Connecting Rods

Cleaning

 CAUTION: Do not use a caustic cleaning solution.

Remove the bearings from the rod and cap. Identify each bearing location if they are to be used again. Clean the connecting rod in solvent, including the rod bore and the back of the inserts. Blow out all passages with compressed air.

Inspection

The connecting rods and related parts should be carefully inspected and checked for conformance to specifications. For Specifications, refer to Section 03-01A (2.3L) or Section 03-01B (5.0L). Various forms of engine wear caused by these parts can be readily identified.

A shiny surface on either pin boss inside of the piston usually indicates that a connecting rod is bent.

Abnormal connecting rod bearing wear can be caused by either a bent connecting rod, worn or damaged crankpin, or a tapered connecting rod bore.

Twisted connecting rods can create an identifiable piston skirt wear pattern, but badly twisted rods will disturb the action of the entire piston, rings, and connecting rod assembly and may be the cause of excessive oil consumption.

Check the connecting rods for bend or twist on a suitable alignment fixture. Follow the instructions of the fixture manufacturer. If the bend and/or twist exceeds specification, the connecting rod must be replaced.

 CAUTION: It is not necessary to ream or hone the pin bore in the connecting rod. Replace damaged connecting rod nuts and bolts.

Inspect the connecting rods for signs of fractures and the bearing bores for out-of-round and taper. If the bore exceeds the recommended limits and/or if the connecting rod is fractured, it should be replaced. Check the ID of the connecting rod piston pin bore. If the pin bore in the connecting rod is larger than specification, install a 0.025mm (0.001 inch) oversize piston pin. First, prefit the oversize piston pin to the piston pin bore by reaming or honing the piston to provide 0.007-0.013mm (0.0003-0.0005 inch) clearance (light slip fit). Assemble the piston, piston pin and connecting rod following the procedure in this section.