> Book says to replace the rod bearings at 50k. Without taking them off
> to peek, I'm wondering how necessary this really is?
Seems to be good preventative maintenance to me. Like most PM, it's not
really necessary, but it helps reduce problems farther down the line. For
example, it might help avoid having to regrind the crank the next time the
engine gets "freshened".
Just changing the rod bearings is a pretty minor operation, actually. I did
mine in an afternoon, before TRfest (and they really needed it, were worn
clear into the brass backing).
However, if you want to avoid it, I would suggest keeping track of the oil
pressure. If your hot idle pressure is the same as it was right after the
rebuild, then there is no appreciable wear on the bearings. But if it has
been slowly creeping downward ... (mine was down to only 10-20 psi with
20W50 oil).
One thing I learned the hard way; if you use the lock tabs on the rod bolts,
it is essential to replace them every time. I've been using Loctite
instead.
-- Randall
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