Changing rod bearings with the engine still in th

[llmercll]

Hi everyone,

I've decided to change the rod bearings on my engine by going in from the oil pan with the engine still in the vehicle. I know this isn't the preferred fix, but in my case it is the best I can do. I have a 2001 Honda Civic HX.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to go about this and was wondering if anyone here has done it or know of a guide or video. Is it as simple as dropping the oil pan, taking off the caps, and swapping bearings? Or is there more to it that I'm unaware of.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

thank you

 

[NHGUY]

Slip rubber hose over the rod bolts to keep from scratching the crank journals when you bump up the piston (with a piece of wood) and lowering it.Remove spark plugs for easier movement of the pistons.

 

[turtlevette]

I would think the hardest part would be to get the oil pan off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI_9SZxXQqg

 

[chrisri]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Slip rubber hose over the rod bolts to keep from scratching the crank journals when you bump up the piston (with a piece of wood) and lowering it.Remove spark plugs for easier movement of the pistons.


This^^^, it's pretty straightforward. Don't forget you will need a sealant for oil pan.

 

[440Magnum]

What NHGUY said. If you can find a haynes or chilton manual for a 60s-era car, it usually will have a pretty good description in the engine overhaul section. It used to be a much more common procedure.

A few other recommendations-

- DO ONE AT A TIME!! Do NOT mix bearing caps from rod to rod, or (heaven forbid) main-to-main. They are NOT interchangeable in most cases since the block is line bored with its caps installed in their final places. Similarly, modern engines often use sintered rods with "crack off" bearing caps that are unique to the rod they came from.

- DO NOT reverse the cap relative to the rod or main.

- Make sure any oil holes, notches, or grooves are in the correct orientation.

- Check the backs of the old bearing shells for any undersize/oversize markings- its rare, but sometimes an engine will leave the factory with one or more undersize bearings (at least that happened in the old days).

- Get a set of plastic trim tools to push the upper main bearing shells out around the crank, and then push the new ones back in.

- use assembly lube, just like a new engine.

 

[andyd]

Why are you doing this? If a bearing is worn enough to knock, chances are the journal is worn. Wabbout using a heavier oil? It is possible to do the job. I replaced #4 rod and piston on an over heated Datsun that had detonated through the piston crown. The journal was ok and I re-used the original rod bearing. Good luck

 

[gman2304]

It's a PM thing...keeps the bottom end tight. I used to do it at 250,000 mile intervals on my class 8 trucks. Cheap insurance. However I haven't heard of anyone doing it to a car in several decades.

 

[eljefino]

Don't let the piston drop any lower than its normally lowest point, IDK your engine design but a lot of them will lock the rings below the liner and then you're in a lot of hurt.

I did an in- chassis rebuild of a saturn s-series: head off, popped the pistons out the top, left the crank in, did rings, dropped 'em back in, new rod bearings, off to the races. If you've never done anything like this before be ready for oil to drip all on you and your tools.

 

[bullwinkle]

I did one on a '90 Civic wagon I used to have. It had been run hot, all the oil control rings were stuck, amazingly the rod journals miked out at only .001 under-had the head redone, honed it, installed new rings & .001 undersize rod bearings, put it all back together-ran like a new car! Beforehand it would barely even run, burning more oil than gas.

 

[Cujet]

While you may not have heard of this practice in modern cars, it's not uncommon among BMW owners. I believe the S54, S85 and S65 engines all get replacement rod bearings, with no other work performed. If done in time, the engine life is greatly extended.

There are some who claim that BMW's choice of material is the problem. I disagree.

 

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted By: andyd
Why are you doing this? If a bearing is worn enough to knock, chances are the journal is worn. Wabbout using a heavier oil? It is possible to do the job. I replaced #4 rod and piston on an over heated Datsun that had detonated through the piston crown. The journal was ok and I re-used the original rod bearing. Good luck

I'd like to know too. Seems like a major job for a band aid fix. Even if I were to do this, I almost think it'd be less labor overall to just remove the engine.

I'd rather run the engine to death, then rebuild.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: MarkM66
Originally Posted By: andyd
Why are you doing this? If a bearing is worn enough to knock, chances are the journal is worn. Wabbout using a heavier oil? It is possible to do the job. I replaced #4 rod and piston on an over heated Datsun that had detonated through the piston crown. The journal was ok and I re-used the original rod bearing. Good luck

I'd like to know too. Seems like a major job for a band aid fix. Even if I were to do this, I almost think it'd be less labor overall to just remove the engine.

I'd rather run the engine to death, then rebuild.



There are times it makes lots of sense. Its FAR easier than pulling the engine, bearing shells wear, bearing journals virtually do NOT (they're hundreds of times harder than the bearing material for a reason). And if there's no oil consumption but there is an oil pressure problem, this will probably double the life of the engine. No need to run it "to death" and waste the good parts because of the bad.

 

[SteveSRT8]

^^^Agreed.

Just depends on the vehicle in question.

Many times in our fleet we have dropped the pan and replaced an oil pump and/or some bearings. Done carefully it is a cheap fix and can keep you on the road for a long time.

 

[llmercll]

I am wondering, what else besides the rod bearings can be replaced with the oil pan off?

 

[Jim_Truett]

To do this right you should pull the bearings prior to ordering the replacements. They are sized per journal and color coded accordingly. You can't see the code on the block without pulling the transmission, so color is all you will have to work with. Get proper color coded replacements from the Honda dealer.

You can do main and thrust bearings from below as well.

 

[mehullica]

Easy to do & there should be a stamped number on the bearings so you can order the same size

 

[llmercll]

Yeah right now my biggest concern is getting the exhaust off. Do you think a breaker bar and pb blaster will do it? I don't own an impact wrench.

 

[MarkM66]

So is oil pressure down? If so, how did you find out? Did it throw a CEL?

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: llmercll
Yeah right now my biggest concern is getting the exhaust off. Do you think a breaker bar and pb blaster will do it? I don't own an impact wrench.


Torch.

Heat them until they're orange and spin them right off. NOTHING else works better.

 

[flanso]

There used to be available soft aluminum "pins" that fit in the crankshaft oiling hole when the cap was removed. Then you would turn the crank by hand and the protruding head of the pin would roll the top bearing shell onto the bottom of the crank for easier removal. The same technique was used to roll the new top bearing half into place. I used these things on a 427 Ford some 50 years ago.