Replacing rod/main bearings?

[BaliLover]

Can the rod and main bearings be changed with the motor in the car? It looks like its possible, but I was wondering if anyone had tried this before and had any advice about it.

[SpeedRacer1]

I have only accessed this section of my engine with it out of the car. If you want to get to these parts with the engine in the car you have to do the following basically:1) Jack up the car2) Suspend the engine3)Remove the engine crossmember/engine mounts (along with everything else that its attached to (steering rack, etc)4) Remove oil pans5) Now you can access the internal parts of the engine

So basically, by the time you finish this monumental task you will have wished you would have just taken the engine out of the car. The short block internals can only be accessed from the bottom of the engine, and the oil pans need to be removed. But if you can clear the engine crossmember then you will still find it cramped to get the crank, main bearing beam, etc out.

Bottom line, much wiser IMO to take the engine out of the car.

[Hijacker]

i wouldn't attempt to do so. when you change the bearing caps, you'll have to change the bearings, and it's much easier to work on that kind of project out of the car.

[Touchdown038]

Yes, much easier when out of the car. You won't have to be lying on your back reaching up into the block to disconnect cap bolts, etc.

[Nathan]

Also, if there was any scoring of the crank then that will need to be polished and possibly an oversized bearing fitted. It really would be best to take the engine out for this, that way you can mic everything and ensure you are purchasing the exact right size bearings as well as check for further damage. If the crank was scored even a little it's likely that it would just tear up a new bearing relatively quickly, rendering you once again, with a rod knock and problems