©2007 Melior, Inc.
Introduction to Engine Repair – Study Guide
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Crankshaft Removal
If the main bearing caps are not already numbered by
the manufacturer, number them for assembly. Note
also that most main bearing caps have an arrow cast
into them that should point towards the front of the
engine.
Next, remove all the main bearing cap bolts. Keep
them in order so that they can be placed in the proper
positions during reassembly. On some engines, main
cap bolts are of different lengths. If these bolts are
placed in the wrong location, the main bearings will fail
quickly once the engine is run. Remove the rear main
seal if it is a one-piece design before lifting the
crankshaft out of the block.
The main bearing caps, like the rod caps, may require a
tap from a non-marring hammer to loosen them from
the engine block. Remove the caps one at a time and
set them aside. Do not remove the main bearing shells
yet.
Once all of the main bearing caps have been removed,
carefully lift the crankshaft out of the block.
Crankshafts in some engines can be extremely heavy, so this may be a two-person job.
• Follow standard safety guidelines and procedures when lifting heavy parts or using lifting equipment.
Crankshaft, Bearing, and Piston Inspection
With the pistons and crankshaft removed, all wear areas, including the main and connecting rod bearing halves, the crankshaft
journals, the pistons and the cylinder bores can be visually inspected for obvious problems.
Crankshaft inspection begins with the flywheel flange and pilot bushing (where applicable).
Look for signs of wear, cracks, or defects. Be sure to check the threaded flexplate / flywheel
bolt holes for stripped threads. The area of the crankshaft where the rear main seal rides
should also be inspected for wear and grooving.
Inspect the nose of the crankshaft. The crankshaft
balancer woodruff key and keyway should be
examined for wear, and the threaded balancer bolt
hole should be checked for pulled or stripped
threads. The area of the crankshaft where the front
seal rides should also be inspected for wear and
grooving.
Flywheel Flange
Nose of Crankshaft
Next, inspect the rod and main bearing journals.
All crankshaft journals should be smooth with
no evidence of scoring or damage (1). If deep
grooves (2), scratches or uneven wear (3), or
pitted surfaces (4) are evident, all journals will
have to be ground to a standard undersize by a
machine shop to remove these imperfections.
Uneven main journal wear in the form of
scratches or scuffs that don’t go all the way
around the journal can be an indicator of a bent
crankshaft, or of out-of-line main bearing bores.
Uneven rod journal wear in the same manner
can indicate a bent or twisted connecting rod or
a bent crankshaft. Have an automotive
machine shop check the crankshaft and
connecting rods for straightness as necessary.
If all of the crankshaft journals are smooth, they
should each be measured for taper and
roundness using a micrometer.
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©2007 Melior, Inc. Introduction to Engine Repair – Study Guide
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Compare your measurements to manufacturers’
published service specifications. This will
determine if the journals need to be ground to a
standard undersize by a machine shop. If the
crankshaft journals are ground undersize,
matching replacement bearings sized to the
new journal diameters should be fitted.
• Manufacturer’s specific service
procedures detailing crankshaft
journal measurements and
specifications should be followed
to the letter.
Measuring Crankshaft Journals
Even if the crankshaft bearing surfaces are all in good shape, and measure within specifications for roundness and taper, new
bearings should be installed and bearing clearances should be checked during short block reassembly.
If the crankshaft is to be reused, a magnetic particle crack detector should be used to check for cracks that may not be seen
during a visual inspection. Most shops will sublet this out to an automotive machine shop.
Next, inspect all used main and rod bearing halves for unusual wear patterns. Remove the bearing halves from their bores one at a
time as you inspect them.
• Manufacturer’s specific service procedures detailing bearing removal and inspection should be followed to the
letter.
Look for signs of flaking, melting, or damage caused by foreign material or a
restriction in the lubrication system. Other conditions to look for include
excessive scoring or discoloration, dirt or debris imbedded into the bearing
material, and craters or pockets in the bearing surfaces. Flattened sections on
the bearing halves indicate fatigue from pounding against the crankshaft
journal. Improper seating of bearings in their bores can be indicated by bright,
polished sections of the bearing surface.
Bearings & Bores
The connecting rod and main bearing bores are precision-machined to precise
tolerances. The bearing halves themselves are also sized precisely so that they
are an interference (snap) fit into each bearing bore.
Tabs at the ends of each bearing half maintain their fore-and-aft location. The
groove shown in the upper bearing half supplies oil to the bearing surface and
crankshaft journal.
Main Bearing Halves and Main Cap Installed in the Block
In severe cases of lack of lubrication, the bearing halves can gall and
literally weld themselves to the crankshaft journals. When this happens,
these normally stationary bearing halves can rotate in their bores, damaging
the bearing bore surface. The result is what is referred to as a “spun
bearing.”
Typically the connecting rod and cap or main bearing bore and cap must be
resized by a competent machinist to correct this. In extreme cases the
connecting rod or cylinder block must be replaced.
Spun Connecting Rod Bearing
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©2007 Melior, Inc. Introduction to Engine Repair – Study Guide
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Pistons
The pistons should come next in the inspection process. Each piston should be
examined for cracks, holes, scuffing or excessive pitting.
• Cracks in the piston will usually be located near the piston pin
and/or skirt.
If scuffing is found on the sides of the piston, examine the cylinder that the scuffed
piston was removed from. If scuffing is found on the cylinder wall, all cylinders will
most likely need to be bored oversize. All pistons would then be replaced.
The areas between the grooves in the piston that hold the piston rings are called
ring lands. Pay particular attention the ring land area for signs of stuck rings,
broken lands, or broken rings. Using a feeler gauge, measure the clearance
between the rings and the ring lands and compare to service specifications.
• Manufacturer’s specific service procedures detailing piston service
and inspection should be followed to the letter.
Scuffed Piston
Piston diameter can be measured using a micrometer, though most automotive repair shops will leave piston and piston-to-bore
clearance measurements to a machine shop.
If the piston passes all inspections and will be reused, remove the rings and use a ring groove cleaner or an old broken piston ring
to remove the carbon from the piston ring grooves. Also, clean the top of the piston with a scraper. A wire brush is not
recommended for use when cleaning pistons because of the potential for damage.
Secondary Block Inspection
A second visual inspection focusing on the cylinder bores and the bottom of the block should be made after crankshaft removal.
• The cylinder wall surfaces for scratches, gouging, and pitting. If any of these conditions are found, the cylinders may need
Inspect the following areas:
• The coolant jackets for cracks
to be bored oversize (if possible) to remove them.
• The valve lifter bores for excessive scoring or wear
• The crankshaft bearing webs for cracks
• The gasket sealing surfaces for excessive scratches or gouging
• The oil galleries for restrictions (as best is as visually possible)
• All threaded bolt holes for damage
Short Block Reconditioning
By this point in your inspection and evaluation of the short block, obvious problems will
have been found if they exist. If it makes sense from a time, condition and economic
standpoint to continue the engine reconditioning process, most modern automotive repair
shops will sublet the disassembled short block out to an automotive machine shop. There,
the camshaft bearings (where applicable), oil gallery plugs and freeze plugs will be
removed from the block. The short block and parts will then be thoroughly cleaned, and the
machinist will perform a crack check using a magnetic particle or dye penetrant detection
process. If all of the parts pass this check, the machinist will then take careful
measurements of the cylinder and bearing bores, crankshaft journals, pistons and
connecting rods to determine what machine work and new parts will be required for
reconditioning.
Short Block Reassembly
A generic overview and important points of the assembly process are provided here. In
most cases, the crankshaft bearings and crankshaft are installed first. Install the bearings
into the engine block and main caps and carefully set the crankshaft into place as per
manufacturers’ instructions.
• Manufacturer’s specific service procedures detailing short block assembly
should be followed to the letter.
Plastigage® is commonly used to check main (and connecting rod) bearing clearances
during assembly. Follow the vehicle manufacturer’s service procedures for checking this
critical dimension and for instructions on what to do if the measured clearance is outside of
specifications. Bearing Clearance Measurement
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Main and rod bearing clearances must be exactly to manufacturer’s service specifications in order to have good oil pressure and a
quiet, durable engine.
•
•
Pay particular attention to thrust bearing alignment (where applicable) during crankshaft and bearing assembly.
•
Main bearing caps and fasteners should be installed in their correct locations.
Manufacturer’s specific service procedures detailing fastener torque and torquing sequence should be followed
•
to the letter.
Once the crankshaft has been installed and the main caps have been torqued down, refer to manufacturer’s
•
specific service procedures for testing that the crankshaft rotates freely.
Follow manufacturer’s specific service procedure for measuring crankshaft end play.
Once the crankshaft, bearings and rear main seal have been installed, the pistons, piston rings and connecting rods should be
assembled and installed. Pistons and piston pins should be installed on the connecting rods according to vehicle manufacturer’s
procedures.
Ring Gap
Before installing the new piston rings on the pistons, the installed piston ring end gap
should be measured. End gap is a critical measurement. Piston rings will expand
once they are subject to the heat of combustion. If the ring gap is too small, the ends
of the piston ring will butt together once the rings expand. This can result in ring,
piston, and cylinder wall damage. Some piston rings can be filed to widen a gap that
is too small. If the ring gap is too large, the piston rings will not seal the combustion
chambers off from the crankcase as they should. This can result in oil contamination
and consumption as discussed in the diagnostics section of this course.
• Manufacturer’s specific service procedures detailing the measurement
and correction of piston ring end gap should be followed to the letter.
Installing Rings
Use extreme care when installing the piston rings on the pistons. The procedure for
piston ring installation varies greatly from engine to engine and can even be specific to
the piston ring brand or manufacturer. Most aftermarket piston ring sets contain
installation instructions.
Almost all modern automotive engines use a multi-piece oil control ring assembly.
This is typically installed and assembled in the bottom ring groove first. The
compression rings are then installed using a piston ring expander tool with the top
compression ring going on last. Measuring Piston Ring End Gap
Most compression rings will appear to be similar though some top and bottom
compression rings are different in design. Compression rings must be installed in
the proper groove with the proper side toward the top of the piston. Rings installed
in the wrong groove or wrong side up can cause excessive oil consumption or
cylinder wall damage.
Piston Ring Expander
Installing Pistons
The pistons are then installed into the cylinders. Place a piece
of rubber hose over each rod bolt before moving the piston and
connecting rod assembly to protect the crankshaft bearing
surface from being scratched.
Orient the piston ring gaps on each piston to manufacturer’s
specifications and thoroughly lubricate the piston and rings in
Installing Oil Control Ring preparation for installation.
• Manufacturer’s specific service procedures detailing piston ring installation should be followed to the letter.
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