I happen to be an engineer at the plant where we actually make engine bearings. We make them for OEM manufacturers. It's actually called a crush relief. We cut them into every bearing we make. I have always understood that is why they are cut like that to take into account the bearing installed diameter. One of the checks we run is the actual bearing crush size. The height of the bearing is measured at an installed pressure to account for the crush on the bearing. That being said I am the controls guy not the finished bearing guy. I do plan to ask some questions at work tomorrow though. I have absolutely no reason to doubt Steve so take it for what it's worth.
Yes, as a 36 year employee of Clevite/ Mahle the tabs do not hold the half shells in place. It is the uninstalled bearing height that is generally .0008-.0012" taller than the bore size. There is also some extra clearance added down toward the parting line to accommodate the distortion from the crush of the bearing called the relief area.
Steve , i am a Master Harley Davidson Tech. I would like to thank you because i never was taught or learned that , about the reason why bearings were out of round. And we build pro stock harley bikes we race. We always just measured vertical clearance and assumed the extra clearance on the horizontal was for oil .. so thank you for the knowledge 👍
I guessed cap and rod stretch but didn’t consider the closing of the cap and rod ears but this makes complete sense after hearing your explanation, thank you for sharing this knowledge!
@@Shade_Tree_TV only older ones . They called them Timkin engines because the crank from 99 to 2002 had timkin bearing on the crankshaft. Along with EVO”s shovels , pans , and knuckles.. 2003 to present they use bushings no longer rollers/ ball bearings.
@PhatboyHD88 dude you got exposed and you're not making it any better. for a master Harley tech You should know they strictly use roller bearings In the engines. There are no journal style bearings in any of the harley engines unless you consider the wrist pin or rocker bushings lol
I'm only 10 minutes in. This is WHY you need to keep on making videos!!! You are a great teacher, Steve. I enjoy watching and learning. Pro Auto Shop for us former high school auto shop degenerates and others who just want to learn. Got to meet you at Norwalk, I was the dude scoping out Kyle's ride with my buddy Tom---also a veteran of the race engine building industry. We watch and discuss your channel and what we learn all the time. Thank you!
Love the detailed content. Never stop learning! No one ever knows it all. Steve and the guys are the perfect example. They’re Extremely knowledgeable, but even they say, well, we’ll ask the specialists in every detailed area. Absolutely love it!
Steve, the bearing episode was too cool. When you or anyone else talks about clearances, a lot of people don’t understand that when they hear . 002 thousands clearance or any other number, they don’t realize how much it really is. When I was working on my screw machines, +-.002 was the norm. When I would teach a newbie about machining, I would ask them if they knew what .002 meant. I would tell them that a human hair is about .003. If they split it 3 times, each piece would be .001, split one of them 10 times, that would be .0001, that’s how close that crank was ground to.
Oil films are generally in the range of tenths as well. I've been a machinist in every aspect of the trade for 20 years. Automotive to medical to aerospace. It's awesome to be able to talk to people with my same passion and an understanding of how tight some of these tolerances can get.
I think one thing people don’t understand is the machinists jargon. They call this measurement a tenth, it’s one tenth of one thousandth’s, (.001 to .0001) and your explanation is perfect for explaining it. Split a hair three times for one thousandth’s, .001, split that ten times for a tenth or ten thousandth’s of an inch, .0001. Just for grins for those in the know, a cigarette rolling paper is one thousandth’s of an inch, .001, split that rolling paper ten times for a tenth, .0001.
@@inertiaMSto people who doesnt use metric graduations on machines or would have to completely relearn measurements based off imperial to understand it is not as easy as “moving to metric”. Thats equivalent to you being sent to another country and be expected to fluently speak a new language when you step on the ground
Assembly aide. In many cases it also prevents the bearings from being installed in wrong position because the tang only fits one way. Tangs are a location device for the bearing as Steve said, friction from crush is what keeps it from rotating, well, until the other side makes more grip lol. Which brings up a good point Steve should cover, proper surface finish of the journal, clean, dry..not lubricated. Also handling of the bearings, maybe wipe the back with a dry cloth, and don't handle them more than needed. With today's coatings, sometimes people try to 'clean' them due to their appearance and damage the surface. On big engines we had a fixture that was machined to verify the bearing was proud out of the rod the correct amount on both sides. We also had thumb screws with a tab that held the bearing in position while it was being stuffed in the cylinder. Big parts use big bearings that are affected by gravity. You can bolt up a big end, have all the correct Clearances, pre lube oil pressure, it will turn over from the compression. Fire it up and it runs for 20 minutes. Just making contact with the crank journal bumped the bearing a few thousands (rotated) Yeah the tang ended up in the narrow part of the groove so the running clearance disappeared as soon as the oil got warm. So yes, tangs don't prevent the bearing from spinning 😂 Always make sure the friction on the outside is higher than the friction on the inside. < Tip 4
Steve! I think you and Gale Banks together would make a damn good engine teaching/sharing video or Podcast. You both are My favorite! Thank you for your passion!
Hey Steve, Tim here, BOY i LOVED this vid!!!....it always bugged me that the bearings will stick out a few thou.....but NEVER filed them, NEVER had a massive failure, i just really didnt know why, NOW, i have my answer!!.....THANK GOD, i never tried to "fix" a brand new bearing.......i am ESTATIC, as i learned somethin new this morn.....TY sir!!.....boy, just KILLER info!!...TY again!!😊
I knew not to file the ends of the bearings, but now I know why. I did know the bearings were different sized from the middle to the ends, but again, I did not know why. Thanks Steve, I feel smarter now knowing why I did the things I did.
Enjoyed watching the screw retrieval. In the medical field they use a retrieval basket which allows retrieval of fine parts from airways and vessels. Effectively you could have used one of these to remove the screw without removing the head. Thought you might like to know.
Ahhh, the old days at GM... I never have forgotten … " Copper, Tin, Lead, and Antimony... plus the 7 other inert ingredients in the formulaic recipe for OUR specifications ". ( God rest his soul ) I always enjoyed the cartoons on the dry erase boards, but they convey their intended purpose! Appreciate this video and your attention to detail for us all! Have a nice day young man. Respectfully, Seth
Thanks Steve bearing Tech is so interesting. Glad you got the thread out of the Wagon that would have given you a whole lot of grief at a later time minimal damage and the Wagon lives to fight another day. We are blessed with the information you give us. Thanks to you and your team for all you share.
The bearing out of roundness is terms is called Eccentricity. And is necessary for connecting rods to alow for the elongation that happens making power and high rpm and as Steve said the sides of the rod bore moves closer to the journal. Maintain the oil wedge for lubrication without the bearing getting to tight. Have a great day everyone. 👍🇺🇸👍
It's always amazed me the tensile and co oressive loads a connecting rod endures and how far materials have come in 20 years. We used to have to set bearing crush on exotic material connecting rods. We'd get +.004 crush and have to fixture and sand them down until they had the right crush for the rod materials... it was so much **fun**
FYI. Vandervel was the major bearing producer back in the early days. Racers were encountering lots of spun bearings so they would tighten the crush but still had problems. Until Smokey Unick sorted it by putting chamfer on it because it would scrape the oil off.
We modified a high volume oil pump years ago. It made 96psi at idle. We thought we would never hurt a bearing. A week later we found glitter in the oil. Tore it down and the crank was not hurt but the babbit was flaking off of the shells! 🎉
Back in the day when machines were more manually operated they would put writing paper between the rod cap and rod before honing the bearing bore so when you remover the paper the bearing housing was oval like you say.
Makes pefect sense, every time you tear down an engine and inspect bearings, they are worn on the up and down side but never at the split of the bearing.
Has to do with: A compression B firing stroke. Both give more pressure on the bearing and thats in the centre line of the rod. C changing movement from up to down (i have to translate my words from my own language to yours, so dont alway know the proper words). Think an inline engine here. Your piston is continiously changing speeds while going up and down. At the moment something ( piston, rod, bearings and bolts=x weight) of x weight changes direction opposit from where it came from, that weight wants to proceed its travel. So the bearing needs to apply force to the x weight. That happens in tdc and bdc. Hence the spots in the bearings.
Using the oil as a hydraulic medium is fascinating to me. I have three pistons out of a Mack truck that I welded for my mailbox post. I watch you and KSR on UA-cam. I'm about two hours north of KSR and if I was a younger man I would be putting applications in at your shop and KSR. I used to build regular motors back in the eighties but I've learned more watching you on your channel than I have in my almost sixty years on this ball. Val's Camaro is looking fabulous and can't wait for the runs on the track. I wish you would sell some of your old rods because I would definitely find something to make with a couple. Stay safe and good luck on the track. I'll be waiting for your next video.
The oil film when under pressure has a hydraulic effect. When can’t compress a liquid, so when the rod is forced down, it generates pressure against the bearing, and squeezes it in return. That’s probably the best way to describe what happens to the “V” series bearings. Most people don’t realize that the bearing inserts themselves are just there as basically a buffer, and it doesn’t ride on them, it rides on the oil film. When it gets through that oil film and into the bearing, you have problems. That’s why I always try to drill it into my students heads the importance of quality oil, the correct oil and also oil change intervals.
Definitely learned a lot in this episode. And I really do appreciate that you need to take apart your engines often enough to recognize the various benefits of Rev X. It shows me how beneficial it is to use their oil treatment. I started using it this year after seeing you talk about it and show the benefits. I’m sold on the stuff.
In my Caterpillar diesel, we used a product similar in absorbed into metal surfaces and high heat protection. Motorkote was added into the oil as well and added protection.
It's actually really interesting that it's possible to know around what power an engine was making from the dimensional change in bearing width. It makes sense the way you explained it, it just fascinates me that someone realized that it was possible in the first place. I guess when you have as many passes and tear downs as the Top Fuel guys eventually you're going to notice patterns, but it's still mind blowing.
That's what the top fuel guys do after every run they will rip the engine down and measure the bearings and everything. Speaking of Top Fuel guys did you hear Clay Millican won the US Nationals and that is so cool he is kickin butt.
Great episode Steve! Thank you sharing your incredible wealth of knowledge with us. BTS, I think what you were trying to say about oil crushing the bearings is that fluid (oil)is incompressible.
About 30 years ago I was building performance and race marine turbocharged and blown engines for a friend's shop. He chose to use "P" bearings and had fixtures for the lathe so that we could cut a champher to clear the large radius stroker cranks that the P bearing would rub. The "H" bearings at the time were made with a similar champher, but later they went ahead and just made the narrow version.
Back in the day some of the race shops would put a C clamp on the parting line of the rods to intentionally hone them slightly out of round (when relaxed) so that additional housing size would provide the clearance necessary in race conditions to stop the bearing from spinning.
This is some great tech . I always thought that the extra side clearance on the bearings was for a extra pumping effect that was created with the rotational weight slinging around . Great Stuff and thanks for sharing
It’s cool to see the color on the exhaust and intake valves when you took them out. You can visualize how it’s injecting air/fuel and burning in the cylinder.
The Tesla Cyber Truck’s stainless steel body panels are bent in a press where the press platens never touch the stainless steel panels. They use high pressure air to form a boundary layer between the machine and the body panel. That’s why the brushed surface doesn’t have any rubbing marks on it. I think the oil film runs in pretty much the same way (imho) it just transfers the pressure from one to the other.
Dude, incredible video, thank you for the explanation on the crushed bearing. I recently removed a set from my VG30DE after several years of running at triple the factory power. And I was conflicted as to whether or not there was something wrong with my rod bearings since they were crushed out as you say. Car ran strictly on e85 and even had one friend mentioned the possibility of determining the amount of timing in my motor based on the crush.
you need a lead in on any White metal bearing which also helps oil lube the bearing shell, the shifts actually float on the oil if you don't have that lead in edge it will actually wipe the oil off and will burn the bearing in micro seconds, I'm a machine tool fitter and on large shafts we get White metal put on to the bearing shells, I remember we did a machine that grinds the shock absorbers shafts and we hand scraped in the bearings, cost about $30-$40k to have it done a guy who wasn't up to speed with the lead in on the bearing he put the bearing shell in the wrong way around within 10min he burnt the White metal off the shell and rooted a $20k shaft it ended costing them $70k to repair it, engines aren't the only thing that uses White metal bearings and that lead in its the most important part of a bearing its self
Another great video with lots of good tech info!! I'm also glad to see you pulled that head on the Boost Master. Better to pull it in the shop where you're comfortable than to have it work loose on Drag Week and pull it in the pits. I'm looking forward to hearing what Oil Nerd has to say. Good luck to you and the team on Drag Week. I'll be rooting for you.
Great episode! Love these tech heavy sessions! Revex is most likely attracted to metal surfaces(surface acting compound) through an ionic bond type action, and not absorbing into "metal pores", as the sales guy explained. Most metals do not actually have "pores", but even finely machined surfaces do have microscopic asperities(peak and valleys).
This is one of the most educational channels on all of UA-cam! Done in a way even morons, like myself, that don't build engines can completely understand and most importantly, Enjoy!!❤😊
Absolutely, also if the bearings dont have enough squeeze or outward pressure at the split area it can wipe oil. Reinstalling used bearings can lead to the split edge wiping oil also. Clocking the oil feed holes in cam bearings so the oil feeds ahead of the loaded portion can help to.
Super interesting, thank you for this type of content. On a side note, the oil in your SMX should be called Predator blood, that's what it looks like to me!
To add a little context that Steve kinda touched on, but didn't specifically address. Bearing squish as a function of HP output/tune. IS absolutely a thing..... However, that squish is NOT solely dependent on power levels. The engine geometry also has a large impact on when you start "beating the bearings out of it"....... IE Bore/Stroke, Piston speed, Rod Material, Reciprocating weight..... Typically, around here folks start talking about beating the bearings out of a specific engine is when they've reached a power level where they really need to start thinking about an aluminum rod VS the steel one they are running. (Increased elastic deformation)
It would be super to watch a time laps of you putting the apart and back together! Set it n forget it while you work on the car or engine. Thank you for the videos. Hope to see you at PRI this December
@ 24:30 I think what he's trying to say is that the oil (under pressure) will hydroform the bearings. Sort of like how hydroforming works to shape metal parts in a production setting. I bet you Steve could figure out what sort of pressure that bearing oil film sees at max loads. Bet you it's something like 10,000 psi+.
Im surprised it didn't do crazy damage. You could easy weld those spots and grind them down flat since it's not as critical as the deck surfaces. Although welding may mess with the material properties that the head is made out of
Smokey Yunick was the guy who figured out the rod bearings had to have more clearance on the parting line sides. They kept spinning bearings when they were "round"
Exactly, the big end disrtion iw hy that additional side clearance is there - and the highest tensile loading, and hence distortion is on the overlap TDC. That's why almost invariably a rod breakage smacks the head - even to the point of leaving the chamber outline in the piston crown. Bearing tabes/tangs are primarily for aligning the shells in the bores, and some manufacturers don't even use them. I would suggest thay should never be used in a "race" engine because and slight spinning of the bearings will force the tang up the ramp, forcing the bearing into contact with the journal, and leading to instant bearing seizure and failure. Just make sure the crush is correct - a useful trick, if you can't/don't have the time/equipment to check crush is to fit the bearings into the rod/cap and only nip up ONE side's fastener - use a feeler gauge to measure the gap on the other side and divide by 3 to get an estimate of the crush (difference between the bore and the shells' OD). With springs, especially, rust REALLY should be avoided, because springs are one of the most highly stressed components and subject to reversals that will already cause fatigue failure, but rust sets up stress-risers that will greatly reduce the fatigue resistance.
Being in Michigan, we have a lot of humidity. Do you air condition the shop, not just the office. Simply to drop humidity?? Humidity affects all metals. Just in different ways.
Steve, Get Tom Molnar to explain the connecting rod movement. I don't know anyone else that has more testing then Tom. He is extremely smart on anything to do with connecting rods. I love your educational videos. Keep them coming please.
Man, you have no idea how many times I get flamed on my channel for reusing some slightly damaged parts.😂😂 so nice to see a shop like yourself use common sense that the piston and head do not have to be completely replaced when something minor happens in that scenario. Love it.
Thanks Steve. Ive had people tell me for years the P bearings i use, i should change to H. Never have. Ive never seen a benefit to running a harder bearing, and ive explained the high HP stuff uses softer bearings. Been told i don't know anything, by people who can't keep a engine together, but mine live. 🤷
I happen to be an engineer at the plant where we actually make engine bearings. We make them for OEM manufacturers. It's actually called a crush relief. We cut them into every bearing we make. I have always understood that is why they are cut like that to take into account the bearing installed diameter. One of the checks we run is the actual bearing crush size. The height of the bearing is measured at an installed pressure to account for the crush on the bearing.
That being said I am the controls guy not the finished bearing guy. I do plan to ask some questions at work tomorrow though. I have absolutely no reason to doubt Steve so take it for what it's worth.
Cool
invite steve at your plant! it would be a cool video!
Yes, as a 36 year employee of Clevite/ Mahle the tabs do not hold the half shells in place. It is the uninstalled bearing height that is generally .0008-.0012" taller than the bore size. There is also some extra clearance added down toward the parting line to accommodate the distortion from the crush of the bearing called the relief area.
Man some of y'all guys have the best job imaginable I respect that and wish I was there with yall
Federal Mogul?
Steve , i am a Master Harley Davidson Tech. I would like to thank you because i never was taught or learned that , about the reason why bearings were out of round. And we build pro stock harley bikes we race. We always just measured vertical clearance and assumed the extra clearance on the horizontal was for oil .. so thank you for the knowledge 👍
No problem
I guessed cap and rod stretch but didn’t consider the closing of the cap and rod ears but this makes complete sense after hearing your explanation, thank you for sharing this knowledge!
That's because harley has roller bearings😂
@@Shade_Tree_TV only older ones . They called them Timkin engines because the crank from 99 to 2002 had timkin bearing on the crankshaft. Along with EVO”s shovels , pans , and knuckles.. 2003 to present they use bushings no longer rollers/ ball bearings.
@PhatboyHD88 dude you got exposed and you're not making it any better. for a master Harley tech You should know they strictly use roller bearings In the engines. There are no journal style bearings in any of the harley engines unless you consider the wrist pin or rocker bushings lol
I'm only 10 minutes in. This is WHY you need to keep on making videos!!! You are a great teacher, Steve. I enjoy watching and learning. Pro Auto Shop for us former high school auto shop degenerates and others who just want to learn. Got to meet you at Norwalk, I was the dude scoping out Kyle's ride with my buddy Tom---also a veteran of the race engine building industry. We watch and discuss your channel and what we learn all the time. Thank you!
Thank you Steve & Joe, I always learn from smart people. You guys are very smart!
Glad you think so!
Joe is a natural in front of the camera. He did a really nice job of explaining everything.
That light he has is a great idea too.
You are one intelligent person. Wish I was 40 years younger. I could learn so much from you.
Love the detailed content.
Never stop learning!
No one ever knows it all.
Steve and the guys are the perfect example. They’re Extremely knowledgeable, but even they say, well, we’ll ask the specialists in every detailed area.
Absolutely love it!
Steve, the bearing episode was too cool. When you or anyone else talks about clearances, a lot of people don’t understand that when they hear . 002 thousands clearance or any other number, they don’t realize how much it really is. When I was working on my screw machines, +-.002 was the norm. When I would teach a newbie about machining, I would ask them if they knew what .002 meant. I would tell them that a human hair is about .003. If they split it 3 times, each piece would be .001, split one of them 10 times, that would be .0001, that’s how close that crank was ground to.
Oil films are generally in the range of tenths as well. I've been a machinist in every aspect of the trade for 20 years. Automotive to medical to aerospace. It's awesome to be able to talk to people with my same passion and an understanding of how tight some of these tolerances can get.
I think one thing people don’t understand is the machinists jargon. They call this measurement a tenth, it’s one tenth of one thousandth’s, (.001 to .0001) and your explanation is perfect for explaining it. Split a hair three times for one thousandth’s, .001, split that ten times for a tenth or ten thousandth’s of an inch, .0001.
Just for grins for those in the know, a cigarette rolling paper is one thousandth’s of an inch, .001, split that rolling paper ten times for a tenth, .0001.
There's always moving to a rational measuring system like metric I guess
@@inertiaMSto people who doesnt use metric graduations on machines or would have to completely relearn measurements based off imperial to understand it is not as easy as “moving to metric”. Thats equivalent to you being sent to another country and be expected to fluently speak a new language when you step on the ground
@@young11984No silly fractions though
Thanks for discussing the "tang". I've had many heated "discussions " about it. Thanks for the video. You guys rock!
Any time!
Many new factory engines, have no tang, whatsoever! You probably know that already!
Assembly aide. In many cases it also prevents the bearings from being installed in wrong position because the tang only fits one way. Tangs are a location device for the bearing as Steve said, friction from crush is what keeps it from rotating, well, until the other side makes more grip lol. Which brings up a good point Steve should cover, proper surface finish of the journal, clean, dry..not lubricated. Also handling of the bearings, maybe wipe the back with a dry cloth, and don't handle them more than needed. With today's coatings, sometimes people try to 'clean' them due to their appearance and damage the surface.
On big engines we had a fixture that was machined to verify the bearing was proud out of the rod the correct amount on both sides. We also had thumb screws with a tab that held the bearing in position while it was being stuffed in the cylinder. Big parts use big bearings that are affected by gravity. You can bolt up a big end, have all the correct Clearances, pre lube oil pressure, it will turn over from the compression. Fire it up and it runs for 20 minutes. Just making contact with the crank journal bumped the bearing a few thousands (rotated) Yeah the tang ended up in the narrow part of the groove so the running clearance disappeared as soon as the oil got warm. So yes, tangs don't prevent the bearing from spinning 😂 Always make sure the friction on the outside is higher than the friction on the inside. < Tip 4
Steve!
I think you and Gale Banks together would make a damn good engine teaching/sharing video or
Podcast. You both are
My favorite! Thank you for your passion!
Gale Banks is a damn EPA shill. Dude kinda sucks.
David Vizard is also an master engine builder and an excellent teacher. A collaboration with Steve would make an excellent educational video.
Hey Steve,
Tim here, BOY i LOVED this vid!!!....it always bugged me that the bearings will stick out a few thou.....but NEVER filed them, NEVER had a massive failure, i just really didnt know why, NOW, i have my answer!!.....THANK GOD, i never tried to "fix" a brand new bearing.......i am ESTATIC, as i learned somethin new this morn.....TY sir!!.....boy, just KILLER info!!...TY again!!😊
I knew not to file the ends of the bearings, but now I know why. I did know the bearings were different sized from the middle to the ends, but again, I did not know why. Thanks Steve, I feel smarter now knowing why I did the things I did.
Enjoyed watching the screw retrieval. In the medical field they use a retrieval basket which allows retrieval of fine parts from airways and vessels. Effectively you could have used one of these to remove the screw without removing the head. Thought you might like to know.
That has to be one of the best Videos I have ever seen. Awesome explanation Steve. Thank You.
Wow, thanks!
Thanks!
Ahhh, the old days at GM... I never have forgotten … " Copper, Tin, Lead, and Antimony... plus the 7 other inert ingredients in the formulaic recipe for OUR specifications ". ( God rest his soul ) I always enjoyed the cartoons on the dry erase boards, but they convey their intended purpose! Appreciate this video and your attention to detail for us all! Have a nice day young man.
Respectfully, Seth
Thanks Steve bearing Tech is so interesting. Glad you got the thread out of the Wagon that would have given you a whole lot of grief at a later time minimal damage and the Wagon lives to fight another day. We are blessed with the information you give us. Thanks to you and your team for all you share.
Love the technical info. Thanks for taking the time to explain it....former machinist/ CNC programmer who got out of the trade 20 years ago.
Glad it was helpful!
The taming of the screw, another visual masterpiece!
Can’t wait to see the oil nerds input. Always learn something new. Thanks Steve.
The bearing out of roundness is terms is called Eccentricity.
And is necessary for connecting rods to alow for the elongation that happens making power and high rpm and as Steve said the sides of the rod bore moves closer to the journal.
Maintain the oil wedge for lubrication without the bearing getting to tight.
Have a great day everyone. 👍🇺🇸👍
When your eyesight degrades you realize how important lighting is to seeing something clearly.
@@stuwest3653 oh shit that’s what that means
Great great video!! Sooo much information in real time!!! Period!!! 👍🏼👀
Reasons I watch 1. Dewey 2. I love learning 3. All the pretty parts 🤤🤤 thanks for all the info.
It's always amazed me the tensile and co oressive loads a connecting rod endures and how far materials have come in 20 years. We used to have to set bearing crush on exotic material connecting rods. We'd get +.004 crush and have to fixture and sand them down until they had the right crush for the rod materials... it was so much **fun**
FYI. Vandervel was the major bearing producer back in the early days.
Racers were encountering lots of spun bearings so they would tighten the crush but still had problems.
Until Smokey Unick sorted it by putting chamfer on it because it would scrape the oil off.
We modified a high volume oil pump years ago. It made 96psi at idle. We thought we would never hurt a bearing. A week later we found glitter in the oil. Tore it down and the crank was not hurt but the babbit was flaking off of the shells! 🎉
Back in the day when machines were more manually operated they would put writing paper between the rod cap and rod before honing the bearing bore so when you remover the paper the bearing housing was oval like you say.
I use paper for checking piston clearance following centrepunching of the skirts. It's a time-consuming method, but it works.
The tech that keeps your motors alive is exciting and riveting. I can't wait to assemble my next motor using what I see here.
Good thing you found all of the pieces Steve!
Makes pefect sense, every time you tear down an engine and inspect bearings, they are worn on the up and down side but never at the split of the bearing.
Has to do with: A compression B firing stroke. Both give more pressure on the bearing and thats in the centre line of the rod. C changing movement from up to down (i have to translate my words from my own language to yours, so dont alway know the proper words). Think an inline engine here. Your piston is continiously changing speeds while going up and down. At the moment something ( piston, rod, bearings and bolts=x weight) of x weight changes direction opposit from where it came from, that weight wants to proceed its travel. So the bearing needs to apply force to the x weight. That happens in tdc and bdc. Hence the spots in the bearings.
@@henkoosterhof5947Good info. 👍
I'd love to watch Steve put together an old SBC with all his knowledge
What's your thoughts on the sbc let's say Bracket race application 7500rpm and all out 10,000rpm+NA. Never to old to learn. Thank You.
Using the oil as a hydraulic medium is fascinating to me. I have three pistons out of a Mack truck that I welded for my mailbox post. I watch you and KSR on UA-cam. I'm about two hours north of KSR and if I was a younger man I would be putting applications in at your shop and KSR. I used to build regular motors back in the eighties but I've learned more watching you on your channel than I have in my almost sixty years on this ball. Val's Camaro is looking fabulous and can't wait for the runs on the track. I wish you would sell some of your old rods because I would definitely find something to make with a couple. Stay safe and good luck on the track. I'll be waiting for your next video.
Thanks
Retired bracket racer and tool and die maker. Love your videos!
Thank you 40 years in the car business and you taught me something
The rogue threads update we've all been craving!
The oil film when under pressure has a hydraulic effect. When can’t compress a liquid, so when the rod is forced down, it generates pressure against the bearing, and squeezes it in return. That’s probably the best way to describe what happens to the “V” series bearings. Most people don’t realize that the bearing inserts themselves are just there as basically a buffer, and it doesn’t ride on them, it rides on the oil film. When it gets through that oil film and into the bearing, you have problems. That’s why I always try to drill it into my students heads the importance of quality oil, the correct oil and also oil change intervals.
Look forward to see the oil and oil clearence video coming up. Thanks again Steve for the great videos.🇸🇪
Your videos are excellent! I always learn something, please dont ever change.
Thanks, will do!
Thanks Steve for the bearing need to know talk.. this makes perfect sense and is very much appreciated 🏁
Definitely learned a lot in this episode. And I really do appreciate that you need to take apart your engines often enough to recognize the various benefits of Rev X. It shows me how beneficial it is to use their oil treatment. I started using it this year after seeing you talk about it and show the benefits. I’m sold on the stuff.
Great insider info. I had never heard about the extra clearance to allow for elongation, or whatever term is correct. Greatness
Thank you for all the info!!!!!
Glad I wasn't late for class today !!
When the oil film gets compressed to the point it becomes harder than the substrate, is call an "elastohydrodynamic" state.
In my Caterpillar diesel, we used a product similar in absorbed into metal surfaces and high heat protection. Motorkote was added into the oil as well and added protection.
We use CamGuard in airplanes and they make an automotive product so you might want to look into that.
It's actually really interesting that it's possible to know around what power an engine was making from the dimensional change in bearing width. It makes sense the way you explained it, it just fascinates me that someone realized that it was possible in the first place. I guess when you have as many passes and tear downs as the Top Fuel guys eventually you're going to notice patterns, but it's still mind blowing.
Steve, Thank you. I did not know about the bearing halves being thinner at the ends than in the center. Good to know.
Steve Morris, Engine builder extraordinaire!
Steve Morris, Artist, not so much.😂
That's what the top fuel guys do after every run they will rip the engine down and measure the bearings and everything. Speaking of Top Fuel guys did you hear Clay Millican won the US Nationals and that is so cool he is kickin butt.
Interesting video and i learned some new things about bearings i never new about! Thanks Steve!
Always educational watching your videos Steve.I learn something new each time.Thanks for the info.
Great episode Steve! Thank you sharing your incredible wealth of knowledge with us. BTS, I think what you were trying to say about oil crushing the bearings is that fluid (oil)is incompressible.
This channel has come so far. Educational, entertaining, and sometimes comical. Well balanced good ole fashion motor head talk in a modern era. 👍
I aim to please !
And you forgot Humble. 🤟
About 30 years ago I was building performance and race marine turbocharged and blown engines for a friend's shop. He chose to use "P" bearings and had fixtures for the lathe so that we could cut a champher to clear the large radius stroker cranks that the P bearing would rub. The "H" bearings at the time were made with a similar champher, but later they went ahead and just made the narrow version.
I have learned more from Steve’s channel than all the others combined
Back in the day some of the race shops would put a C clamp on the parting line of the rods to intentionally hone them slightly out of round (when relaxed) so that additional housing size would provide the clearance necessary in race conditions to stop the bearing from spinning.
This is some great tech . I always thought that the extra side clearance on the bearings was for a extra pumping effect that was created with the rotational weight slinging around . Great Stuff and thanks for sharing
@26:08. I want this "Three Quad Truple Metal". That's even better than UnObtanium. We love you Steve! That could be the next T-Shirt.
It’s cool to see the color on the exhaust and intake valves when you took them out. You can visualize how it’s injecting air/fuel and burning in the cylinder.
Thank You. Learn something every day. 💓 love your valve tool.
The Tesla Cyber Truck’s stainless steel body panels are bent in a press where the press platens never touch the stainless steel panels. They use high pressure air to form a boundary layer between the machine and the body panel. That’s why the brushed surface doesn’t have any rubbing marks on it. I think the oil film runs in pretty much the same way (imho) it just transfers the pressure from one to the other.
Mold that screw in epoxy make a story board. And keep it on your desk
Dude, incredible video, thank you for the explanation on the crushed bearing. I recently removed a set from my VG30DE after several years of running at triple the factory power. And I was conflicted as to whether or not there was something wrong with my rod bearings since they were crushed out as you say. Car ran strictly on e85 and even had one friend mentioned the possibility of determining the amount of timing in my motor based on the crush.
you need a lead in on any White metal bearing which also helps oil lube the bearing shell, the shifts actually float on the oil if you don't have that lead in edge it will actually wipe the oil off and will burn the bearing in micro seconds, I'm a machine tool fitter and on large shafts we get White metal put on to the bearing shells, I remember we did a machine that grinds the shock absorbers shafts and we hand scraped in the bearings, cost about $30-$40k to have it done a guy who wasn't up to speed with the lead in on the bearing he put the bearing shell in the wrong way around within 10min he burnt the White metal off the shell and rooted a $20k shaft it ended costing them $70k to repair it, engines aren't the only thing that uses White metal bearings and that lead in its the most important part of a bearing its self
Another great video with lots of good tech info!! I'm also glad to see you pulled that head on the Boost Master. Better to pull it in the shop where you're comfortable than to have it work loose on Drag Week and pull it in the pits. I'm looking forward to hearing what Oil Nerd has to say.
Good luck to you and the team on Drag Week. I'll be rooting for you.
Keep educating us!!
Great episode! Love these tech heavy sessions!
Revex is most likely attracted to metal surfaces(surface acting compound) through an ionic bond type action, and not absorbing into "metal pores", as the sales guy explained. Most metals do not actually have "pores", but even finely machined surfaces do have microscopic asperities(peak and valleys).
lol
All back together, no clankitty clank!
Awesome stuff Steve.
Bearings out of round so they run round.
That side and oil clearance is there so during work the rod is banging top and bottom on the crank. Making that bearing round twice a stroke.
This is one of the most educational channels on all of UA-cam! Done in a way even morons, like myself, that don't build engines can completely understand and most importantly, Enjoy!!❤😊
oil film is 3 molecules thick, you'd have to weaken the electrical bond between them to hurt the oil, which is what wear does
Absolutely, also if the bearings dont have enough squeeze or outward pressure at the split area it can wipe oil. Reinstalling used bearings can lead to the split edge wiping oil also. Clocking the oil feed holes in cam bearings so the oil feeds ahead of the loaded portion can help to.
Super interesting, thank you for this type of content. On a side note, the oil in your SMX should be called Predator blood, that's what it looks like to me!
To add a little context that Steve kinda touched on, but didn't specifically address. Bearing squish as a function of HP output/tune. IS absolutely a thing..... However, that squish is NOT solely dependent on power levels. The engine geometry also has a large impact on when you start "beating the bearings out of it"....... IE Bore/Stroke, Piston speed, Rod Material, Reciprocating weight..... Typically, around here folks start talking about beating the bearings out of a specific engine is when they've reached a power level where they really need to start thinking about an aluminum rod VS the steel one they are running. (Increased elastic deformation)
It would be super to watch a time laps of you putting the apart and back together! Set it n forget it while you work on the car or engine. Thank you for the videos. Hope to see you at PRI this December
Lots of stuff I learnt at trade school in my apprenticeship 40 years ago, I guess I need to thanks the old guys
great vid
This was the most I learned about bearings...even. liquid is noncompressable.
I feel like Joe will be the Success behind Kyle in 20+ years. Such a humble, willing employee. Keep it up Joe 👍
@ 24:30 I think what he's trying to say is that the oil (under pressure) will hydroform the bearings. Sort of like how hydroforming works to shape metal parts in a production setting. I bet you Steve could figure out what sort of pressure that bearing oil film sees at max loads. Bet you it's something like 10,000 psi+.
Im surprised it didn't do crazy damage. You could easy weld those spots and grind them down flat since it's not as critical as the deck surfaces. Although welding may mess with the material properties that the head is made out of
@@steveletson6616 I'm talking about the clydiner head...
Smokey Yunick was the guy who figured out the rod bearings had to have more clearance on the parting line sides. They kept spinning bearings when they were "round"
Excellent info. Thank you.
Nice tech talk ! Nice Rumble coming out of the Wagon ! No tick , tick , tick ! LOL
Steve, get the poor valve guy a pneumatic valve spring compressor.
Exactly, the big end disrtion iw hy that additional side clearance is there - and the highest tensile loading, and hence distortion is on the overlap TDC. That's why almost invariably a rod breakage smacks the head - even to the point of leaving the chamber outline in the piston crown.
Bearing tabes/tangs are primarily for aligning the shells in the bores, and some manufacturers don't even use them.
I would suggest thay should never be used in a "race" engine because and slight spinning of the bearings will force the tang up the ramp, forcing the bearing into contact with the journal, and leading to instant bearing seizure and failure.
Just make sure the crush is correct - a useful trick, if you can't/don't have the time/equipment to check crush is to fit the bearings into the rod/cap and only nip up ONE side's fastener - use a feeler gauge to measure the gap on the other side and divide by 3 to get an estimate of the crush (difference between the bore and the shells' OD).
With springs, especially, rust REALLY should be avoided, because springs are one of the most highly stressed components and subject to reversals that will already cause fatigue failure, but rust sets up stress-risers that will greatly reduce the fatigue resistance.
Being in Michigan, we have a lot of humidity.
Do you air condition the shop, not just the office.
Simply to drop humidity??
Humidity affects all metals. Just in different ways.
Nope
Steve, Get Tom Molnar to explain the connecting rod movement. I don't know anyone else that has more testing then Tom. He is extremely smart on anything to do with connecting rods. I love your educational videos. Keep them coming please.
So I’m at the 1:30 mark and absolutely dumbfounded at how meticulous and exact these guys are conveying what they’re doing ❤
So…. Steve be Like…”Don’t everybody want a Joe Like Mine….. Don’t Yah” 💯🤣😍💪🏼
Daggonit Steve….. the ad breaks are so freaking hard Not To Skip ⏭️…. Brah
Now im @14:30 😂 Steve, no one and I💯say No One would ever give the Honest StraightForward Explanation that you give us…. my Man 🙌🏼❤️😎
Man, you have no idea how many times I get flamed on my channel for reusing some slightly damaged parts.😂😂 so nice to see a shop like yourself use common sense that the piston and head do not have to be completely replaced when something minor happens in that scenario. Love it.
😂😂
So Much stuff just does not matter.
Great information again. Keep up the professionalism.
Steve ,
I didnt know that about clearance on bearings thats why I enjoy watching your channel( I learn something ).
God Bless
Kyle
I commented on the previous video this exact situation, the piston pressed the screw into the head and it was stuck there. 👍
I learned something today. Thanks!
Good work 👍 Have a great day 😊
Fyi sunnen makes a tool for setting bore gauges. It's probably expensive but it makes setting them super easy and accurate.
Thank you Steve for your divine truth and insight 💯🤗🤍🌞💫🙏😇
Thanks Steve. Ive had people tell me for years the P bearings i use, i should change to H. Never have. Ive never seen a benefit to running a harder bearing, and ive explained the high HP stuff uses softer bearings. Been told i don't know anything, by people who can't keep a engine together, but mine live. 🤷