Thrust bearing looks nasty
Posted: July 4th, 2021, 12:55 pm
So I only have maybe 500 miles on my stroker and I started to hear a noise and noticed my hot oil pressure was lower than the first 50-100 miles. I don't recall the number, but I believe it was on the low side of minimum at a hot idle. Maybe 20lbs on a mechanical gauge. Once again I don't recall and don't hold me to that. No transmission work was done since the engine came out to build, the trans seemed to function fine, and the thrust bearing from the previous engine (same block before my build) looked fine.
I thought the cam or cam bearings were toast and it turns out the cam/ lifters look fine and the bearings look alright considering the copper thrust bearing material in the oil. All bearings besides the thrust are worn into the shiny silver and not far enough that they are copper. Once again I'd expect this with the shape the thrust bearing was in and how that copper stuff was running in the oil.
The cylinders show some scoring. It's more than I had expected and I don't know if it's consistent with the lower oil pressure/contaminants in the oil or of it's worse. Either way I'm hoping I can have them honed and re-use the pistons.
My timing set shows some more wear than I'd expect too. I reused the factory style timing set from when the engine was rebuilt a few thousand miles ago by the previous owner and it developed piston slap in #5 if I recall. I don't know if there was enough wear to chip something into the thrust bearing and toast it, but since everything else looks much less toasted... I dunno.
Oil pump was a new standard melling if I recall.
Bearings were clevite for the rods and either clevite mains or sealed power.
4.7 stroker, .06 over, stock cam with new lifters, pistons and rods (bushed) are from Russ, crank was a new scat, it was assembled by me and all bearings looked good with plastigauge and I don't recall what the thrust clearance was, but it was within tolerance as I measured. It was a new crank with std bearings.
I'm trying to see if I can confidently put this thing back together knowing I won't have the same issue and if I can't do that... I'm likely looking at selling the jeep for parts or selling the engine for parts and putting a v8 in there. I really want the whole inline 6 thing to work, but I'm on the edge of pulling the plug and buying something else or putting in an engine that will make more horsepower without thousands more into the actual engine.
Thought
I thought the cam or cam bearings were toast and it turns out the cam/ lifters look fine and the bearings look alright considering the copper thrust bearing material in the oil. All bearings besides the thrust are worn into the shiny silver and not far enough that they are copper. Once again I'd expect this with the shape the thrust bearing was in and how that copper stuff was running in the oil.
The cylinders show some scoring. It's more than I had expected and I don't know if it's consistent with the lower oil pressure/contaminants in the oil or of it's worse. Either way I'm hoping I can have them honed and re-use the pistons.
My timing set shows some more wear than I'd expect too. I reused the factory style timing set from when the engine was rebuilt a few thousand miles ago by the previous owner and it developed piston slap in #5 if I recall. I don't know if there was enough wear to chip something into the thrust bearing and toast it, but since everything else looks much less toasted... I dunno.
Oil pump was a new standard melling if I recall.
Bearings were clevite for the rods and either clevite mains or sealed power.
4.7 stroker, .06 over, stock cam with new lifters, pistons and rods (bushed) are from Russ, crank was a new scat, it was assembled by me and all bearings looked good with plastigauge and I don't recall what the thrust clearance was, but it was within tolerance as I measured. It was a new crank with std bearings.
I'm trying to see if I can confidently put this thing back together knowing I won't have the same issue and if I can't do that... I'm likely looking at selling the jeep for parts or selling the engine for parts and putting a v8 in there. I really want the whole inline 6 thing to work, but I'm on the edge of pulling the plug and buying something else or putting in an engine that will make more horsepower without thousands more into the actual engine.
Thought
