Neil Cotty writes:
>
> What I want to know is why the heck did this bearing decided to nuke
> itself immediately after my two weeks of carb rebuilding.... *SOB* I
> didn't even get to play with my new toy!!!!... lol! :)
A story and advice here.
Last Summer I picked up my TD through a broker who got it
from the estate of someone that had passed away. The TD had 554
miles on a re-built engine and drivetrain, and the broker had sent it
to restoration shop who looked it over, and gave it a pass.
204 miles into my ownership of it, a loud ticking noise from the
engine with a loss of power ultimately led to the discovery of
a spun bearing on the #2 piston.
For the next three months, I spent every free hour on the TD,
and the more I took apart the engine, the more I found that
the DPO had done wrong, or just not done. It wasn't pretty.
In any event, I learned that the quality of a re-build is
dependant on the quality of the mechanic doing it. In my case,
the DPO had put the wrong size bearings on the crank.
I got the seller to refund me a portion of what I'd purchased
the TD for.
You will need to have the entire crank re-surfaced. The
machinist that you take it to do this will tell you what size
bearings, (both rods and main) you'll need to order, but some
shops provide them.
Do yourself a favor and have the crank balanced and magna-fluxed
for cranks while you're at it. You'll sleep better at night, and it'll
save you a potential problem down the road.
In any event; the rod/cap bearing surface must be perfectly
smooth. Any pits, gouges or ridges and it's toast. Well, not quite
toast, but close. Take it to the same place that's machining the
crank and see if it can be re-furbished. If it can great, if it can't
time to get a new one.
Some people have differing opinions on what follows next, so... While
you're at it check the bearing surfaces on the other rods and do the
same as for the one you're replacing. Assuming they're ok, you've
got two routes to go: you can replace them all to make sure you've
got a matched set, or you can weigh the one you're replacing and
buy one that weighs the same or as close to it as possible.
Good luck.
Scott Allen
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