Bearing woes and some pics

[Bluebelles Mom]

I had to take a few days off from the car to repair a plumbing issue in my RV but I am back to Bb now and as usual she is fighting me tooth and nail. I seem to have really trashed the bearings (pictures will hopefully be attached.) and I am having real trouble getting some of them off the connecting rod.

[Bluebelles Mom]

Right to left equal from the back of the engine to the front. So far I haven't been able to remove All the bearings from any shaft. Some are sticking very hard.

[Petros]

yup, looks beat. The soft bearing material got hot and mashed it way out of the journal area, increasing the clearance. And it is worse at the rear of the engine, furthest from the oil pump.

If you caught it early enough the journal should be okay, have you inspected the journal yet? How do they look?

You may have to use the tip of a screw driver to force the bearing shell out of the top of the half of the connecting rod. Position the crank so you can get access to the end of the rod, pull the piston down so the large end of the connecting rod is below the cylinder and swing it to the side and brace it against the side of the crank case. this should allow you to tap on the edge of the bearing without having the piston slip back up into the cylinder. Using a screw driver like a chisel, tap with a mallet or hammer (light taps until it pops free) on the side of the bearing opposite the positioning tab. It will rotate out and come free. Once you get the first one out you will see it is not that bad now you know how they are held in place.

You will want to try and polish the inside of the connecting rod and cap with 400 grit wet and dry to get any metal transfer out before you put in new bearings.

[Bluebelles Mom]

yup, looks beat. The soft bearing material got hot and mashed it way out of the journal area, increasing the clearance. And it is worse at the rear of the engine, furthest from the oil pump.

If you caught it early enough the journal should be okay, have you inspected the journal yet? How do they look?

You may have to use the tip of a screw driver to force the bearing shell out of the top of the half of the connecting rod. Position the crank so you can get access to the end of the rod, pull the piston down so the large end of the connecting rod is below the cylinder and swing it to the side and brace it against the side of the crank case. this should allow you to tap on the edge of the bearing without having the piston slip back up into the cylinder. Using a screw driver like a chisel, tap with a mallet or hammer (light taps until it pops free) on the side of the bearing opposite the positioning tab. It will rotate out and come free. Once you get the first one out you will see it is not that bad now you know how they are held in place.

You will want to try and polish the inside of the connecting rod and cap with 400 grit wet and dry to get any metal transfer out before you put in new bearings.

I have run into another problem. Here is a picture of one of the new bearings I just unpacked next to an old one. The new one doesn't go into the bearing cap like the old ones do and the little tab thingy is on the wrong side. Very close to tears here....am going out and using what ever means at my disposal to get the old bearings off. Haven't looked too closely at the the rod yet..I haven't seen any glaring issues though.

[Petros]

I beleive that is the upper half, you are showing the lower half next to it. Not sure, but I think if you look at the one up in the connecting rod, it will match the one you have pictured here.

take all the them out and look at them, some should be mirror images of the other, they are the upper and lower halfs of each.

[Bluebelles Mom]

The new ones all look like mirror images of the old ones to me.

IMAG0036.jpg

[Bluebelles Mom]

Every new bearing has a tab on the left side which is somewhat wider then the tabs on the old ones. The new ones will not sit in the caps like the old ones will and obviously the tabs do not line up with the cap slots. I don't think these are the right bearings.

[Bluebelles Mom]

Here is what I think the problem is. I ordered part number 014-6080 for a 84 3ac engine as the block I now have is a 84. They apparently changed bearings late in the manufacture of that years engine so there is a a part number 014-6163 for the later ones. I am guessing I need the 6163 one for mine. Looking at the pics in RockAuto seem to support that as well. So, I am in hot standby until the new parts get here.

[deejay1272]

Here is what I think the problem is. I ordered part number 014-6080 for a 84 3ac engine as the block I now have is a 84. They apparently changed bearings late in the manufacture of that years engine so there is a a part number 014-6163 for the later ones. I am guessing I need the 6163 one for mine. Looking at the pics in RockAuto seem to support that as well. So, I am in hot standby until the new parts get here.

In case you haven't done so already, you should make a post under the part number category to clarify this..

[Bluebelles Mom]

Here is what I think the problem is. I ordered part number 014-6080 for a 84 3ac engine as the block I now have is a 84. They apparently changed bearings late in the manufacture of that years engine so there is a a part number 014-6163 for the later ones. I am guessing I need the 6163 one for mine. Looking at the pics in RockAuto seem to support that as well. So, I am in hot standby until the new parts get here.

In case you haven't done so already, you should make a post under the part number category to clarify this..

Good idea, it is only for the last two months of 83 that the bearings were changed for the 84 model apparently. It figures that mine would have been made in the last two months of the year. And since my block isn't the original there was no way for me to get the manufacture date from the VIN. Frustrating but nothing I can do about it right now so I am having a glass of wine.

[Petros]

Apparently there was a change in the bearings. that does not show up on the any of the parts list, I thought the whole range from '83-87 used the same bearings. I wonder if this was a later imported crate engine that someone put in the car. That is not unusual, and with the head already off the head there is no obvious way to know when we got the engine short block.

That is always the risk when messing with old cars, you never know what the previous owner (or his mechanic) did the car to keep it running. For my own car I am going to have to make a detailed list of all the changes I have made if I ever sell it (that will only happen if I get so old the state takes my driver's license away because I can not see anymore).

[Bluebelles Mom]

Apparently there was a change in the bearings. that does not show up on the any of the parts list, I thought the whole range from '83-87 used the same bearings. I wonder if this was a later imported crate engine that someone put in the car. That is not unusual, and with the head already off the head there is no obvious way to know when we got the engine short block.

That is always the risk when messing with old cars, you never know what the previous owner (or his mechanic) did the car to keep it running. For my own car I am going to have to make a detailed list of all the changes I have made if I ever sell it (that will only happen if I get so old the state takes my driver's license away because I can not see anymore).

The guy at Rockauto pointed the dates out to me when I asked why there were two part numbers available for the same engine.

By the time I have to give up driving Bb will be virtually new in every aspect...or we will have gone off a cliff together (if she is drive-able when the next thing breaks on her).