Hi Guys, lost oil pressure on track took the car to the pits and noticed a knock, recovered the car home.

got what looks like bearing swarf in the sump. been told that most likly ive taken out my rod bearings and if i was quick-enough my mains should be ok


So ive removed all 4 Rod bearings No discolouring to the rods (heat) and tbf the bearings don't look that bad there is some signs of wear but no real material loss??



so need to strip the motor further and check out the mains.

Im led to Believe that I can remove the mains from under the car, can someone please give me a walk through guide on how to do this.
Do I need to remove the gearbox first?
does the crank have to be removed or can the bearings be slid out?

I will be changing the oil pump as well and been told this can be done from underneath too.

I can't find any posts about main bearing removal so if anyone can help I will be very great full
thanks

Benje1990

 

Remove trans.
Remove timing cover and chain.
Motor will need to be independently suspended so both motor mounts can come off.

Personally I wouldn't even attempt this job myself, I would pull the engine for sure.

Not a job you want to guess at. Rod bearings are always the first to go so be sure.

 

cheers for your reply billman,

my rod bearings all look like this


[media]http://tinypic.com/r/34f1zcx/8[/media]

[media]http://tinypic.com/r/1538qrk/8[/media]

now to me there doesnt look like enough damage/wear to cause the amount of crap in my pan?
how do they look to you?
cheers
ben

 

 

Also Just though i would note when cold the knock can not be heard,

when warm oil pressure drop very low and knock can be heard at idle.

regards
BEN

 

Well, why don't you replace them, then PLASTIGAUGE and see if the knocking stops.

I'd do that before committing to taking out the engine

 

You can certainly inspect half of the main bearings just by pulling a main cap. If you do just one, you don't need to pull trans or timing stuff. If the one half is bad, you know you need to pull engine. If the one half still looks good, chances are other side is too.

If they look good, then as stated above, replace rod bearings, hand polish crank surfaces, and see if knock is gone.

 

If your oil pan looks like the picture below, I'd say your main bearings are shot. How thin are your rod bearings ?, the funny thing is that the bearings wear down really smooth despite them losing chunks in the pan. When I lost my main bearings the pan was full of chunks but the bearings were smooth, they were just very thin. My engine defied convention with the rod bearings looking okay, and the main bearings failed first.

In theory you could replace the main bearings with the engine in the car, but it would be a major pain in the arse. I once thought of doing that but it is much easier to remove the engine. Getting the cradle away from the block is hard to separate, and it would be really hard to do with the engine in the vehicle. Secondly, if your oil pan looks anything like the picture below, your engine will likely be shot. The crank will be scuffed, the journals on the block will be shot, and I bet your engine cylinders will be scuffed. It would be easier and less expensive to find a used motor.

Try to figure out if it was your rod bearings or your main bearings and go from there. If it turns out being the main bearings pull the engine.

 

Sure appears to be a lot of damage to upper left portion of the bearing surface.


http://oi61.tinypic.com/1538qrk.jpg

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cheers for your reply, does look similar to what my pan looks like, not as bad and the chunks are not as thick.
Im going to prep to remove the engine tomorrow, I really hope the crank and block are not scrap as this is my SECOND engine! my first had the oil relocation kit fitted wrong witch in end circulated the oil the wrong way around the filter, it seized the engine on the dyno

this latest engine has done no more than 2500miles and cost me £2000 so i would not be a happy bunny if its scrap...