'95 Engine build

[SnowDrift]

I guess I'll start one of these. I don't guess this will be nearly as useful as Hink's website or some others, but maybe it will help someone, as well as myself to try to keep track of some information. Here it is with a broken crank diagnosis, to start with.

 

[SnowDrift]

Power plant is out. Parts are getting cleaned and making their way to the bed. Insulation on firewall is a thing of the past. Over the years, it has been drooping more and more. I found what may have been the last piece in the country a couple months back, but everything has to come off to install it, so I opted to find a different solution.

 

[SnowDrift]

Here is the culprit sitting on the engine stand. This came far sooner than I thought it would. I wasn't far from home, though, for which I'm very thankful. I had a two mile trip and was half way into it when it let loose.

 

[SnowDrift]

These are the nazty ones, proving what I suspected in living color. Two piece crank, three webs cracked. 141 block is now boat anchor status.

 

[SnowDrift]

There are a few links I thought I would try to include during the process leading up to today. One is a hijack, but has proven useful for an education.

Looking for Ohio shop - in case someone is needed locally, this might help.
Trustworthy shop in central Ohio? | The Truck Stop

Conversations on decisions - I had to run through several scenarios in my head to see what made the most sense for me.
Decisions on engine options | The Truck Stop

Where it all began.
Two piece crank club | The Truck Stop

Hijacked thread from TSP – information on heads. I guess I had a lot of things I was sorting out on heads and this became an education piece.
Final details for my "Twisted" P400 build | Page 4 | The Truck Stop

 

[Paveltolz]

I'm sorry for your loss.
Thanks for choosing to document this for the rest of us though. It's a lot of work to take pics and do the write ups so it is appreciated.

I know I don't have the skilz or patience to do the work of pulling and fixing but, these threads give me hope.

 

[SnowDrift]

Believe me that I was sorry, too. This isn't at all how I saw the tail end of my summer going dumping money into an otherwise good truck. I didn't even get a full tank of fuel through it this year. I was delayed in getting it out and then once I did, and was driving it to work every day, shortly after, things went downhill.

No warranty on a new engine was probably the biggest deterrent. I would have likely gone that route but just could not justify the cost. Building one up, I can pick away at it a little at a time.

Meanwhile, after a LOT of conversations and debating, I ended up with one of these. Considering the cost of a long block with HMMWV heads or a short block that a guy could put together for me, I opted to get a complete unit. I have lots of parts to figure out what they are and hope to be able to recover some cost.

 

[SnowDrift]

The 2004 HMMWV supposedly belongs to some rapper that had a Duramax conversion done. I was told the mileage on the vehicle and decided to take a chance. This picture tells little with the frequency of repaints the military does, but goes along with the story.

 

[SnowDrift]

I believe this ends up being a 2011 block if I'm not mistaken. I posted the information before, but I'm not sure I posted a photo. After removing the injection pump, I was able to see this in the valley. No big deal for most because I think the Julian date code means it's an Optimizer block, but until I saw the Navistar casting mark, I was still suspicious.

 

[SnowDrift]

I'm open to anyone's thoughts on what I found once I took off the pan. Personally, I was pleased. I'm unsure how many times does the crank have to roll through the oil before the paint wears off. Any guesses on mileage?

 

[Will L.]

Score

 

[ak diesel driver]

I wonder if those paint marks are indicating select fit?

 

[Will L.]

Yes that is what they are for.

 

[93detroit]

For those of you who know, is that the most common failure point (before 2nd main) on these crankshafts, or is it completely random?

I apologize for the derailment!

@SnowDrift , nice find!

 

[SnowDrift]

I wonder if those paint marks are indicating select fit?

Yes that is what they are for.

Thanks for confirming, Will, but what does that mean?

I guess I had just assumed it was a QC mark of some sort where each assembly guy has their own paint stick color, by which they mark things they're accountable for to ensure it was handled properly.

 

[Twisted Steel Performance]

You shouldn't count on the marks, should measure the crank bore and crank. The factory used a wide tolerance.

 

[Twisted Steel Performance]

If you want to replace the bearings just carefully remove the old and document location and replace with new of the same size.

 

[Will L.]

Like mentioned- factory has close counts theory. Plastigauge is cheap and easy.
Then after they are all proven ok or swapped for better fit:
Remove the bearings and put them in numbered ziplock baggies for shipping to Chris for coatings.

 

[SnowDrift]

You shouldn't count on the marks, should measure the crank bore and crank. The factory used a wide tolerance.

Do you mean a wide tolerance between the bearing ID and crank OD?

If you want to replace the bearings just carefully remove the old and document location and replace with new of the same size.

Do you recommend bearings being replaced if they look good once the crank is out? For coating them, is it best to use new? I believe you had mentioned having to send cams out to be cleaned to get all the oil off before coating, so I wasn't sure if it is the same deal for bearings.

Like mentioned- factory has close counts theory. Plastigauge is cheap and easy.
Then after they are all proven ok or swapped for better fit:
Remove the bearings and put them in numbered ziplock baggies for shipping to Chris for coatings.

Swapped for better fit meaning swap between existing bearings that are already in the engine or do you mean buy new bearings with tighter clearance? If I fit up with plastigauge for the proper clearance and then have the bearings coated, doesn't that negate my results since the coating should make the clearance slightly tighter?

Secondary question - are the main bolts TTY? I'm planning to use the main stud girdle TSP sells if I don't make my own. Do I perform this clearance check using those particular studs with the kit or the factory bolts on the bearing caps?

 

[Will L.]

The coating will not effect clearance. It is microns thick not thousandths.

I am saying if the tolerance can be improved- now is the time to swap in different bearings. Probably perfectly fine to leave as is- I tend to go for “while you’re there” stuff.

You need to measure with the studs installed. Yes the bolts are TTY (amazing to me everyone knows to replace them for the heads but doesn’t know for main)