New motor-bottom end is gone

[stretch]

Hello guys..former regular here (turbojoe) with a question for ya.

To make a long story short..my 500 mile motor needs another crank, bearings, ect.

Can the crank be removed without pulling the motor?

Have any of you done this?

I had a "rattle" noise underneath the car & after checking it out..I can move the crank back & forth at least an 1/8".

There's fine bearing material in the pan/pickup.

I'm hoping the valve train is ok.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[lynch crew]

Hello guys..former regular here (turbojoe) with a question for ya.

To make a long story short..my 500 mile motor needs another crank, bearings, ect.

Can the crank be removed without pulling the motor?

Have any of you done this?

I had a "rattle" noise underneath the car & after checking it out..I can move the crank back & forth at least an 1/8".

There's fine bearing material in the pan/pickup.

I'm hoping the valve train is ok.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

It really is not worth trying to sneak the crank out.I would not wanna be on my back with oil dripping on me IMO.

 

[Squid4life]

I have heard it is possible to do everything in the car, but you run the risk of nicking the crank, or hurting something. I prefer to pull the motor and work on the stand. That way you can check everything more thoroughly, and clean out all bearing material. And if the crank moves that far back and forth, the thrust is obviously gone, but the block needs to be checked as well...

If you are buying components, I have a crank and rods, maybe even a STD 4.1 block and pistons. Good luck, keep us posted with progress/pics/info.

Squid

 

[getchasum]

It probably can be done but with all the bearing material floating through the engine why would you not want to pull it, to do it right.

Was the crank index when assembled. Sounds like the thrust has been wiped.

 

[J Banning]

Yes, you can pull a crank with the motor still in the car... but I wouldn't.

Why?...

- You'll still have to pull the trans, converter, and flywheel.

- As mentioned above, you run the risk of damaging one of the bearing surfaces with the tight confines you'll be dealing with.

- If you have crap in the oiling system, what about the cam bearings? Maybe they're gone too? What about the oil passages in the block, you gonna clean them out?

- What's your problem with the motor? Doesn't sound like new bearings are going to fix it and it'll go away... especially if it is a fresh engine. Perhaps you have a trans or converter problem too?

 

[bruce]

To make a long story short..my 500 mile motor needs another crank, bearings, ect.

I can move the crank back & forth at least an 1/8".

Before doing anything, I'd be looking at what happened to tear out the thrust bearings so quick.

But, to answer your question, you'd waste alot more time, trying to do it in car, then just yanking the engine out.

 

[stretch]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'm not sure what caused the problem..wish I did.

It was built by a reputable shop..maybe there was a mistake made on their part..I really don't know for sure.

Just so you know..it did sit inside, covered up, for 2 years before being installed.

Yes, two years.

I don't know what happened & I'm not here to place blame.

I just have to fix it.

I had figured it needed to be pulled completely..just thought I'd get some advice.

I'll be here from now on whenever possible..I do miss the board.

 

[ThikStik]

An in-experienced guy may never have dealt with a dowel-less cap like our blocks have. If he just bolted in the thrust cap without setting it, it would wipe fast. Damn, I wish we had dowels, I never trust the cap to be right when I assemble one.

 

[CTX-SLPR]

An in-experienced guy may never have dealt with a dowel-less cap like our blocks have. If he just bolted in the thrust cap without setting it, it would wipe fast. Damn, I wish we had dowels, I never trust the cap to be right when I assemble one.

Thats the first I've heard of setting the thrust cap beyond smacking the crank while its wedged front and back with a rubber mallet? Please elaborate.

Thanks,

 

[tbirdv6]

If you find out that you need a new crank -let me know

Brand New Eagle Forged Steel Crankshaft
$499+shipping

FRED
turbobuick2@yahoo.com

 

[ThikStik]

Thats the first I've heard of setting the thrust cap beyond smacking the crank while its wedged front and back with a rubber mallet? Please elaborate.

Thanks,

Semantics....Yes ,beyond what the machinist must do to make the caps fit snugly, your mallet method is what im referring too. I use a piece of wood and a metal hammer.

 

[stretch]

An in-experienced guy may never have dealt with a dowel-less cap like our blocks have. If he just bolted in the thrust cap without setting it, it would wipe fast. Damn, I wish we had dowels, I never trust the cap to be right when I assemble one.

Just to be clear, the motor was built by a very reputable shop with tons of experience.

I wasn't going to take any chances..or so I thought.

So basically you guys are saying this thing has to be completely torn down again.

Great.

 

[bruce]

Just to be clear, the motor was built by a very reputable shop with tons of experience.
I wasn't going to take any chances..or so I thought.
So basically you guys are saying this thing has to be completely torn down again.

If you can post some pics of the thrust bearings when they come out, we might have some clues about what happened.
The *dowel* issue, IMO, just doesn't fly. There are millions and millions of engines out there that don't have doweled cap locations, doing just fine.

Yes, you're at square one, and need to pull it, and during tear down, autopsy as much of it as you can.

 

[Ormand]

I think the issue with the dowel is that whoever did the assemble may have been used to working on engines with the dowel, and in that case, the "hammer" got skipped. I agree with Bruce, the dowel isn't really needed, and even if I were building an engine WITH a dowel, I would still check the end play, to make sure the thrust bearing was set up correctly. Of course, I don't build many engines, so I tend to go slow and "by the book", while some who do it all the time may take a short-cut here and there.

 

[ThikStik]

If the builder had never accounted a dowelless motor, it would be easy for him to make this mistake. Malcolm mc Dowel at that.