Thread: Need to check rod bearings, what all has to come off?

Got a knock in my '93 SE-R and I think (hope) it's just my rod bearings. What all has to come off of the car in order to check them? Oil pan, I'm assuming, but I haven't looked close enough (for lack of a lift/jack) to tell if the large front-to-back crossmember and exhaust have to come off as well. The crossmember shouldn't be an issue but my exhaust is one piece all the way back because of previous-owner idiocy and will be a pain to get off. All I'm needing is access to the crankshaft so I can wiggle around the rods and see if one of them has play in it. I'm hoping I can get away with just a bearing, since it's only been knocking for ~300 miles and it's a very mild spun-bearing type of noise.

If you would like to access all of the rotating assembly, you will need to remove the following;

Lower oil pan
Oil pick up
Oil Baffle
Exhaust
Cross member
Upper Oil pan

You will now have access to the rod bearings and main caps.
You can change the rod bearings without removing the crank, just be very careful not to scratch anything.

If you end up wanting to check replace the main bearings you will need to remove the; (best to just pull the engine out of the car at this point)

Transmission
Rear Main Seal
Crank Pulley
Timing Chain / gears
Oil pump.
Crank

Is it recommended to change the main bearings when doing the rod bearings? I'm about to fix my rod knock issue too.