Rod bearing replacement. (very, very, very, long)

[Peter Serwe]

Sooooo,

After months of procrastination on the part of a
good local mechanic with a lift, I've finally gotten my
oil pans off, checked the rod bearings, looked at the
pin journals, and retrieved the pin and crank journal
grades off the front counterweight.  Yay!  My pin journals
look visibly perfect, I had just started getting into the copper
on bearing 2, bearing 1 was worn a bit worse than bearings
3 and 4, but all the pin journals look visibly perfect.

Left any longer, 1 or 2 might have spun.  They literally
fell out when we were taking the caps off relatively gently.
They wouldn't even fit snugly back into the rods.

I can't believe how close to death I was, and caught it just
in the nick.  Unreal.

Thanks be to the List for making me better mechanic, and
infinitely more aware of the vehicle beneath me to whatever
degree borrowed experience can help this banana-lovin' fool.

I did manage to completely forget those very easy to loosen with
a 10mm 1/4" drive ratchet/socket last 2 little nuts you don't that
are kind of hard to see, under the little cover, up next to the
transaxle.

Even though, I'd heard of someone having a good ol' time with them.

We did have to resort to a little prying for the lower,
but the upper pan separated very easily, using the 2
engine to transaxle bolts that you have to remove to
get the pan off anyway.

Oh yeah back to the bananas..  What's that little aluminum thing
that appears to be the rear main seal retainer?  Ya know, the
one that cracks in half when some idiot cranks on the 1/2" drive
ratchet without removing those 2 little nut/washers...

Right next to the flywheel, sits up in the block near the crankshaft.
forms the very rear portion, around 3-4" of the rear portion of the
oil pan?

Oh yeah, and one other thing, that 3/4"-1" tube that runs from
underneath
the 3 bolt connection on the twin-tube portion of the exhaust.  What is
it?

I had to take a torch to it, the big nut on the outside of it where it
threads into
the exhaust was rusted to the point of rounding off, we tried to heat it
up,
it malformed.  It appears to be twisting up, but I didn't see quite
where
it goes to.  It's not the bpt passage.  I have to try and order
everything
tomorrow next day air or something.  It's unlikely I'll have any more
luck
getting it off the parts car, and since I don't have to rob the crank,
it's a fully working SE-R minus a clutch and a battery.  I might have to

make it my bone stock winter beater, and try to keep the salt off the
one with the goodies on it.

Who knows?

I'm blessing the designers of this monster little motor
right now for building something that could be this close
to the brink and live :)

If anyone has part numbers for that copper tube
I had to sacrifice to drop the exhaust from the y-pipe
to the cat, or that aluminum rear main seal retainer thing,

I think it might be hardish for me to find.
Also, if anyone knows anything else I need to order
my current list is:

4 Black (grade 1) pin bearings.
1 rear main seal retainer thingie..
1 tube of permatex black rtv
1 dual pipe exhaust gasket?
1 catalytic converter to y-pipe gasket?

I didn't actually see those gaskets,
but I was assuming I needed them.

Anything I'm missing?

Later guys..

--
Peter Serwe <peter@easytree.net>
Cheaper, Faster, Better, pick any two.
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