it seems the majority of rod bearing failures i've seen occue on startup or AFTER a thrashing - like the next day while driving normally. i don't think the rod bolts are to blame for the bearing turning. but the guys that put windows in the block with a rod obviously had fastener problems. i feel that lack of oil (at one time or another) is 99% of the bearing problems. chevrolet is notorious for building engines that provide excellent oil pressure and volume, but lackluster oil return. gen 1 sbcs are known for having the same problem. apparently with the ls1 engine, just because you run it dry today doesn't mean it will cause a problem today. they apparently have a 1-2 day grace period. getting a quality oil pump and overfilling the oil are good precautions, especially on the pre-2000 blocks. and by overfill i mean .5-1 qt at most, don't add 10 qts to your stock pan.

 

your being sarcastic but I remember when my dumbass did exactly that!

when I first got my car, years back, and didn't really know much at that point, my low oil light came on so I called my dad up and he said to put some oil in it right away... so I drove to autozone, picked up some oil, and started dumping oil in her....

after about 10 quarts, I called my dad and said...

"so... how many quarts does this thing take? I've put about 10 in there and it still hasn't topped off yet...?

he was like.... WHAT!?!?!

ROTFLMAO!

 

def always have .5 a quart over... the only thing it can hurt if you have to much is bogging the motor and hurting gas mileage and way too much well thats just dumb (2-3 quarts extra)

 

All of these factors contribute. Don't forget, our cars are getting older and older now. Many LS1 cars out there have over 100K miles. Rod bolts take a TON of abuse.

 

103k on mine
Shift light set at 6300 (shifting about 6400)
SDPC high volume oil pump
Always keep it about 1/8th of an inch over the top hash on the dipstick
Running RP XPR 10w40 oil - K&N oil filter
Check the oil weekly
Never ever beat on the car until hot idle is down to 50psi (where it sits when fully warmed)

So far.. no problems!

 

Some people also spin a bearing after a cam swap because they are not meticulous enough when doing the swap to make sure that no dirt
gets into the engine.

 

tahts ******* awsome bro.........

 

^ that's ******* hilarious.
I had a good understanding of cars before I actually got my own so I never had any moments like that. Guess you gotta learn somehow though.

 

lol yea...

to make matters worse, I drove it to the nearest oil/lube place so they could drain all the new oil I wasted....

then put the proper amount in...

I drove it VERY VERY slow all the way there though... my dad told me with all that oil I could blow a seal...

luckily nothing was hurt... dodged a bullet there

now, years later, I see how much of a dumbass move that was on my part

 

Detonation can also lead to a spun bearing. Detonation can lead to a bearing losing its "crush" and spinning in the rod.