the oil pressure has gone.
When I stripped the engine currently in my estate after 70,000 miles the bearings were still perfect. Probably because I emptied the sand out of it before I built it which is more than the supplier of the short engine I brought had done

[mole42]

Thanks Neil. My engine was built by Tony Harts company so I hope their cleaning process was up to par! Oil pressure's been 40+ hot for the past few years.

I'll report back after I've checked on Thursday.

Richard

[jakesmig]

Are you going to replace the removed nuts and bolts with new?

[mole42]

Since most of the new parts I've used in the past few years have been made of cheese I don't intend using new bolts.

[mole42]

Well, No2 main looked like this after 40,000 miles:

40000 mile No2.JPG
So I put it back and won't worry about the crankshaft bearings anymore.

Richard

[wilf]

I have similar oil pressure to you, and so although I have no idea how long the crank bearings have been in there, I am going to assume they look just like yours, lol.

One less thing to be paranoid about.

[flying farmer]

Well, No2 main looked like this after 40,000 miles:

40000 mile No2.JPG
So I put it back and won't worry about the crankshaft bearings anymore.

Richard

Which only goes to show that Stags don't have crankshaft problems if they are assembled correctly, which is just what you would expect from a Tony Hart engine.

I would imagine that all the pre production Stag engines would have been carefully assembled to exacting tolerances and so would have tested perfectly ok.

Unfortunately the Stag engine doesn't lend itself to rushed production line assembly especially when still full of casting sand!

Neil