Main bearings and flexplate

[STDog]

OK. I think I found my problem. My crank seams to have been turned 0.010 under. Blue plastigauge says more than 0.009 clearance and that the highest I can find. I cannot find markings on it, and it was sold as std.

Anyway. Anyone her ever change mains with the crank/engine in the car?
Hints? Tricks?

When it was running (with too much clearance) Somone though the nose was the flexplate. It was loudest at the dust cover. I looked at it (trany out) and I cannot see any problems. Ideas on how to look for a problem? I think it was just the rear main, and theis was the loudest spot, but to be more certain.


Oh. wanted to check on the oil pick-up tube. Does the oild pan set from FelPro include the o-ring? Any one know the correct dimensions?

And how do you mount it? When I too it appart the first time, I found ring in the hole, and one on the tube. So does uit go arond the tube, and end up between the flange and the block, or in the hole at the end of the tube?

Any time I've used o-rings before the went in a groove, but I cannot find one on the tube or the block.

[Al from MTS]

My guess is it would take longer, be harder to do, and have a better chance of coming out wrong, if you leave the engine in the car.
No matter how short a time that engine ran with the crank rattlin' around, it now needs to be measured and inspected.
The most exspensive thing in any engine is time. Few people are willing to spend any of it either. One thing that won't change about engine work. The less time you spend on checking and measuring engine parts, the higher the odds of engine failure.
I hope you can afford to spend some time on your Cad engine. The payback will be lots of fun miles ahead.
Your oil pickup tube should only use one O ring.

[STDog]

My guess is it would take longer, be harder to do, and have a better chance of coming out wrong, if you leave the engine in the car.

If I had (access?) to a decent shop I'd agree. But I'm a on had packed dirt, with washed out runt. Not level, and nothing rolls well on it. The engine stantd was starting to break when I got it together last time. The hoist won roll, and it took 4 hours to get the engine in using a big iron rod to move the hoist.

Shade tree mechanics are always like this. We do what we can, the best we can manage. I remeber guys doing R/R on engins with a tree and a come-along. Might work for a SBC, but not this beast.

No matter how short a time that engine ran with the crank rattlin' around, it now needs to be measured and inspected. looks fine. And all the wear should be on the bearings. I know the upper mains show no wear, like lowers do.

Any way. I got all but the center main in last night. All plastigage show a little more than 2 now measured twice, 90 deg apart.

Your oil pickup tube should only use one O ring.
But where does it go? with no grove present to direct me,I want to get it in the right spot this time. It seamed it would fit either place.

Also, is it in the pan set?

If not what's the dimensions?
Shipping that one part is more than the cost of the part.
No one local list it alone, but it is just an o-ring. If I have the correct dimensions I can get one. Sure I could go on memory and measure the tube for diameter, but I figure somone has the specs.

[lux hauler]

I hope it works out for ya but I don't think I'd want to take that chance.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

[Modly]

We've done it at work a couple times, but we have a hoist, and only on certain cars. Though, we also have alot of tools to check everything else, so we make sure everything was fine before bolting it back together.

The only hard part is getting the pan out. On some cars, you'll have more luck just dragging the engine out.

It can save time, but if the crank is screwed up, you are best off to take it to a shop before putting it back in.