Connecting Rod Bearing: Service and Repair

BEARING CLEARANCE
1. Place a piece of Plastigage across the entire width of the bearing shell in the bearing cap approximately 6.35 mm off center and away from the oil hole. In addition suspect areas can be checked by placing Plastigage it the suspect area.
2. Before assembling the rod cap with Plastigage in place, the crankshaft must: be rotated until the connecting being checked starts moving toward the top of the engine. Only the cap should be assembled and torqued to specifications. Do not rotate the crankshaft while assembling the cap or the Plastigage may be smeared, giving inaccurate results.
3. Remove the bearing cap and compare the width of the flattened Plastigage with the metric scale provided on the package. The standard value is 0.026 - 0.059 mm (0.0010 - 0.0023 inch). and the wear limit is 0.075 mm (0.015 inch).

CONNECTING ROD BEARING CAP BOLT
1. Since the connecting rod bearing cap bolts are torqued using a new procedure, they should be examined BEFORE reuse. If the threads are necked down, replace the bolts.
2. Necking can be checked by holding a scale or strains edge against the threads. If all the threads do not contact the scale, the bolt should be replaced.