With my TR6 down awaiting a new set of (braided s/s)
brake hoses, I thought I would replace the thrust
washers, since the end play had become a little
excessive IMHO.
After spending half a day scraping off the old oil pan
gasket, I decided I might as well replace the main and
conrod bearings as well. I had a set of AE Glaciers I
had ordered some time ago. (Note: I'm fully aware of
the recent discussion/issues regarding AE Glaciers;
however, I can't find anyone that will sell anything
else for a reasonable price. And after reading one
response that noted there was really no difference in
any of the bearings now, I said thehellwithit and
decided to use the AE Glaciers. In 2-3 years I plan to
fully rebuild and upgrade the engine anyway. Right now
I'm just looking to prolong the life of my current
motor for another 10k miles or so).
So...I sailed through the installation of the conrod
bearings and the thrust washers. The #4 (rearmost)
main bearing was a little difficult to feed in, but
with some urging it finally slid right in.
The #3 bearing was a bear to get out -- I finally had
to stick a nail in the crankshaft oil hole and
"rotate" the top bearing out. Installing the
new #3 top bearing is where I hit the proverbial brick
wall. After about an hour of trying I was able to
slowly feed in about 1/3 of the bearing -- right to
the middle of the hole in the bearing. I can get the
bearing in no further.
I've tried loosening the #2 bearing cap to try to get
enough sag in the crankshaft to get the bearing in,
but no joy. I also tried the nail trick in reverse,
but all I did was bend the bearing. I've checked the
crankshaft journal with a dial gauge; it is perfectly
round.
Anyone have any ideas to get this bearing in? I'm
concerned that the bearing may be oversize (though it
is stamped STD).
Thanks,
William
'74 TR6
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