hi guys,

i was wondering what tool is the favorite for masuring engine bearing / clearance ?

a inside micrometer + outside micrometer

or a bore gauge and a outside micrometer?

might be a stupid question but i would like to know before i make my decision.


thanks

 

I found bore gauges to be very hard to read. I use inside/out micrometers followed by a plastigauge. I build around 30 engines a year using these tools and it works well for me.

Matt

 

i use a ball mic to measure the bearings, telescoping gauges to check the rod big end and main bearing bores and regular mic's to check the rod and main journals. do the math and u got ur clearances.


mike

 

Get a Dial Bore Gauge and Outside Micrometer and your set. A Dial caliper can be helpful also. I recommend spending a little more $ and getting the digital stuff so there is no guess work!!

Chase

 

For a part like a bearing a ball mic as stated above would be best.

 

a ball mic to measure the thickness of each bearing

a bore gauge and outside mic to measure bearing clearance. digital is terrible for bearing clearances... IMHO.. just personal preference.

The only place plastigauge should come in is to make sure the crank is straight. (if you get 0.0020 on all 5 mains using the bore gauge/mic method, then when you plastigauge it they are all over the place you have main more alignment issues or crank issues that you normally wouldnt see.)

 

thanks on all the comments guys,

any good brands you can recommend? is fowler known as a good company?

 

Nothing wrong with Fowler. It'll get the job done even the cheaper ones will do on dial calipers and mics. Really depends on how much you want to spend. Brown & Sharpe, Mitutoyo, and Starrett