Triumph Repair: Spit 1500 engine., thrust bearings, rod bearing

Question
Hi howard, I have a 1978 spit 1500. The engine was rebuilt some years ago and has about 2000 miles om it now. While diagnosing a slow starter motor i discovered a tight spot on the crank while turning the engine over by hand.You can also hear a squeeking noise at this point with the fan belt removed. I think one of the bearings has failed. I don't know yet if its a big end or a main but my question is, can it be fixed in place by working throught the sump. My feeling is a big end can but i'm not sure if one of the mains can be done this way. Thanks in advance, Alan.

Answer
Hi Alan,
I know there are stories of fixing a 1949 Chevy rod bearing that way but I have not seen any such fix since then that lasted more than a week.

Most bearing failures have a reason and even though it is possible that the crank is ok and only the bearing is gone, it is very rare.

The first indication of a bearing problem is loss of oil pressure on the gauge. You should see from 25 to 35 PSI at idle and 50 to 80 PSI at cruise speed.

The Spitfire was noted for problems with thrust bearings as they only had a half bearing. When it wore down it would fall out into the pan and a forward and aft movement in the crank would be noted even maintaining good oil pressure.

If you have lost oil pressure you should think about pulling the engine and doing the job right. My mentors always said "If you don't have time to do it right, when are you going to have time to do it over again?"

Howard