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[Spridgets] Bearings Follow up 2

Subject: [Spridgets] Bearings Follow up 2
From: bertshirey at zoominternet.net (Bert Shirey)
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:22:05 -0500
Guys and Gals,

     I haven`t put the pan back on yet, but I finished the new big end rod
bearings this afternoon. Here`s what I found:

      Number 4 shells were worn across about 85% of the surface, yellow metal
underlay bleeding through. Numbers 1and 2 were about 50-60 % worn. That wear
looked like what I suppose could be normal wear for a 56K mile old car.
(Manual says to change bearings at 30K.)

    None of 1, 2, or 4 showed signs of break-up that would account for the
suspected bearing debris found in the filter that started all this. Maybe bad
news, I thought because I wanted an explanation for the debris.

    I did 3 last.The overlay on the bottom 3 shell showed very minor abrasion,
but the smooth, shiny overlay material had flaked away over half the surface.
There was still a loose piece of the shiny stuff that was just laying on the
surface waiting to come out. Top shell was not involved.

    The relatively small amount of debris I found in the pan was on top of the
layer of residue there. I believe the shards were fresh, only recently laid
there over the 800 miles the filter was in service. There was no evidence of
journal damage, so I hope this was caught in time.

      Good argument for cutting open the filer once in awhile. Could be that
saved me a damaged crank.

      What caused 3 to fracture like that, I don`t know. It was oily and the
oil hole in the journal was apparently clear. Possible it was defective from
the start or was not installed properly.

    Anyway...I`m going to put everything back together tomorrow and see how it
goes.

    One more question: Dealing with that tab lock on the cap bolts is a pain.
Is there a reliable alternative ? Maybe lock washers ? I see the 1275 has
different rod ends that use bolts and nuts with no tabs.

     The advice I got from you guys was greatly appreciated.

     Happy hour starting here. Cheers,

Bert Shirey

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