Replacing rod bearings in car?

[240RB1]

i know this is the wrong and stupid way to do it but i wanna drive this damn car:( for those who dont know i bought my vert last feb and up till last week i got it running right. now thats after 4 motors though, first had hole in side of block second had coolant and oil mix in 4th cylinder, third motor i rebuilt the second but rings were installed incorrectly and found out the block was perfectly round now this fourth one supposedly had 26,000 miles on it and it runs decent but once over 3k it knocks a little bit. the knock just started so the crank id hope would not be ruined,so we get to my original question. HAS ANYONE EVER REPLACED THEIR ROD BEARINGS WITH THE MOTOR IN THE VEHICLE? i have had it with dualcams

[480sx]

Yes, it can be done and i have done it successfully in this exact same situation on a Honda. I have also replaced the rod bearings on a Ka with the engine in the car.

Your main concern is the crank however. Depending on how bad the knock is, you could have damage to your crank so putting new bearings is going to be a bandaid over a severed artery.

You need to support the engine WELL(so it doesnt fall on your face while your working on it), and drop the cross member. The FSM has the directions on what you need to do to drop the pan the right way. The FSM way is the only way your going to replace the rod bearings.

[liquid_cool]

you need to use plastiguage and follow the instructions for your amount of gap allowed for rod bearings...if the gap is to large you will have a knock issue...they do sell custom bearings to help with worn crank/rods.. +.10 to +.50 if im corect...good luck man.

[240RB1]

i ended up pulling the motor with the transmission attached. as for plastigauges where do i get those at? i have the fsm and have looked in it but it dosent go into depth or what these things are can someone plese explain.

The crank seems to be in good condition according to the first rod no scrapes or gouges

[480sx]

You can get plastigage from napa, just call around to auto parts stores. Napa i know stocks it.

[240RB1]

the problem ended up being the 4th cylinder rod bearing it was worn but the crank seemed fine so i replaced all the rod bearings and now runs like a champ no knock in sight(knocks on wood)

[liquid_cool]

the problem ended up being the 4th cylinder rod bearing it was worn but the crank seemed fine so i replaced all the rod bearings and now runs like a champ no knock in sight(knocks on wood)

did ya check by meshurement if there was damage?..couse if ya didnot..then after a few thousand miles..you may suddenly findyourself back in the same situation...if ya did..cool then.