well I'm finally starting to get the engine back toghether. Haha man port and polishing takes a long time to do but anyway I just installed the pistons today and now the crank won't spin for crap. It was spinning b4 when I just put the crank in. I torqued the rod bolts how the manual said to 20 ft/lbs and 1/4 turn. Just wondering if this is normal cuz I know I'll probably have to move the crank when i do the timing belt, maybe I just have to be more violent with it. I hope I got the right rod bearings O_0

Almost sounds like you have oversized rod bearings... has your crank ever been turned? Get some plastigage and measure bearing to crank clearances, and make sure that you have the right caps on the right rods, and that they are on properly.
-=B-=

hmm I just checked the invoice and it said I ordered STD (standard) bearings and I matched the part numbers up on the boxes and they were the correct ones. Has ne1 used topline bearings, maybe they're wierd?

I'm not sure if the right caps are on the right rods because I got them with the caps already bolted on so I just installed them that way. would putting them in backwards do this? I installed it so the locking tabs were on opposite sides, like on tab on one end of the rod and the other one is on the other end.

You did lube them first right? OK, if you have then my trick will work w/o f*ck'n bearings up. Start with one rod/piston, and remove it. Try to spin. It will be hard as hell tomove the rotating assem. as compared to just the crank. Anyway, keep removing rods/pistons until you can rotate the assem. easily. If something doesn't feel right or you have to force it, then stop.(of course) I had a SB chevy that came from the machine shop w/ a tapered rod journal. Pastigage, did NOT reveal the problem, but later a digital mic did. I couldn't move 4 of the pistons so I stopped and did the trick I just told you about.

I used assembly lube(clevvite 77 kind) on all my bearings. Be SURE your bearings are seated properly in the bearing bores(perfectly flat and flush with the bore edges. With just the crank in, no pistons, the crank WILL turn very easily. With all my pistons in, i can grap the crank end, and use my hand to push on one of the pistons, and be able to turn the crank with my one hand, while pushing on the piston downward. Its much harder to turn the crank with all the pistons in, but i remember when i had 3 pistons in, I could still turn the crank by itself by hand, but took some hard turning. With using both hands like mentioned above on the crank and pushing on the piston, it turns fairly easily, but takes a little effort. I would take off ALL rods/pisons,and then try and turn the crank. It should spin freely without much if any effort.

im not sure how to help here but your pistol walls and pistons look sexy :):*

mine do too :P

yeh you were right xtremeRS I loosened all the rod caps and had to push down on the piston to get it to move it doesn't move very easy but I'm guessing its because the bores are honed. I put motor oil on the bearings when I assembled. maybe I'm overtorquing it? the rods I got came with some ARP rod bolts do those need any special torquing?

Main bearing bolts go to 55 ft lbs, and outer smaller bedplate bolts are 20 ft lbs. The ARP bolts go to 24 ft lbs. NO 1/4 turn on the ARP studs. You can use this link to the 420 overhaul manual if you dont have it already. Excellent rebuild info here. http://www.ecanfix.com/users/manualcd/gift/dsm/2gnt_420a_overhaul.pdf

You oiled the cylinder walls and piston rings/pistons when you put em in right? I think you are all set though.

ok so 24 ft/lbs I used the rebuild manual and it said do 20ft/lbs and a 1/4 turn and man was I pulling on the ratchet hard to get that 1/4 turn for such small bolts I don't think it had to be that tight. yep I coated the cylinder wall with some synthetic motor oil :)

thanx for you help
:thumbsup

ok I feel like such a rookie right now. I called my uncle to have him come take a look at my engine (he's an engine builder) and we found out I installed the rod caps wrong and it was rubbing up on the bearing. The bearing got all scratched up but he said it was still good. took the pistons out and installed them properly and all was well :) apparently your suppose to line up the rod number on the cap and rods, I thought it was alternating the locks and I just put it the same way it was assembled b4 I guess it was assembled wrong when they gay it to me O_0

then I found out I screwed up the new/used oil pump I installed, the manual didn't say anything about lining up the crank to it so I just screwed it in until it went in then I heard a snap there goes the oil pump. my uncle said my old one was good still, how long do oil pumps usually last like 200k+ miles? I guess I should just install a new one when I do the next timin belt interval.

Ahh yes, the rod cap's tabs are on the same side..well at least you got it figured out. And the oil pump- the inner rotor has 2 notches side by side on it, that line up with the notches on the crank, so when the crank turns, it turns the pump rotors. You can get new rotors from the dealership for like 18 bucks or so for both rotors, as they come in a set. I have the part#'s for all the pump internal parts on one of my posts in the engine section on here, just search the thread a few pages back..its about rebuiding the stock pump.

Ouch... at least it's sorted out, too bad for the broken parts though.

Are you guys just assembling with motor oil and not assembly lube?



15.9 @ 86.7mph
97 Eclipse RS

Injen CAI, 55mm TB, P&P Intake, Crower Stage 2 Cams, Hooker Header, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, Crane Ign Amp, S-AFC

Clevitte 77 assembly lube here. Got that at Napa. Its all red and goupy :)