[Shotimes] rod bearings

[Kerry Kinion]

Hey Josh,

Thanks for getting back to me.  I've been busy working away on this
thing and finally got it back together and started it up tonight!  Tick
is gone!  Your diagnosis, obviously, was right on the money - in this
case, right on the "labor"!!  Man that oil pan is a PITA!!

Thanks for your offer on the oil pump pickup tube gasket - I went to
ford though and my man (not even the guy I normally deal with!) opened
up about 10 packages and we finally found one that was really close.  So
I won't need your extra at this point and I'll send this post and the
part# to the list, in case this might help somebody else.  It may not be
the right one but it was really close.  Grey, fibrous gasket mtl.

I trimmed the gasket to fit.  You wouldn't have to but it has a little
tab on it that is not needed.  The center hole is also slightly smaller
than what is needed - so I sanded it larger (probably didn't need to).
Ford part # is XL2Z-6626-AA.

After all this (and yes I saved the old bearings), the rear of the
engine had much more wear than the front.  I started at the rear of the
engine and worked my way forward.  Without regard to piston # - if you
start at 6 (Rear) and work towards (1) front, the bearings were much
less worn as I worked my way forward.  But, noticeably worn on the top
as I understand is typical.

As a last step (I couldn't help but check) I used Plastigage on one
bearing (the most worn) after replacing and found the thing to be right
in spec. .0015".

Thanks to you and the list for walking me thru this one!!  I really did
learn a lot doing this.  

Until the next breakdown.....................!


Kerry Kinion ('93 MTX, 111k, fresh 60k+, Fresh ROD BEARINGS!!) Probably
brakes and a load of brake questions next. :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Josh Salaets [mailto:jsalaets@msn.com] 
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2003 10:02 PM
To: Kerry Kinion
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] rod bearings

> Another couple stupid questions.  What kind of silicone do I use on
the
> oil pan sides where there is no gasket?  Where do I place the bead
> exactly?  There are some grooves right down the middle stopping before
> the bolt holes.  Do I just run it right thru these and around the bolt
> holes?

Just use high-quality black automotive RTV.  My preference is Permatex,
and
is available at most autoparts stores.  Don't accept any imitations, as
I've
heard of people having bad luck with those.  Don't bother using the
little
tubes of RTV that may have come with your oil pan gasket, as there's not
nearly enough sealant in there IMO.

When I ran my beads of RTV, I ran it down the groove of the pan and
around
the bolts, just like you described above.  Just make sure that your RTV
will
slightly overlap the rubber end pieces to prevent any leaks.  I also
encircled the bolt holes with the RTV.  Use good-size bead of silicone
on
the pan, as you definitely don't want to have a leak when it's all back
together.  Take your time and be careful running the bead.  You want to
make
sure the pan will seal, but you also don't want so much RTV on it that
the
excess squeezes into your oil pan to later get sucked up and sieze the
oil
pump.

Josh