ashb82

on my b series engine i put together the cap bearing look solid with out that groove in it
here are some pics from evans tuning to see what i am talking about.
First pic is bearings in the block With groove


But look how the cap bearing is solid no groove may not matter but just a thought

kyden

the cap side does not have a groove, that is correct.

Scott_Tucker

Are those main bearings the ones from the main caps only? Is the other half still in the block? Do the oil holes in the upper main bearings line up with the oil galleys? If for some reason the holes did not line up you would have no oil to the mains. This looks like a lubrication problem to me.

JDMInteg96

yes.. the other half is still in the block.. i'm going to be pulling it apart today.. i just have to borrow the tool to remove my ATI fluidamper today..

JDMInteg96

Thanks again everyone

Scott_Tucker

Who assembled the short block? Was it completely assembled by the machine shop?

JDMInteg96

It was not a machine shop that built it. My builder outsourced the work on some items as most builders do.

Glove

noob builder, no plastiguage

E85B18

Ive been through the same thing on a fully built and sleeved motor. Im rebuilding it now and doing it on my own to be sure it's done correctly. Sucks *****! But chances are this builder did not plastigauge. Something was very wrong that would have been noticed had it been done correctly. The oil weight did not cause this. Like it's been said, it's either a bad crank, bad bearings or overtightened studs.

What shocks me (aside from no plastigauge) is that this builder was ok starting this motor. I can guarantee you that with that much friction, you couldn't turn the motor over by hand before it was timed. My motor spins like butter by hand with all four pistons installed.

JDMInteg96

i know my builder does not use plastigauge... my builder measures with high precision micrometers and dial bore gauges... most builders might prefer to use plastigauge but you cannot measure to the .0001 of an inch... plastigauge accuracy i believe is only to .001. It is very expensive for this type of equipment as opposed to plastigauge..

* side note.. i tore the engine apart last night and it looks like bearing number 5 started to get worn, but still nowhere close to main 2 and 3... will post pics later on

Scott_Tucker

The crankshaft should always be checked for straightness before installation, period. Yet I see very few builders who do it. Its easy to do, all you do is install the first and last main bearings and check for straightness with a dial indicator on the middle main bearing. It is the responsibility of whoever installed the crank to check it. Cranks are easily bent in shipping and handling. If it was knocked over even once it may have enough bend to causing a problem like this. Especially if you see the center mains worn a lot more than the outer bearings.

E85B18

Sorry, I wasn't specific enough. I meant to say I doubt he gauged it, it doesn't matter which method he used. When builders are in a rush Ive seen them just slap it together and hope the machining was done correctly. Ask your builder if he spun the crank with the pistons and gurdle tourqued to spec. I bet he'll tell you he did and it was fine but I doubt it

JDMInteg96

i appreciate it.. i really hope everything was checked... who knows what happened.. i was not there... like other people say.. unless i do it myself, i will never know what happened

092eg6

clearence

E85B18

For sure. Sorry man. It sucks when you spend so much time and money and things dont work out. A shop charged me for a golden eagle sleeve job and a GT3076r. I got a block guard and some crappy turbo. People can be so horrible. Im not sure Id trust that guy to re-build it, what is he saying to you? This seems like it's his fault, he should rebuild it for free and at most charge you cost for the bearings.

It's hard to grab your ***** and build it on your own but if you take your time it's really not that hard.

JDMInteg96

i have no objections to doing it myself. i have built plenty of turbo engines that do great.. my time is of great importance to me.. i wanted to see what "hardcore" racing is all about and i trusted what i heard...and i didn't want the responsibility of worrying about any mistakes.. i have no spoken with my builder yet... i want to have all my investigation and research done and taken care of before i speak with my builder...

E85B18

That's a good way to handle it. Cover all bases. I can't recall and dont have time to read now, did you have your crank checked out now that it's been pulled from the block?

jdm602

whats the history on the crank, could have been twisted on a previous build or whatever. plastigauge is good to use but bolt stretch gauge is even better.

JDMInteg96

crank was knife edged and ran on an LS-vtec... crank was sent out by builder to his source... not sure who it was.. it was balanced, inspected and micropolished... somewhere down the line.. something had to have happened..not sure what yet...i just got the engine apart

JDMInteg96

Once again I appreciate all the comments

E85B18

Check the crank at a shop of YOUR choice. If it's not right your builder or the machine shop is liable. If the machine shop f'd it up, I vote both are at fault because the builder should have check it before bolting it together.

JdMtR

imo building it yourslef is rewarding, but failure falls back on you, its a tough one haha. im sure youll be fine in the future. knowing what you know now

JDMInteg96

of course... i have built plenty of engines, but i was coaxed into spending top dollar on this assembly because it was going to be done "perfectly"... and then my builder's assistant claimed it was a result of low oil and that was final answer without even inspecting anything.. i did the whole inspection..

JdMtR

that furthers your nod to build yourself. im sure you could do a better job.

JDMInteg96

i did get updated status today on the crank.. im getting the official word as we speak