Replacing Main\Rod bearings?
Thread Starter
10 Second Club
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 250
Likes: 2
From: U.S
Replacing Main\Rod bearings? Will be pulling the motor out soon,bad lifter,low oil pressure. It's 00 ls1 shortblock,read the 99 and 00 engines had problems with the oil pump.Was just going to replace the pump and lifters,but was wondering if I should replace the main\rod bearings without polishing or turning the crank.Thoughts?
I was trying to make that point, although before coffee that's difficult to do. 
Without machining and precision clearance measuring, new bearings are at best wasted money. At worst, you'll destroy the engine.
I'd cut open the oil filter that was on the engine at the time, spread out the filter material, and look for metal flakes. Any visible metal flakes, it's time for a rebuild.
If you shut down the engine before any damage was done, just replace the lifters and pump as you described and button it back up.
Without machining and precision clearance measuring, new bearings are at best wasted money. At worst, you'll destroy the engine.
I'd cut open the oil filter that was on the engine at the time, spread out the filter material, and look for metal flakes. Any visible metal flakes, it's time for a rebuild.
If you shut down the engine before any damage was done, just replace the lifters and pump as you described and button it back up.
Thread Starter
10 Second Club
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 250
Likes: 2
From: U.S
To replace the bearings does one always have to do machine work?I understand if a rod bearing or a main bearing went bad then pretty sure crank,and rods should be taken to a machine shop.Anyone ever just replaced the bearings without machine work?
I'm sure you can, but at the very least verify that the bearing clearances are acceptable with the new bearings. It could be very costly to make that mistake.
That doesn't happen very often...usually there will be one or more that don't check out.
What I see guys doing is not mic'ing their crank, just tossing in new factory spec bearings and reassembling the engine without even taking new clearance measurements. Very very very bad move.
