2. Install the motor with the bottom of the motor facing up.
3. Turn away bolts of fastening of covers of radical bearings and remove covers. Arrange them in the appropriate order to ensure correct installation.
4. Remove the old bearing shells from the block and main bearing caps if they are still there. Wipe the surfaces of the block bearings and covers with a clean, lint-free cloth. They must be kept perfectly clean.
Checking the clearance of the main bearings
Note. Do not touch the surfaces of the new bearing shells with your fingers. Oil and acid on your skin can corrode bearings.
5. Wipe the reverse side of the new main bearing shells and install one of them into the main bearing seat in the block. If one of the bushings in the kit has a large groove, that bushing must be installed in the block. Install the other bearing from each set into the appropriate main bearing cap. Make sure the tabs on the bearing shells fit into the recesses in the block or cover.
Attention! The oil holes in the block must line up with the oil holes in the bearing shells. Do not hammer bearings or scratch or scorch their surfaces. Lubrication is not used.
6. The axial thrust bearing must be installed in the N3 cover and seat for a 3.1L engine and in the N2 cover and seat for a 3.8L engine (counting from the front edge of the engine).
7. Wipe the surfaces of the bearings in the block and the crankshaft main bearing journals with a clean, lint-free cloth.
8. Check and clean all oil holes in the crankshaft, as all the dirt from there will certainly fall on new bearings.
9. After making sure that the crankshaft is clean, carefully install it in the main bearings.
10. Before final installation of a cranked shaft check up a backlash of radical bearings.
11. Cut a few pieces of Plastigage gauge plastic wire to the required size (the pieces should be slightly shorter than the width of the main bearings) and place one piece on each crankshaft main journal, parallel to the axis of the journal (see illustration).
23.11. Lay pieces of gauge wire on the main bearing journals parallel to the center line of the crankshaft
12. Wipe the surfaces of the bearings in the caps and reinstall the caps in their original positions (don't mix them up!), with the arrows pointing towards the front of the engine. Do not move the calibration wire while doing this.
13. Starting at the center main bearing and working outward, tighten the bolts on the main bearing caps in three steps to the torque specified in the specifications in this chapter. Do not turn the crankshaft during this operation.
14. Turn away bolts and accurately remove covers of radical bearings. Do not mix up caps. Do not move the gauge wire or rotate the crankshaft. If any of the covers are difficult to remove, lightly tap the sides of them with a soft-faced hammer.
15. Compare the thickness of the flattened gauge wire on each journal to the scale printed on its packaging to determine the bearing oil clearance (see illustration). Compare your result with the value from "Technical data".
23.15. Measure the thickness of the flattened gauge wire to determine the connecting rod bearing clearance (do not confuse the scale - both inch and metric are available)
16. Deviation of the gap from the required value may indicate a mismatch in the dimensions of the bearing shells and the need to replace them. Before replacing the liners, make sure that no dirt gets in during the measurement of the gaps between the liners and the covers or the block. If one end of the gauge wire is wider than the other, the neck is tapered.
17. Carefully clean any traces of gauge wire material from the shaft journals and/or bearing surfaces. Do not scratch the surfaces of the bearings.
Installing the crankshaft
18. Gently lifting, remove the crankshaft from the engine.
19. Wipe the surfaces of the bearings in the block, then apply a thin, even coat of assembly engine oil or molybdenum-based grease to the surface of each bearing. Be sure to apply grease to the thrust surfaces and the thrust bearing journal surface. Install the rear oil seal (see section 25).
20. After making sure that the crankshaft journals are clean, put the crankshaft in place in the block.
21. Clean the bearing surfaces in the caps, then apply grease to them.
22. Install the covers in their original position with the arrows pointing towards the front of the engine.
23. Insert bolts.
24. Tighten all bolts (excluding thrust bearing cap bolts) torque given in the technical data at the beginning of the chapter (work from the center outward and approach the final tightening torque in three steps).
25. Torque the thrust bearing cap bolts to 10-12 ft-lbs.
26. Tap the ends of the crankshaft back and forth with a lead or brass hammer to align (lay in one plane) thrust surfaces of the bearing and crankshaft.
27. Retighten all main bearing cap bolts to the torque specified in this chapter's specifications, starting at the center and moving outward.
28. Rotate the crankshaft several times by hand to check for noticeable binding.
29. The final operation is to check the end play of the crankshaft using a feeler gauge or indicator in accordance with the procedure described in section 14. End play will be correct if the thrust surfaces of the crankshaft are not worn and new bearings have been installed.