Thrust Bearings / Crankwalk Pics Inside.

[ArticNemesis]

Well, I've just recently gotten over my crankwalked engine. Here are some pictures of the thrust bearings removed from the engine.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

The same 7bolt motor is in. The gaskets on the block have been replaced along with the rod bearings and main bearings. A Concept Racing Crank alignment kit has been installed along with ARP main studs.

Here is an excerpt from the instructions that came with the Concept Racing kit that I thought was quite funny, and true. I thought maybe I should send it to Mitsu headquarters / a couple of service departments, but I did not want to make anybody mad.

From the Concept Racing Instructions:
"The holes that Mitsubishi drilled in the main cap will all be slightly different in size. Mitsubishi's intent was to cut a hole that was 11mm in diamter. In manufacturing, acceptable tolerance for a drilled hole is .000" to .005" because of drill bit run out and wobble."

First impressions upon startup are that the engine feels a whole lot more solid than it did before.. It feels complete and solid. I can't really describe it other than that.

Also, a sidenote. I was having problems shifting gears and such with the transmission, and I immediately blamed it on crankwalk.. However, upon installing the new thrust bearings, the shifting problem is still there. Well, I have fixed numerous problems with the transmission /clutch, and it now shifts as smoothly as can be.. What I am getting at is that, I believe my case of crankwalk was caused by the extreme forces of me shifting/forcing between gears when the transmission / clutch was not disengaging properly, so it was pushing against the crank with an unecessary amount of force.. Just thought I would post my experience / thoughts on this subject now that I have experience..

I will post again in 500 miles when I drop the oil pan and check crank endplay again.

 

[Gooberlog]

At the Mitsu dealer i work at, we get a 2G turbo Eclipse about once every 2 weeks or so, on just about every car, if its already on the lift, we check for crankwalk, and unfortunately, just about all of them with more than 70k or so have some thrust bearing play, some more than others.

 

[1fast97gsx]

damn man ... we've only had like 2 cases all year!!!

 

[Rick@AP]

All of them have some endplay. That seems to be an acceptable thing with Mitsubishi quality control. The question really is how much do you have.

 

[eclipsed95]

Damn, that looks familiar

Been there, done that

 

[Groomz]

130K miles and .009 inches endplay.

Ya don't need to drop the oil pan to check endplay. That might save ya some time.

 

[ArticNemesis]

I'm going to drop the oil pan just to make sure i get a good reading.. Also wanna check that there aren't any metal flakes anywhere..

Also I used the old gasket for the oil pan b/c i knew i would be dropping it again in 500 miles... So a new gasket is goign on this time around.

I'll probably drop it on Wednesday if time permits...

 

[Cablefed]

I got you beat. These are out of 7-bolt 98 GS-T which had a different thrust setup than yours. My oil pump seized up and caused the whole lower end to throw up. Makes me sick.

 

[ArticNemesis]

that is actually a main bearing, not the thrust bearing.. Yes. bearings to tend to get fussy when they are starved of oil..

 

[Cablefed]

OOPs wrong pic. Here is my thrust.

 

[ArticNemesis]

wow.. Looks like you had a walking crank too... those breaks are extremely clean. That is crazy.. I would expect shattering or lots of chips / dings/bends from a seized oil pump.. Not a crazy break (on both sides of the thrust bearings!!!!!!!!!) like that

 

[Cablefed]

97-99 had a three piece setup. 90-96 had a one piece setup. There is no break.

 

[ArticNemesis]

Well, I said I would post later on down the road to say how it turned out. The engine now has nearly 2000 miles on it. When i first assembled the block. Crankplay was around .0028". The .0028" was a little loose, but the .0032" would not fit.. So crankplay was in spec.

500 miles later, dropped the oil pan, replaced teh gasket, checked crank end play again, and changed the oil. I could snugly fit a .0036" feeler gauge. So Crankplay was at .0036". I expected some wear from teh new bearing, but that much wear had me kind of scared..

Now, 2000 miles later, I dropped the oil pan, measured crank endplay, and changed the oil..

Crank end play was....

Well, I could barely fit the .0036" feeler gauge again.. Which means the wear is almost nothing in 1500 miles.

The engine has seen 10psi of boost a few times, and been to redline once. Overall, I am happy.. Guess I will see in a few more thousand miles how things still turn out.