Guidance first time Engine Assembly

[motoman358]

I should be getting my engine back from the machine shop soon. I plan on plasti-gauging the rods and mains to make sure everything is ok. What are the tolerances for the rod and main journals? I think .002 is the ideal spec, is that correct? Also I have ARP hardware all around, should I follow the torque specs that they came with, or are the factory specs a better bet? Or are both sets of specs the same? I also lost my sheet for my rod bolts, but I believe the torque spec was 43 ft. lbs. (ARP 2000's on Eagle rods), is this correct? Any info on assembling the bottom end would be appreciated as this is my first car engine assembly. Thanks guys.

 

[BrokenTsi]

Never use stock specs on non stock parts such as arp mains and rods. Use arp spec. Eagle's are 43ft lbs, i prefer rod bolt stretch measurement but.. And its .002-.004 for oil clearances. Id aim for .002 myself.

 

[HRCEngineering]

I should be getting my engine back from the machine shop soon. I plan on plasti-gauging the rods and mains to make sure everything is ok. What are the tolerances for the rod and main journals? I think .0002 is the ideal spec, is that correct? Also I have ARP hardware all around, should I follow the torque specs that they came with, or are the factory specs a better bet? Or are both sets of specs the same? I also lost my sheet for my rod bolts, but I believe the torque spec was 43 ft. lbs. (ARP 2000's on Eagle rods), is this correct? Any info on assembling the bottom end would be appreciated as this is my first car engine assembly. Thanks guys.

first of all, i am drunk. but beyond that here is the thing. do NOT plstigauge the oil clearances. use a dial bore indicator or a telescoping scope with a micrometer to measure. secondly, if you go with .0002 oil clearance, in otherwords two TEN thousandths, you will have extremely high oil pressure. ideally, overall, for building bottoms, you want .003. if you are using all forged interals for your build, consult the manufacturer of your companants of your rotating assembly. again, for your last question..consult arp for the correct torque specs. again, check crankshaft with dial indicator for out of round. once assembled, check connecting ride side clearance with feeler gauges. finally with dial indicator, check crankshaft endplay. be sure to use recommended lubrication. etc, etc. good luck. and if you dont know what your doing, PAY SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT.

 

[motoman358]

The whole reason i am doing this build is to learn; paying someone else to do it would completely defeat the purpose. If I had a machine shop I would have tried doing all of the machine work myself too; unfortunately I do not have a machine shop.

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

Yeah drunk people shouldn't post. I plasti-gage every motor and have never had any issue's. and .002-.004 is ideal anywhere in there. Just because it is .002 doesnt mean he will blow his motor due to excessive oil pressure. Otherwise they would have specified .003-.004. As far as torque. Always go by what the company you got the parts from says. I'm guessing you don't have the tools to do all of the telescoping stuff. PLUS the machine shop that did the work should have done that for him anyways. I did everytime I machined a block.

 

[motoman358]

Originally i had an extra 0 in there thats why he said that, I noticed it and fixed it. And I don't have the tools to do the telescoping stuff as you stated, but my machine shop says that the crank and line bore checked out, do you think I should worry about checking the crank end play?

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

Always. Anytime you install a new thrust bearing it is a good idea to check it.

 

[motoman358]

What should the end play clearances be on the crank?

 

[treebonker]

Crankshaft end play : 0.05mm - 0.18mm ( 0.0020" - 0.0071" )
Service limit : 0.25mm ( 0.0098" )

or were you asking for the rod's big end to crankshaft journal side clearance ?

-treebonker

 

[motoman358]

If you have the rod's big end to crankshaft journal side clearance specs I could use those too.

 

[treebonker]

Crankshaft Journals
-taper limit : 0.0002
-out of round limit : 0.0006
Rod-journal
-outer diameter : 1.7709 - 1.7715
-rod bearing oil clearance : 0.0008 - 0.0020
-rod to crankshaft side clearance : 0.0040 - 0.0098
Main-journal
-outer diameter : 2.2433 - 2.2439
-bearing oil clearance : 0.0008 - 0.0016
-crankshaft end play : 0.0020 - 0.0071, service limit 0.0098

Here's something to work on if they're not readily available. These are factory specs for the 6bolt 4g63t.

Torque numbers are given for general information, not a specific number you use for installation. Whenever applicable use the stretch method for tightening bolts in critical areas. Rod bolts need to be stretched within it's yield str to provide the proper clamp load. Torque measures friction not stretch, so If you have acces to a stretch gauge use it for the most accurate measurement. Later on it will also be useful in finding out if the rod bolts can be reused or not, as a stretch in 0.001" typically means they need to be replaced. When just using the torque number as a reference without keeping a record on the individual rod bolt length there's no way of knowing what condition the rod bolts are in,whether or not it has passed it's yield/fatigued you will always be able to torque to a specific number.

-treebonker

 

[HRCEngineering]

Yeah drunk people shouldn't post. I plasti-gage every motor and have never had any issue's. and .002-.004 is ideal anywhere in there. Just because it is .002 doesnt mean he will blow his motor due to excessive oil pressure. Otherwise they would have specified .003-.004. As far as torque. Always go by what the company you got the parts from says. I'm guessing you don't have the tools to do all of the telescoping stuff. PLUS the machine shop that did the work should have done that for him anyways. I did everytime I machined a block.

if you had noticed, he said two TEN thousands, not two thousandths. and from my personal experience plasti-gauge is used more in the big rig industry. as far as automotive goes, i have always used it for a quick final check, never to determine sufficient oil clearance. by the way, me having a few drinks had nothing to do with my post and i feel my information was informative for the questions he asked.

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

But if he is getting machine work done the machine shop should check the bores and whatnot with the gauge at the machine shop. I built hundred's of motor's and always did it for clients. Always told them to plasti-gage the bearings during install. Most people don't have the tools to check it themselves so plasti-gage is an easy accurate alternative. Never had a motor come back that the bearings where clearenced with plasti-gage and the bearings were the problem. Not saying it wasn't informative but saying you can't plasti-gage it to check clearence's would go against a lot of engine builders.

 

[BrokenTsi]

plasti-gauge will more than do the trick. And many rod manufacturers will state, .003 MAX for oiling clearances, i know for a fact manley recommends .002, .003 MAX.