If I mike my crank journals, is it still necessary to check bearing clearances with Plastigauge? Conversely, if I use Plastigauge, is it still necessary to mike the journals?
If your crank journal is out of round, plastigauge will not catch it.
If your bearings are oversized, or undersized, miking the crank journals only will not catch that.
Your best bet is to do both, and compare numbers.
Hey Hed, There are alot of professional engine builders on the forum, but they may be on Holiday. I'll answer as a amateur. Measuring first, then rechecking installed clearances is always a good idea. Sometimes the installed clearance is off due to irregularities in the main caps or rod caps, such as a main cap alignment problem or crud in the main cap registers or egg shaped big end on rods. I generally have the machine shop check all the measurements, do any necessary machine work. When I put the engine together, I recheck installed clearances with plastigage. And yes, I have found problems before they became a problem. Hope this helps. olnolan
Thanks guys... looks like the tedius and time-consuming way is the only way to go.
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