RE: [Chevelle-List] Thrust bearing failure

[Bill Vander Werf]

Title: Re: [Chevelle-List] Thrust bearing failure

Thanks for the response Chuck. I checked out the Clevite pdf file. I read a tech article similar to that one previously that a friend of mine in the transmission business provided me. I did chamfer the edge of the bearing to provide more oil to the thrust face last time, although I was probably a little timid with the file.   Monday morning, the guy who did my last crank work gave me a different, heat treated bearing that is supposed to be able to handle heavier loads. He then cut the oil pockets in the face of the bearing larger and chamfered the lip of the bearing, this time about twice the amount that I did before. Hopefully, the extra oil will make a difference.   I looked at the thrust face of the crank and could see traces of the starburst pattern the article talks about. Tonight I spent about 2 hours with 600 grit followed by 1200 grit emery paper polishing the thrust face. Now there are no more marks left by the machine shop.   I’m going to put the motor back in the car and drive it. I’ll let you know if the problem still exists. I think I’m going to make a couple passes at the drag strip and check it again. I can set a dial indicator up under the car and measure the end play. I’ll continue to monitor the oil and the end play. If the end play continues to increase I’ll dump this block and crank and start over with another.   Wish me luck   Bill Vander Werf     -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Chuck Hanson Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 4:13 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Chevelle-List] Thrust bearing failure   Bill, Sorry to hear you're still having problems with the thrust bearing on your engine.  It's a real stumper, I know.  One thing that comes to  mind is calling the tech line for the manufacturer of your bearings.  They have probably come up against this problem in the past and may be able to shed some light on the problem.  Sometimes even the most astute engine builders and/or machinists can overlook something or have never encountered a problem such as yours.  When we talked about your engine a while back I ran over all the scenarios in my mind, and it seemed like you'd already tried to correct all the suspected problem areas. I checked the online tech site for Clevite bearings (Dana Corp), and there's a lot of info on how to troubleshoot your problem.  Rather than cut and paste that info, here's where to go:   http://engineparts.com/Motorhead/techstuff/bulletins/TB2043.pdf Good luck, Bill.  If that doesn't work, a phone call to their tech line and a conversation with a real person may be the only answer.  Sorry I don't have their tech line # in front of me right now.  If you don't find it yourself, holler at me on the ACES Hotline and I'll try to come up with it for you. Chuck