Can you reuse piston rod bolts?
Yes. As long as the fasteners have been installed and torqued correctly, and show no visible signs of damage, they can be re-used. If they show any signs of thread galling or corrosion, they should be replaced. In the case of rod bolts, if any of them have taken a permanent set and have stretched by .
Is it possible for a connecting rod to fail?
Connecting rods are some of the hardest working parts inside an engine. Fortunately, rod failures from severe overloading don’t happen that often. However, they can occur in racing or extreme street performance applications. So here’s what you need to know. Connecting rods are some of the hardest working parts inside an engine.
What causes a connecting rod to lose lubrication?
Loss of lubrication may also be from using a thin oil that lacks the shear strength to stay between the rod bearings and crank journal. Using an oil that has too low a viscosity for loose bearing clearances can do the same thing.
When do you replace the connecting rods in an engine?
Many engine builders don’t replace the rods bolts automatically when freshening up an engine and in some forms of racing like Top Fuel drag racing, there is so much load on the rod bolts that they are usually replaced after every run. Rod failures can also occur as a result of metal fatigue.
Is it OK to replace ARP rod bolts?
Many say its ok just do it and many say no take it apart and resize. A recent customer engine I took apart for a rebuild had ARP rod bolts put in it about a year ago and never had the rods resized. Below are the bearings from the engine.
Do you have to change the rod bolts?
Hopefully this is some clear cut evidence for anyone replacing rod bolts and questioning whether to resize the rod ends. Basically, DON”T DO IT! When changing bolts if the clamping force is different the housings MUST be re-machined. This goes for rods and mains.
Many say its ok just do it and many say no take it apart and resize. A recent customer engine I took apart for a rebuild had ARP rod bolts put in it about a year ago and never had the rods resized. Below are the bearings from the engine.
How are the rods installed in a reverse rotation engine?
On a reverse-rotation engine (where the crank rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the front of the engine), rods are installed similar to a clockwise rotation engine, where the larger chamfer side of the big end faces the fillet.
Why do you need a rod bearing on a piston?
rod bearings exist to facilitate bearing installation and are not specifically intended to prevent bearing “spin.” The bearing crush that is generated when the cap is properly tightened prevents bearing movement.