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Connecting rod thin-shell bearings: replacement and selection

When and why it is necessary to replace connecting rod thin-shell bearings

Lifetime of the connecting rod thin-shell bearings is not specified by manufacturers. The main defects of the components are their loose running, cracks and abrasion of surface.

The main cause of mechanical damages are excessive friction between the crankshaft and thin-shell bearings surfaces (when the shaft is deformed, for instance). Loose running of the parts is commonly caused by their fixation loosening. Particularly, it can occur because of use of unsuitable components during unit repair.

The sign of connecting rod thin-shell bearings breakdown is knocking in the engine at rpm increase. Moreover, reduction of the oil pressure often occurs, which is indicated by a special control lamp on the dashboard.

During replacement of the thin-shell bearings, new connecting rods are often installed, as the latter commonly break down due to loose running of the components. During performing repair works, the crankshaft is necessarily polished or replaced with a new one. At replacement of the сonnecting rod bearing you need to inspect the main bearings and if necessary install new ones. It is worth noting that the engine after repair should be operated for some time at rpm lower than 3000 in order to make the connecting rods and the thin-shell bearings operate faultlessly in future.

How to select connecting rod thin-shell bearings

Connecting rod thin-shell bearings differ by production material. The most popular parts are those made of aluminum, as well as, copper or lead alloys.

The components of the first type are installed in the most American and Asian production cars. Such thin-shell bearings have high resistance to abrasion, thanks to which the risk of soiling of motor oil with abrasive is lowering.

The thin-shell bearings made of copper and lead alloys are used by most European car manufacturers. These parts better withstand high pressure and are undemanding to cleanliness of oil and smoothness of the crankshaft journals.

In order to make the power plant serve you for a long time you need to install high-quality thin-shell bearings only. They can be found in the assortment of famous manufacturers, such as Kolbenschmidt, Ipsa, Et Engineteam, Mahle Original, Glyco, JapanParts and others.

Purchase elements of the connecting rod and piston group in accordance with recommendations of car manufacturers. During selection of the thin-shell bearings pay attention to the fact that repair components differ by thickness from the parts, with which new cars are equipped. Moreover, important parameters for proper installation are height, inner and outer diameters.