The new to me 1SC.... Options

[Steve91T]

Is there no danger of effing up the crank? I can't help but to think that I'm pulling/heating/beating on pretty much the heart of the engine.

The thrust bearing will be what sees most of the pounding. And you're replacing the bearings....right? I wouldn't go nuts on it with a sledgehammer, but a few whacks from a 3 lb hammer or similar shouldn't be a huge deal.

Also, I use one of these:

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS-Performance-Pro...756875/10002/-1

My first one was from Tavia (the manufacturer) but I loaned it to a friend (not sure who) and never got it back. So I have the Jegs version now (likely made by Tavia). It lets you pull crank bolt and use it to save the crank. They have Ford and Chevy SB versions. Not sure if it fits an LSx.

No the plan was to leave the bottom end alone. Since this car already has the longer, upgraded balancer bolt, I'm able to back it off yet still be able to grab lots of threads in the crank.

[Ojustracing]

Steve you have a picture of the three jaw puller you are using? You may have to step up to much larger one that has the ability to grab the pulley from behind. The side benefit is the center bolt is much bigger and you can crank on them. I have better luck with a impact wrench.

Also as other have asked. You are 100 percent sure its not hitting on the bolt. I remember at some point of my career doing the same thing on something and saying that the bolt is loose which it was but it was hitting on a washer.

[slowTA]

Is it possible the crank bolt screwed itself back in when you tightened the puller bolt down?

I've done a few balancers, fortunately with the motor in the car, manual trans stuck in top gear, brake set, wheels chocked... to keep the car from moving too.

It isn't an easy job.... good luck.

[Steve91T]

I got it!!!! Man that sucked. So today I went back to work and I noticed that I mushroomed the end of the puller. I also removed the bot just to rule out that it wasn't threading itself back it. Honestly, it may have. I used a smaller bolt and washer and was kinda expecting the balancer to just slip right off. But it didn't. So I actually stripped the end of the puller, so its trash. I seem to be pretty good at turning expensive things into junk. So I tried the 3 jaw again with the 3 screws removed, it separated into two pieces. I was then able to get a good grip on the inner hub. I put a lot of heat on the hub (as much as I could with propane), jammed my screwdriver and started putting some torque on it with the breaker bar. Just when I was getting ready to give up, it poped so loud it rang like a bell through the engine. I thought something broke. Then I realized the puller was just ever so slightly looser. Cranked again on it and it rang like a bell again. It did that no less than 2 dozen times, getting slightly easier each time. It's finally off.

That was awful. I just hope I didn't damage the bearings.

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/FD46D3E6-66A6-4212-8F48-D42D40B02C9E.jpg)

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/31C1C7CB-7B69-4895-ABD1-DE2087F753D3.jpg)

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/D15CB279-1CB6-41A0-9438-7C6BEFC104F1.jpg)

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/B8EA0097-85E5-4927-B4A6-A57105025151.jpg)

This post has been edited by Steve91T: Nov 16 2016, 10:26 PM

[trackbird]

Holy shit-sticks!

Glad it's off. What a pain in the ass.

[CrashTestDummy]

<SNIP>I seem to be pretty good at turning expensive things into junk.
<SNIP>

Nah, that's Kevin's job!! (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/nutkick.gif)

(read his sig)

Glad you were successful. Kind of like me and that clutch project I had with my wife's Z. Luckily, I didn't break anything that wasn't mostly broken already.

I wonder if the balancer had some paint on the inner hub, which 'glued' things together once the engine heated up?

[trackbird]

<SNIP>I seem to be pretty good at turning expensive things into junk.
<SNIP>

Nah, that's Kevin's job!! (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/nutkick.gif)

(read his sig)

He's right you know!

I can't imagine why it was that stuck. My ATI balancer needed honed to fit the crank and I tried to install it without honing (I miscalculated the interference fit and didn't think it needed honed) and broke the balancer installer. So I'm amazed it could be that tight and still fit on the crank.

[Steve91T]

Whoa. I wasn't expecting that. No wonder it made such a racket! I can't believe it ran for so long like this.

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/597E8FD9-77C7-42D4-8031-CEB5BDDAD2EB.jpg)


(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/6AE1131C-289E-4CA9-8798-9ADDC05D1379.jpg)

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/87C5F24B-5B3C-4D47-9026-5E1E0E391563.jpg)

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/71BFA4EB-44BE-435B-A8D4-8812E862056B.jpg)

[Steve91T]

Crap.


(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/DA60DD33-17DD-4B7B-A69B-103017AB0FFE.jpg)

[trackbird]

I put cam bearings in my SBC and bought the tools to do it. It wasn't too difficult and the tools weren't real expensive. Might be worth looking into it.

[Steve91T]

I put cam bearings in my SBC and bought the tools to do it. It wasn't too difficult and the tools weren't real expensive. Might be worth looking into it.

That's what I've been reading. But I can't help but to wonder what the main bearings look like.

But at the same time, my 215k mile M3 runs awesome. Maybe it's bearings would look equally worn?

I'll definitely replace the cam bearings. I'm just not sure if I should dig further. I'm thinking no.

[CrashTestDummy]

You have it down this far, I'd try to do that work only once. Check the mains!!

A set of bearings are cheap. A set of bearings, couple of rods, and the crank regrind aren't.

This post has been edited by CrashTestDummy: Nov 24 2016, 05:09 AM

[trackbird]

You have it down this far, I'd try to do that work only once. Check the mains!!

A set of bearings are cheap. A set of bearings, couple of rods, and the crank regrind aren't.

I agree. I also have a new set of .010 rod bearings in the garage if you wind up having the crank turned. When we rebuilt the LS2 from the Trailblazer SS the new crank came with .010 bearings and we had ARP bolts put in and the rods honed .002 over so we needed new bearings.

I'd look and see what metal parts have gone through the oil pump and through the bearings. If the oil pan is off, pull a few rod and main caps and see how they look. Make sure you check the crank journals too. These engines don't use lead babbit on the bearings (or the LS2 didn't) so they are shiny. The journals will likely show wear more than the bearings.

[CrashTestDummy]

Although the cam bearings don't usually look like that, the lifters and cams on the AFM cars do. Many just swap out the cam and offending lifter(s) and ease on down the road with no other issues.

[trackbird]

But at the same time, my 215k mile M3 runs awesome. Maybe it's bearings would look equally worn?

I wanted to clarify this point. Wear is one thing, grooves that you can feel with your fingernail are a problem. If it's a little "shiny", it's likely no huge deal. Those cam bearings show some grooves and scuffing from the metal bits going through the engine. Pieces of that lifter and metal bits from that cam circulated through the oil system. The filter doesn't always get those on the first time through since most filters have a bypass built in and some of the junk can bypass the filter with the bypassed oil. And that junk is what gouges the bearings and the crank journals. Look at the cam journals, they should be smooth and you shouldn't see the grooves that are in them. They don't look terribly deep, but they are significant. All of this means the crank likely looks the same. I might expect that it needs turned.

This leaves you with the options of:

Put it together as is and run it until it comes apart, then buy a crate motor.

Look at the crank and have the bottom end handled now so that it may run a while and you won't have to pull it out again soon.

[Ojustracing]

Gene My 13 Tahoe PPV had a lifter turn sideways. It ran for 16 miles and diag time. I can tell you the motor had a crap load of metal in it. The dealer went as far as to remove the oil pan and clean it out. YEAH the cam bearing in the photo above shows some grooving.
But this is the issue we have alluded to earlier. either go for the rebuild or bare bones it back together and wait for it to blow. Steve has to have at least a grand aprox into in just parts. If this thing blows up in 500 miles everything you just did will be junk. Its a tough choice.

[Steve91T]

Thanks guys! So the grooves are the big red flag, huh?

So we're talking a full rebuild? Any idea about how much money we're talking?

Thanks guys! Hope everyone had an awesome thanksgiving!!!

[trackbird]

Thanks guys! So the grooves are the big red flag, huh?

So we're talking a full rebuild? Any idea about how much money we're talking?

Thanks guys! Hope everyone had an awesome thanksgiving!!!

Turn the crank, consider new GM rods (just due to mileage and fatigue) or turn the crank and put new bearings in it. Clean the block (pull the freeze plugs and put it in a wallpaper pan full of hot soapy water and use oil galley brushes on it...that's how we did the LS2 when we rebuilt it). Put the crank and new bearings in it, fresh oil pump, replace the trashed cam and lifters and button it back up with a fresh timing chain. I think that's the "minimum" rebuild at this point.

[Steve91T]

Thanks guys! So the grooves are the big red flag, huh?

So we're talking a full rebuild? Any idea about how much money we're talking?

Thanks guys! Hope everyone had an awesome thanksgiving!!!

Turn the crank, consider new GM rods (just due to mileage and fatigue) or turn the crank and put new bearings in it. Clean the block (pull the freeze plugs and put it in a wallpaper pan full of hot soapy water and use oil galley brushes on it...that's how we did the LS2 when we rebuilt it). Put the crank and new bearings in it, fresh oil pump, replace the trashed cam and lifters and button it back up with a fresh timing chain. I think that's the "minimum" rebuild at this point.

I'm thinking about calling hawks and seeing if they have short block that I can just go get.

[Steve91T]

I've got an idea. I go get an 80k mile LS1 for $3k. Then I swap the heads and cam to my current engine, of course replacing the cam bearings. Then I sell the engine fully disclosing what I did and the unknowns. I'd bet I'd still be able to get close to $3k for it.

I know what you guys are all thinking....genius.