hi, im still in the process of getting my block built, and i got a quick question, do i need to get new main berings? the berings that go beteeen the crank and main caps? i read some where that its not nessary becuase honda berings are built well? btw i am getting all other berings and seals replaced, just want to know if this would be an unessasary step, oh and the motor has 40k on it, B18B, thanks

 

it's really hard to tell just by the how many miles the motor has. it also depends on the oil and filter that is used and also the frequency of the oil changes. there is only one way to be sure, it's to plastigauge the bearing clearance.

 

da6_b17a is right. That is the only way to really tell.

I would just plop down the <$100 for the bearings and get them.

 

if you are having the motor out.. or apart.. you should replace the bearing and maybe even the rings...
then you'll pretty much have a new bottom-end

 

you should really gauge all bearings and especially check for wear, look in the helms for pics of bad wear, remember the replacement code is stamped on the bottom of your block, 5 leterrs like dbbbc or similar, that is exactly what to replace them with.

 

Good bearing vs. a semi trashed one......



VERY bad mains......




Top pic is from a DOHC B motor, bottom is from my SOHC VTEC D motor.

Wanna know why crank pulleys are bad????

 

is that from a aftermarket crank pully? well im having my crank w/ internals all balanced, you think i will have that problem? thanks

 

Does your stock pulley have the rubber damper ring?
Then use it!

The wear was not caused by balancing problems. The power pulses on a 4 cylinder, esp long stroke engines is nasty.

 

Those look better than my D16y8 bearing...
Heheheh
I should have posted pics of mine

Lemme see if I can find them

 

Hey Dave,
In another post you said that your engine oil was 1.75 quarts low and the motor went. Can you descibe what happned? I autox at the san diego region and I am interested in protecting my engine!

 

I would do them anyways why bother to do it if your not going to do it right the first time right ? Just my $0.02

 

Let me guess, Y8 with UO crank pulley????

AEM found the problem and pulled their crank pulleys off the market. UO was not as smart.

Honda put that rubber ring there for a REASON!

 

Well this what I *think* happended....
one night on the 805 North to 52 west on ramp.. I decided to have some fun.. So I dropped the car into 3rd and floored it.A second later, the check engine light came on. So I pulled over and started checking things out. Finding nothing I drove home. Then I decided to check the oil, it was WAY low. So I added 1.75 qts. I started hearing ticking noises that got worse and worse. I thought it was the head, so I adjusted the valves but it still did it.. then I rebuilt the head still did it...then I pulled off the oil pan, and found chunks so I pulled the motor and I am rebuilding it. (I haven't gotten it back from the machine shop yet so I won't be at the auto-x this weekend )

Broke 2 rod bearings and messed up two main bearings and my oil pump

******************
Check your Oil and
change it often
******************

By the way.... what car do you auto-x???
I drive the black civic coupe ex #506
I haven't been out in a while because I've been racing stock cars
I might cruise down on Sunday though

 

sir, inspect the bearings for different coloring, more than likesly you should replace ... why ? because its a very cheap safeguard to do so.

if you're not sure what color bearings you need, just post you block 5 letter code and the numbers on your LS crank, 5 of them. I'll help you.

oh yeah if you're not sure, here is an example:

block code: BBCBB
crank codes next to each main journal: 3,3,3,2,2

you match them up by journal numbers:
1 B3
2 B3
3 C3
4 B2
5 B2

the colors you need:
1 green
2 green
3 green
4 brown
5 brown


hope it helps,
Greg


[Modified by vtec4gs, 9:48 AM 12/5/2001]

 

I like to think of my bearings like a good pair of shoes...it takes a while to break them in right so I don't go changing them with new ones every chance I get...only when they need it. If they don't show much wear and are not scrotched them I keep them....loose bearings are fast. play with the colors and sizes and see what happens to your hp.

and sorry mr bone...this moldy debate about crank pulleys never seems to end does it? I respect your opinions and experience but maybe AEM pulled theirs not because they "figured it out" but because they weren't makeing enough money off them to make it worth the risk to their repuation and wallets for the few people that tried to blame them for engine damage...real or perceived. I have run UO pulleys on a number of my own engines which I have broken down and spec'd and found no abnormal wear, and have done the same to customer bottom ends....thats my personal experience. but I doub't that we will ever really know the truth and never settle this debate given all the variables....

dave w

 

I'm with DaveW on the crank pulley part ... has anyone ever seen the Honda N1 endurance pulley ? I have one at my house in the Honda package ... why would they use it if its prone to failure ?

on the bearing clearance issue, I (personally) like the tighter clearance only for slightly higher oil pressure because this helps at very high RPM which I'm forever guilty of doing.

For the original poster, it makes sense to inspect bearing and if its abnormal coloring change it.


Greg

 

Plastigauge the bearings and look for scratches If they are out of spec, replace them.

 

yeah but what greg and I were saying is that factory spec and race spec aren't always the same....

dave w