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Old 08-01-2010, 03:43 AM   #1
jesterjames
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Default Replacing rod bearings without spliting the block

Can it be done???
Heres the deal, i just bought this car its an 02 with a EJ205 long block that has a "18,000 miles" on it. I was driving it a few days ago and noticed a very very slight knock under light throttle pressure at 3k-4k rpm.
I changed the oil and today i cut open the oil filter.

The oil that came out of the car didnt appear to have any metal shavings in it but the oil filter told a different story. The filter had small little shavings in it. Gold and silver in color.

Im certain its a rod bearing thats on its way to eatting it self. The car today just started having a little knock for less than a second at start up so its getting parked.

Anyway because of very limited finances at this time i cant do what i want and build a 2.5L shortblock.

Im planing on pulling the motor out during this next week and pulling the oil pan off.

Im hoping to get away with replacing the bearings on Cylinders 2,3, and 4 since i heard that you absolutely cant do cylinder 1 without splitting the block.

Of course if the crank is toast this wont matter as it has to come appart anyway, but im hoping that ive caught this early enough that the crank journal is alright.

For those of you who don't feel like reading a **** ton start here

Alright so assuming the crank journals are ok and cyl 1 rod bearing is ok. can i replace the 2,3,4 rod bearings and the oil pump without spliting the block?
The goal here is to make the motor last for another 6-10 months while i build the EJ257 short block i had planned to swap in. This is not suppose to be a permanent fix
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Old 08-02-2010, 01:44 PM   #2
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Not sure as I have never tried it, but what is the big deal about splitting the block? Once you are down to the short block splitting it and putting it back together is not tough.
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Old 08-02-2010, 01:51 PM   #3
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You are going to have to split the block. You need to measure it all anyway. If you have metal moving its way throught the engine you need to clean it all and may need to do some crank work.
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Old 08-02-2010, 02:35 PM   #4
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I'm sorry, not to be a douche but this has FAIL written all over it. Exactly how will you be removing the rods and putting in a new one without splitting the block open? Plus you would need to resurface the heads and replace headgaskets and all the other gaskets related. Spark plugs etc. Why not just get a used motor instead? I thought I saw someone post some heads/block for sale pretty cheap.
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Old 08-02-2010, 02:40 PM   #5
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you can not remove rod bearings without splitting the case.

let me re-phrase that..you have to split the case to access
the connecting rods.

if you have removed the oil pan..and said hey i can do the bearing
swap without splitting the case..

please take pictures..
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Old 08-02-2010, 04:47 PM   #6
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Epic fail because if the bearing is spun at all then the journal needs to be polished at a minimum or resized more likely.

This will not work, and even if you could replace the damaged bearing without resurfacing the journal the new bearing would be destroyed, quickly.

Do the job properly and don't look back



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Old 08-02-2010, 08:59 PM   #7
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Ill be taking pictures when its all apart, a local mechanic told me and showed me how to do 3 of the rods.

I understand what everyone else is getting at here, maybe i should post pictures of the oil filter as it shows how early it is.
The term spun rod bearing actually applys to a bearing thats rotated out of position and has caused Steel to crank contact.
The reason i dont want to split the block has nothing to do with it not being difficult because well its not. BUT i dont see the point of splitting it if i dont have to and then having to buy a $300 gasket set to put it back together. Exspecially since i will building a STi short block in the next few months and everything will be coming back appart anyway.
AS SOON as i drop the pan i will know if it needs to come appart or not. If the pan is full of shavings (the oil that came out was not) then i will be splitting the block and going through with a full rebuild. If the pan is clean i will inspect the crank for roundness and wear.
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Old 08-02-2010, 09:49 PM   #8
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this is all you really need to put the case back together:

6 case bolt washer/seals
3 oil o-rings
1-water o-ring
rear main seal
silicone sealant

I have all this stuff just sitting around if you want me to send you a little bag for a few $.
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Old 08-03-2010, 01:06 AM   #9
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dont you have to pop the heads too?
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Old 08-03-2010, 01:32 AM   #10
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Heads would have to be resurfaced no matter what.
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Old 08-03-2010, 06:48 AM   #11
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I have seen it done, the guy whom the car was agreed to it. They removed the oilpan, slowly unscrew'd the nuts and removes the bearings, they could'nt do it with nr1 rod's bearing becouse of the casting thingy. They have done this just to se if the crank was in good contition, then they used thin pieces of 2000grid sand paper and polished the crank a bit. And then assembled everything again.
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Old 08-03-2010, 08:38 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Einimas View Post
I have seen it done, the guy whom the car was agreed to it. They removed the oilpan, slowly unscrew'd the nuts and removes the bearings, they could'nt do it with nr1 rod's bearing becouse of the casting thingy. They have done this just to se if the crank was in good contition, then they used thin pieces of 2000grid sand paper and polished the crank a bit. And then assembled everything again.
My plan to the T haha. If the crank looks good that is.
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Old 08-04-2010, 02:43 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Einimas View Post
I have seen it done, the guy whom the car was agreed to it. They removed the oilpan, slowly unscrew'd the nuts and removes the bearings, they could'nt do it with nr1 rod's bearing becouse of the casting thingy. They have done this just to se if the crank was in good contition, then they used thin pieces of 2000grid sand paper and polished the crank a bit. And then assembled everything again.
What this guy said. I don't remember where it was, but there was a thread a while back where a guy changed out a bad bearing through the oil pan. If my memory serves me right, he didn't even pull the engine. It was ridiculous, but it appeared to have worked.
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Old 08-04-2010, 08:10 PM   #14
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all i can say is rod bearing clearances..

but please take pictures...
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Old 08-09-2010, 12:53 PM   #15
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If the rod journal was ok this would be a real time-saver. I'm still not quite sure how you could get at the rod cap bolts, unless you had a reaaallly good socket u-joint.
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Old 08-09-2010, 01:00 PM   #16
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I don t think it can be done, you cannot get to the rod bolts on 2 rods the case webbing is in the way
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Old 08-09-2010, 06:10 PM   #17
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I've taken the #3 rod rod out without splitting the block. Based on that, I imagine, #2 and #4 will be just as removable. But #1 is highly unlikely.

Also, if you have audibly heard rod knock, your oil pan is going to be littered with crap. Very little material actually drains out in the oil. And you do NOT need a $300 'gasket set' to rebuild a shortblock.
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Old 08-09-2010, 08:42 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MRF582 View Post
I've taken the #3 rod rod out without splitting the block. Based on that, I imagine, #2 and #4 will be just as removable. But #1 is highly unlikely.

Also, if you have audibly heard rod knock, your oil pan is going to be littered with crap. Very little material actually drains out in the oil. And you do NOT need a $300 'gasket set' to rebuild a shortblock.
Oil pan had almost no shavings in it, the bearing is on its way out though.
Anyway now on to the bad news, Its the #1 rod bearing thats bad... Appart she comes
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Old 08-10-2010, 06:24 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jesterjames View Post
Appart she comes
oh well..
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Old 08-10-2010, 11:26 AM   #20
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yah you could never plastigauge and check crap, that's the whole "safety" thang
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Old 08-17-2010, 02:03 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamal View Post
this is all you really need to put the case back together:

6 case bolt washer/seals
3 oil o-rings
1-water o-ring
rear main seal
silicone sealant

I have all this stuff just sitting around if you want me to send you a little bag for a few $.
Do you still have all the things listed?
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Old 08-23-2010, 02:08 PM   #22
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if you have never polished a crank journal in the block with a strip of crocus cloth then you haven't lived. I'm always shocked at how accepting subaru enthusiasts are of the absolute and insulting inconveniences built into these engines. Admittedly there are worse engines but the subaru block screams "designed on a computer by someone who wasn't mechanically inclined. I know that in japan cars rarely outlive their engines but COME ON!
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Old 08-23-2010, 07:09 PM   #23
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I have changed rod bearings in the car without splitting the block. It is possible and it only took about an hour to change out the #2 bearing including removing and reinstalling the oil pan. It was an emergency fix only as I had to move the car to another house.
Did it last long? Hell no. Do I recommend it for someone who thinks this is a permanent solution? Hell no. Is there going to be a ton of metal flake distributed throughout the engine? absolutely.

Does it work for short term? Heck yes. If you catch the spun bearing right away and don't run the engine until you repair it, you can actually have it last a few thousand miles.
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Old 08-23-2010, 10:31 PM   #24
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great to have to chime in maxwell. Im actually planing on giving you a call to get a tune when i get this back together.
1 & 4 were bad. They looked like eggs when they came out. Im meassuring the crank tonight to see what my next move is.
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Old 08-23-2010, 11:37 PM   #25
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cranks are too bad price wise... if 300 isn't too bad.
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