Cleaning And Inspection

CLEANING
CAUTION: Do not use a caustic cleaning solution. Blow out all passages with compressed air.

Remove the connecting rod bearing from the connecting rod. Identify the connecting rod bearings if they are to be reused. Clean the connecting rod in solvent, including the rod bore and the back of the bearing inserts.

INSPECTION
The connecting rod and related parts should be carefully inspected for conformance to specifications. Various forms of engine wear caused by these parts can be readily identified as follows:
^ A shiny surface on the pin boss side of the piston usually indicates that a connecting rod is bent or a piston pin hole is not in proper relation to the piston skirt and piston ring grooves.
^ Abnormal connecting rod bearing wear can be caused by either a bent connecting rod, an improperly machined journal, or a tapered connecting rod bore.
^ Twisted connecting rods will not create an easily identifiable wear pattern. Badly twisted rods will disturb the entire action of the piston, pin and ring, and connecting rod assembly and may be the cause of excessive oil consumption.
^ Check the connecting rod for bends or twists on a suitable alignment fixture. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the specific alignment fixture being used. If the bend and/or twist exceeds the specifications, the connecting rod must be replaced.
^ Inspect the connecting rods for signs of fractures and the bearing bores for out-of-round and taper. If the bore exceeds the recommended limits and/or if the connecting rod is fractured, it should be replaced. Measure the diameter of the connecting rod piston pin bore.