Motor refresh and torn up thrust bearing

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schmauster920
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Motor refresh and torn up thrust bearing

Post by schmauster920 »

Hey guys, i re-ringed / bearinged my motor a few weeks ago, runs great, just wanted to post up some ugly pics.. I let it get a little low on oil a few times and it would slosh @ the pickup, mixed with melting a piston a few years ago and never looking at the main bearings.

Swapped some junkyard bearings in, new rings, hone, arps, etc everything is happy now except for my head gasket because of the junkyard head.. getting that machined and all will be good. Had the motor out at 2pm.. back in and running the next day at about 6pm.. Worked hard, slept, got back to it lol Friend that is renting a room has a garage... didnt want it to take too long and piss everyone off.

I love having a junkyard truck.. wouldnt have it any other way...... on my very limited budget. I would have called it a rebuild, but i just honed it and didnt have it properly machined with oversize pistons and rings.

I have a quick pull video after the rebuild, before i pulled the head off recently.
http://www.streetfire.net/video/ka24-de ... 196516.htm

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Plastigauge is awesome stuff
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Junkyard pistons.. cleaned vs uncleaned
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That makes me a sad Panda
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Then drove an hour home, blew the HG because of the junkyard head being warped, and me not checking it or having it machined... Head comes off again

How she sits Image
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Junkyard head is nasty and corroded, getting another one, laping valves, changing valve seals, then do wheelies
Last edited by schmauster920 on Tue Feb 08, 2011 6:38 pm, edited 8 times in total.
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KoukiKAT
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Post by KoukiKAT »

Didn't realize until the last pic that this was in a truck. I'll bet those things are pretty cheap now. That would be a fun project. Cool truck.
The 240SX is dead. Long live the 240SX!
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schmauster920
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Post by schmauster920 »

Thanks man, its been a fun project.. Its more about a fully functional DD that can haul things and im not afraid to run over curbs/peds/etc I still get about 20-25mpg with E85.. haven't checked in a while but it hasn't changed much. I haul a lot of loads of wood, friends motorcycles, motors, etc I wouldn't give up having a truck, i live in the mountains so its handy. Its also pretty handy having a tool box.. adds a little traction and sleeper effect as well.

Im also a huge fan of sleepers.. Ive never been pulled over except for routine stupid stuff. I dont want to attract extra attention to myself, I love the power :D. Seeing the look on peoples faces when the nissan pickup accelerates instantly... priceless.


I got the truck through the family (from step bro) for 500 bucks because I needed a car and he got a new altima. I looked into the options and the KA sounded like the best idea... that was quite a few years ago and what feels like half my life reading ka-t. I was lurking for a few years before I actually had a reason to join and post.
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esahuque
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Post by esahuque »

just one question, whyh would you use junkyard barings?
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schmauster920
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Post by schmauster920 »

Ive caught s*** out of everyone that knows.. trust me haha

I couldnt justify spending the extra 50-60 bucks on new bearings.. Coupled with the fact I wouldnt mind cracking the motor open and doing this again in 50k miles if it comes down to it. If i really planned on it lasting 200k miles then I would get it bored and honed, oversize pistons, etc. Im going to do it the ultra cheap way and hope it works, or the right way.

The junkyard bearings really didnt have much wear after 120k miles. Everything was on the tight end of clearance. When you think about what they do, it really doesnt matter as long as they are shaped correctly and dont have any weird groves etc. It was definitely a huge improvement over what was in there. I could have probably used a new crank due to damage from the bearings / no oil situation, but im over it.

All im really risking is the cost of the gaskets and new rings.. so figure ive got about 150 bucks into this. If it doesnt last, ill get a high mileage short block without any serious damage and do the same thing and keep the bearings if they are in good shape.

Plus the fact that I am fairly broke, makes it worth it to find out! Getting comfortable with the KA internals is worth the cost alone... Its not like i know what I am doing.

Its worth noting that I could be severely mentally retarded and completely delusional. lol
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eazye2000
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Post by eazye2000 »

Man, you got me scared using those old bearings lol. Nissan liked to use 'grades', and it varies from journal to journal, let alone motor to motor.

But if it works, roll with it! I'm always down for a 24 hour build like that. Nothing like kicking ass and taking names with a turbo KA. Let alone, in a truck!

-Florida Redneck Approved!
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Post by schmauster920 »

Haha thanks man, glad to know someone approves! It was a hard few days but a lot of fun as well.

Those are the old bearings that came out of the motor, there were only a few very minor scuff marks on the junkyard ones. Putting those bearings back into a motor would be scary. It had a little bit of rod knock before, more of a tapping. Afterwards it sounded awesome and quiet.

The new bearings were green.. the old ones were more of a copper color lol I couldnt find the mark on the old bearings. They all plastigauged out fine, so I didnt see any problems with it.

I did still get the "get out of the shower and put dirty underwear on" feeling because of the junkyard bearings and scored crank
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