Im currently in the middle of rebuilding my engine (B16) to get it ready for a turbo, and I'm having a problem with my rod bearing clearances. The clearances were too tight with the new rods and bearings (Callies SS Rods and ACL Bearings), so I went to check the OEM rods and bearings. I'm using plastigage and when I went to check the OEM rods and bearings on cylinders 2 and 3, I'm getting a reading of 0.001 on cylinder 3 and the reading is too large to read for cylinder number 2 (my plastigage is good between 0.001-0.003 inches). I've retried multiple times and 0.001 is the only reading I can even pickup with my plastigage. My engine had about 160,000 miles on it, and I dont think it would have made it this far if the oil clearances were that tight or out of spec. Any suggestions on what I should change or what I should do next? I have already tried using 3 different Plastigage strips, I have kept the plastigage cool in case the Texas heat was the issue, and I am using the proper torque rating for both the OEM and the Callies rods. Any help would be much appreciated as I can't seem to find anyone with a similar issue.EDIT I have a set of ACL 0.0025 oversized bearings in hand that I will try out tomorrow. I am however more concerned if I'm using the plastigage wrong as my OEM rods and bearings seem to be out of spec.

 

Plastigage is a great tool for checking your work, but you really should invest in a micrometer set and a bore gauge if you want to get accurate and precise measurements.

 

Yeah I definitely should’ve, and if I ever plan on reopening my engine for new pistons and rods I will 100%. I didn’t really have time to completely remove my engine from the engine bay.

 

If you're not confident in your measuring system, I'd just take it to a machine shop and have them measure your bearing clearances. Unless you are willing to risk trashing a crank, rods, and set of bearings.