Understanding Main and Rod Bearings in Automotive Engineering
Learn about measuring bearing clearance with Plastigauge, bearing properties, inserts, spread, crush, locating lug, oil groove, undersizes, inspection, excessive loads on bearings, and thrust bearing wear.
Understanding Main and Rod Bearings in Automotive Engineering
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Presentation Transcript
CHAPTER 11 Main and Rod Bearings • Page 271 Classroom Manual • Page 273 Lab Manual
BEARINGS • Check bearing clearance with Plastigauge. • Cut Plastigauge full width of journal, 1/4 off center. • Green Plastigauge range is .001” to .003” • Red Plastigauge range is .003” to .006”
MEASURING CLEARANCE • Doubling oil clearance will through five times as much oil onto the cylinder wall. • This increases oil consumption. • Excessive oil clearance will cause low oil pressure at idle.
BEARING PROPERTIES • Bearing surface has four properties. • Surface Action • Embedability • Conformability • Fatigue Resistance Page 272
BEARING INSERTS • Bearing shells are a steel back. • Bearings have babbit, copper-lead, or aluminum alloy. • Some bearing have multilayered lining material. Page 272
BEARING SPREAD, CRUSH • Bearings have a property known as spread. • Bearings have a property known as crush. Page 272
LOCATING LUG, OIL GROOVE • Bearings are positioned in the bore by a tang (most), or a dowel (some). • Main bearings with a hole are upper bearings. • Some upper bearings are also grooved. Page 272
BEARING UNDERSIZES • Are marked on the back of the bearing. • For some engines a .001” is available • .010” • .020” • .030” Page 275
BEARING INSPECTION • Keep bearings in order during disassembly. • Main cause of short bearing life is DIRT. • Check for metallic particles on bearing surface.
EXCESSIVE LOADS ON BEARINGS • Pressure from the flame front against the piston. • Centrifugal force from rotating weight of the rod. • Inertia from the up-and-down motion of the piston & rod. • These loads increase with RPM.
EXCESSIVE LOADS ON BEARINGS • Upper rod bearings have the most load. • Lower main bearings have the most load. • Using high viscosity oil can fatigue bearings. • Dry starts. • Excessive drive belt tension.
THRUST BEARING WEAR • Improper clutch adjustment, no free play. • Riding the clutch, improper driving habits. • Damaged pilot hole in crankshaft.