TireSmoke.org

Somebody taped what was going on inside Dave's head as he was winding up his Chevelle and put it on you tube, I found it!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOsaOWotTd4

You probably could paint that on the roof before he gets back.

-BP

Hahahahaha -- nice.

YEEEEEE HAAAAAAAWWWW!!!!

Wait til he gets back and sees the doors are welded shut.

Just please remember to roll the windows down *before* welding them shut.

So I guess I never posted an update. After getting everything back together, the motor has been very 'noisy', which I at first chalked up to mis-adjusted valves. I went through that task three different times and it never got better. After taking a short test drive (the video link I posted on Mar 20, 2010), I noticed that the oil pressure was less than 20 as I turned into my street. After getting back from Down Under, while taking a short trip to my parents house (3 miles), the oil pressure was again under 20 while driving. Oil level is full. WTF?! Cold start shows 30 psi, getting down to under 20 when warm. It used to be around 45 cold, and settling back to about 38 when hot. It was like that for several years and everything was good.

When the engine was out over the winter, all I did was replace the head gaskets. I never touched the bottom end, never cracked open the oil pan, etc.

I can only come up with a few possibilities: bad oil pump, oil pump pickup too close to bottom of pan, pickup fell off?, one of the galley plugs came out (behind timing chain) , excessive bearing clearance. What else could it be? Why did it suddenly change? As you can hear in the Mar 20th video, the thing seems to otherwise run fine. But if you go back to the startup video I posted in February, you can hear the "heavy ticking" sound in the motor, which I originally thought was valves. It does it all the time.

You can hear it at the end of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZCQ_rBB ... re=related

So, I went to Mecca, err Summit, this morning and picked up a new oil pump, a standard Melling M55 (std volume, std pressure), and one of those new 1-piece oil pan gaskets. When I got home, I checked on chevelles.com to see if people ever do this kind of job with the engine in the car. The consensus was that it was just as easy to pull the engine as it is to try and get an oil pan out while leaving the engine in. That's what I figured, but decided to double-check before I tore into it.

So, around 1pm I started the dis-assembly. AAAAGAINNN. I can pull this engine out with my eyes closed, one hand tied behind my back, standing on one foot while reciting the alphabet backwards. I started right about when the Indians game started (1pm) and by the 7th inning, I was down to 2 bellhousing bolts and the hood. I had to wait till later when Tony stopped over to get the hood off. I'm ready for the hoist now.

I just want to find something obvious, so that I know I have the problem solved. Maybe the pickup fell off the pump. Maybe one of the galley plugs vibrated loose (unlikely, but possible I suppose) -- I kinda hope it's not a bearing clearance issue because, although with the detonation I was getting that blew the headgasket, I suppose some rod bearings could be beat up. I just want it to be obvious.

I should get it out and remove the oil pan some night this week.

-Dave

I popped off the oil pan today. I found an oil pump that turns very klunky compared to a new one and a presumed-good one in inventory. I also found rod bearings that took a beating from the detonation. There is no gold showing, but they are loose in the cap and the rod -- ie, I can't turn the rod cap upside down without the bearing falling out. At least #5 and #6 are like that. I haven't pulled the others yet.

I pulled the main bearings and #1 and #2 don't look so good to me. I can catch my finger nail on those grooves. I'm gonna head to Summit in the morning after breakfast and pick up a new set of bearings.

You haven't lived until you've change rod and main bearings lying on your back.
It's just part of growing up. It's not fun, I'm just saying I share in your agony.

As I recall, Fred32v made me torque down the main caps on that job...
Not an easy task on your back!!!

I honestly checked around about doing this job in the car versus pulling the engine, and everyone said it was just easier if you pull the engine, as getting the pan off in the car is quite a pain.

Here's the 1-2-3 journals, the ones that showed the most wear on the bearings. Think I'll be fine just putting in a new set?

I would just smooth them out with some emery cloth, and put them back together. Is your other option turning the crank again, or getting a new crank?

-BP

The option is to have the crank checked out and possibly have it turned and additional .010 under on the mains (to .020-under total, already .010 under). It may not need that and might get by with a simple polishing like you mention with emery cloth.

-Dave

Is a stroker kit an option? If I had to replace any of my rotating assembly I would have considered that.