[67weiman]

Alright guys, I'm curious to know what type of schedule should be considered regular maintenance on bearings? Do you guys tear your motor down on a regular basis or wait for tell tale signs of bearing failures.? Also, what would you consider a sign of a bearing going south?

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[67weiman]

Really, nobody has an opinion on this subject. So do you all just run your motors into the ground and then wonder what went wrong?

 

[obnoxious001]

I just noticed this,, how old is your engine? Once you start tearing it down for bearings, you get into things like rings,, condition of pistons, cylinders, rods.

If your engine is properly maintained, with a decent oiling system, the bearings should last a long time. The engine is designed so that oil acts as a barrier between the crankshaft and bearings, so if everything is right and you aren't beating them up with detonation or other problems, I would guess you could run them until other signs of engine wear(such as valve and ring seal) start to show up? You can test those with a leak down test.

 

[67weiman]

Thanks Barry, motor is 4 years old. I just wasn't sure if bearings were something that needed regular maintenance. I haven't had any issues but, I'm always paranoid that something is going to break. Lol.

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[obnoxious001]

Thanks Barry, motor is 4 years old. I just wasn't sure if bearings were something that needed regular maintenance. I haven't had any issues but, I'm always paranoid that something is going to break. Lol.

As an example, I ran my 505 cu in turbo engine for 6 years, racing and some recreational use at the river. I sold the boat without the engine, then a bunch of years later sold the engine, with the provision that I would freshen it up labor free if the buyer bought any necessary parts. I had run that engine on the old green Kendal GT1 oil that is supposed to be the formula that the current Brad Penn oil uses. The bearings were not worn enough to consider replacing except that the whole engine was down and being freshened, so was only logical to go ahead and replace all the normal parts (rings, bearings, oil pump, etc.).

 

[67weiman]

Ok, thank you.

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[obnoxious001]

I neglected to mention that you can cut your oil filters open and drain your oil into a clean container to inspect for particles. Once it's in a pan or bucket or whatever you use, you can slowly pour off most of it and then swirl around the last bit to see if there is any "evidence" in the bottom.

 

[jimclauss]

Alright guys, I'm curious to know what type of schedule should be considered regular maintenance on bearings? Do you guys tear your motor down on a regular basis or wait for tell tale signs of bearing failures.? Also, what would you consider a sign of a bearing going south?

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the Rings will wear out long before the Bearings,

 

[Moneypit]

Bearing life...

It is important to change the oil before storing the boat/engine for the winter... Normal use puts a lot of pollutants in the oil, and the acids in those pollutants will etch the bearings as they sit.... The etched bearings then develop edges around the "lows", and those edges get sharp... Best to change the oil and filter, warm the engine, and shut it down for the winter....
Ray

 

[67weiman]

Ray, what is this winter thing you speak of?

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[Moneypit]

3 weeks...

Ray, what is this winter thing you speak of?

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Oh about Dec 20th to Jan 10th.... Unless you consider the windy days here along the river....
Ray