Thread: Easiest fix for rod knock

Cut some card stock into the size and shape of a piston and you'll see. You can't even begin to get it past the main crank supports. The piston runs into some thick stuff before it will even exit the cylinder from the bottom. Pistons go in and come out form the top only.

Yea, i see now. Dam, i did not want to pull the head but i have no choice. Or do you think the rod is ok to just throw some bearings in?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...

Just call me stupid.

The rod might be okay. It's not super important for the rod to be in great shape. You could easily smooth it out with some emery cloth and be good to go, but you'd need to make sure that doesn't change the clearances for the bearing you'd need. You'd want to plastigauge (although I've never found plastigauge that measures down to the tolerances Nissan calls for) or measure with a micrometer to make sure you get the correct bearing grade.

It's the crank journal that's the real problem.

Personally, I'd be thinking about a new motor.

Edit: Or new crank and rod necessitating the removal of the head.

If you can't get hold of an inside mic see if you can get an adjustable bore gauge and outside mic, then you can check for roundness without the bearing in place with rod bolts done up. Some emery paper could be used to knock of any burrs. Basically any lumps in the bore of the rod big end will transmit through the soft bearing and you'll get wear spots/ridges and possibly or probably run the bearing again.

I decided to pull the rod anyway and take them both to the machine shop.

I read this far how did this saga end?

@squirlz What happened in the end? Do you still have the car?