Rod bearings

I

ISG

Well-known user
May 30, 2013
122
17
Lithuania
Hi,

Maybe anyone knows where could I buy rod bearings for V6 cougar? I cant find anything on ebay :(
Maybe they are called differently in uk? All i can find is "crankshaft main bearings". As fas as i understand they are different than rod bearings. Any help would be appreciated, thanks
 
Connecting rod big end bearing shells.

The crankshaft main bearings are the main journals which the crankshaft rotates in. The main bearing shells are fitted to the crankcase and the crankshaft sits in them.
 
Thanks! Yep, they are called conrod bearings in the uk. And yes, i will try to change them from under the car, y pipe is off already, all oil pan screws are off, oil is dripping all night already (left overnight to have a dry crank to work with). Today will rip the oil pan off and see whats inside
 
as said they are big end bearing's, and can be fitted from down below, you can also fit main bearings if if want from underneath but it takes a bit more care to do
there are small end bearings on the other end of the conrod(not sure about cougar) but would need pistons out to do this plus once fitted some have to be ream to correct size, but others are just press fit and finished (lining up the oilways as required)
 
Maybe some of You have any tech sheet with info on what are the oil clearances for a connecting rod bearings?
 
ISG said:
Maybe some of You have any tech sheet with info on what are the oil clearances for a connecting rod bearings?
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All I can find is this:

Vertical Diametrical Bearing Assembled Clearance is: 0.028-0.066mm.

From the diagram I've seen that appears to be the gap between the conrod bearing and the crankshaft.
 
Just an fyi If you spun a bearing its sometimes ifey to just swap the bearings without having any other work done. I have a 3.0 i tried it with and it spun the bearing again in about 3 weeks. Not saying yours will but dont be a bit suprised if it does.
 
rooster2100 said:
Just an fyi If you spun a bearing its sometimes ifey to just swap the bearings without having any other work done. I have a 3.0 i tried it with and it spun the bearing again in about 3 weeks. Not saying yours will but dont be a bit suprised if it does.
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I could be very wrong, but my understanding is this:

You wear a bearing badly enough to spin it.
The bearing disintegrates.
The solid surface of the con-rod and the crankshaft say hello. It is not a happy meeting.
You replace the bearing and reassemble the motor. Everything seems okay.
The damage done to the faces cause the bearing to shift/deform.
Your engine is broken again.

That's how I understand it. Once you've gone this far it's time to replace the hard parts.
 
The way i understood it was the bearing spinning causes scoring on the crank that you cant always detect and when you put it back together without getting the crankshaft machined at a shop the scoring either messes up the bearing or causes oil starvation which was probably the original problem to begin with when it comes to the 2.5. So yeah unhappy surfaces saying hi. Not necessarily time to replace hard parts machine shops can do great things with turning the crank and using bearings sized accordingly. I have to actually have my 3.0 sent off for this same reason. The cost of doing it is going to be the same or more then the cost of a used engine. The only reason I am is because mine has the pistons and rods out of a noble in it and the work would get done regardless what engine i buy to use. Im at least saving some money by just giving them the block and rotating assembly and doing the rest of the assembly work myself.
 
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I understand that the damage is already done, but i decided to risk and try to change just the bearings. I saw all the wear when i took the con rods out. One bearing was spun and left some marks on the crank, all other bearings had some major damage and i think it was a matter of time witch one will go first. But all other crank journals were almost like new, except that one. Also i retrieved a ton of metal shavings, cleaned the pan and oil pump suction thingy. Everything else was clean - hope the oil filter has done its job. So i changed them all, used plastigauge to check the clearances and i was surprised that even the bad journal was in specs - 0,045mm. So what a hell, i havr nothing to loose. New King bearings were 25eur, had an exta 5l of oil from the previous sale, and the filter - 10eur. And 6 hours of total work. And few beers. Driving 3rd day already with no problems so far. If it will last a month and a half it will be a win for me, because im going to buy another engine tomorrow, so will have plenty of time to prepare it for the swap. Will keep you informed how long it will last :)
 
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ISG said:
So what a hell, i havr nothing to loose. New King bearings were 25eur, had an exta 5l of oil from the previous sale, and the filter - 10eur. And 6 hours of total work. And few beers. Driving 3rd day already with no problems so far. If it will last a month and a half it will be a win for me, because im going to buy another engine tomorrow, so will have plenty of time to prepare it for the swap. Will keep you informed how long it will last :)
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Good luck and, seriously, please do let us know how you get on. The survivability data will be interesting on its own, but I'm just enjoying the story.

rooster2100 said:
I have to actually have my 3.0 sent off for this same reason. The cost of doing it is going to be the same or more then the cost of a used engine. The only reason I am is because mine has the pistons and rods out of a noble in it...
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Heh. That's pretty cool.
 
Just for Your information:
STILL daily driving with an old engine with changed rod bearings. Not pushing it past 3500rpm. No noises, no nothing. Im a little confused what to do :) Taught it will go in a month or so, now its almost 2 months :)
 
ISG said:
Just for Your information:
STILL daily driving with an old engine with changed rod bearings. Not pushing it past 3500rpm. No noises, no nothing. Im a little confused what to do :) Taught it will go in a month or so, now its almost 2 months :)
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If you've got another car to use (in case the Cougar wets the bed) I would be tempted to just drive your Coug normally, but check the condition of the oil every couple of days.

It's either going to fail or it's not. And since you clearly know what you're doing when it comes to working on the big end (no sarcasm intended) you're well-placed to resolve the problem if you need to replace the crank.
 
I looked at that rhd in person, and the engine didnt impressed me, lifter noises, rough idle... didnt wven bothered to inspect the plugs, check the compression etc... my engine sounds like new, i could sell it as a good engine, no one would suspect what problem it has. Ofcourse i wont do that. I think ill wait till it spins a bearing again, and then pull the engine, check it from inside out, and if everything will be clean and in specs, I will replace just the crank with all the bearings, and maybe fit a new oil pump just in case. I think our cars are too old for a no brainer swap, because you will not know what you are buying, and to find an ultra low mileage engine is almost impossible.
 
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