Checking the oil clearance of the main bearings
Regardless of how the bearings are sized, use a plastic to measure the gap to determine the gap.
Clean the rear sides of the new main bearing inserts and place the halves with the oil groove on the main bearing seats in the cylinder block. Install the other halves from each set into their respective bearing caps. Make sure that the key of each liner fits into the cutout in the cylinder block or cover.
Caution: Do not hammer the earbuds or scratch the front surfaces of the earbuds.
Wipe the faces of the inserts in the block and the crankshaft main journals with a clean cloth. Check or clean the oil holes in the crankshaft.
Carefully place the crankshaft on the main bearings. Before finally installing the crankshaft, check the oil clearance of the main bearings.
Peel off a few pieces of suitable size plastic to measure the gap (they should be slightly shorter than the width of the main bearings) and place one piece on each main shaft parallel to its axis.
Clean the surface of the bearings in the caps and reinstall the caps. Don't move the plastic. Apply some oil to the threads and underside of the nuts.
Tighten the main bearing cap nuts in three steps to the correct torque. Do not turn the crankshaft during this operation.
Loosen the nut and carefully remove the bearing caps.
Compare the width of the crushed plastic on each neck to the scale printed on the plastic bag and determine the gap. Compare your results with the technical data.
Attention: The scales on the plastic bag are in mm and inches, do not confuse them.
If the clearance is not correct, the bearings may have been the wrong size. Before deciding to change the bearings, check for dirt and oil between the bearing and cap. If one end of the gap gauge is significantly wider than the other, the neck may be tapered.
Carefully clean all traces of plastic for measuring clearances from the journals and bearings. Do not scratch the bearing surfaces.
Final installation of the crankshaft
Carefully pull the crankshaft out of the engine. Clean the surface of the bearings in the block, then apply a uniform coat of engine oil to them.
Lubricate the surface of the crankshaft that contacts the oil seals with clean engine oil.
Make sure the crankshaft journals are clean, then put the crankshaft in place in the cylinder block. Clean the bearing surfaces in the caps and apply grease to them. Replace the covers so that the arrows on the covers point forward.
Apply a light coat of oil to the threads and underside of the bolt heads, then install them.
Tighten all main bearing cap bolts except for the #4 thrust bearing cap to the correct torque. Drive the shaft back and forth to seat the thrust bearing shells, and then tighten the #4 cover bolts to the correct torque.
Attention: Depending on the model, the thrust bearing (combined liner) can be located on various main journals of the crankshaft.
Measure the shaft play with feeler gauges or an indicator.
Rotate the crankshaft several times by hand and check if it is jamming.