In another thread in this forum concerning a rebuilt engine that has destroyed bearings twice, it was mentioned that assembly lube was used on all the bearing surfaces. I'm confused. I have NEVER used assembly lube on anything but the cam lobes, lifters and fuel pump rod. When I rebuild an engine I liberally oil all the bearings and cylinders as I go. I pre-oil the engine prior to firing it. I've never had a problem. I've never heard of using assembly lube on main and rod bearings. Is this normal practice?
Proper use of assembly lube?
Rich-L79
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In another thread in this forum concerning a rebuilt engine that has destroyed bearings twice, it was mentioned that assembly lube was used on all the bearing surfaces. I'm confused. I have NEVER used assembly lube on anything but the cam lobes, lifters and fuel pump rod. When I rebuild an engine I liberally oil all the bearings and cylinders as I go. I pre-oil the engine prior to firing it. I've never had a problem. I've never heard of using assembly lube on main and rod bearings. Is this normal practice?
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Rich i have allways used some type of lube on all bearing surfaces when doing a rebuild.I have used GM's EOS .That stuff works really well,although any of the bearing lubes work well.
Rich,
There are many different types of "assembly" lubes. The one that you are probably thinking of is the Moly typ grease that is used on flat tappet camshafts. There are many others, including some like the aforementioned Clevite Bearing Guard, that are meant for use on bearings. If you talk to 50 different engine builders, you will probably find out about 50 different assembly lubes. I have 4 or five favorites that I use, depending on what is going to happen with the engine. If it is going to be put in a car and started within a week or so, I will use EOS, or Bearing Guard, depending on what I have in stock. If the car is a restoration project that might sit for a year before being started, I use Lubriplate 105 Engine Assembly Grease ... it stays just like you put it on for many years.
Point is, everyone has thier own favorites, and they probably all work fine if the engine is assembled properly. I think the engine in the post you are talking about just plain was not put together right.
There are many different types of "assembly" lubes. The one that you are probably thinking of is the Moly typ grease that is used on flat tappet camshafts. There are many others, including some like the aforementioned Clevite Bearing Guard, that are meant for use on bearings. If you talk to 50 different engine builders, you will probably find out about 50 different assembly lubes. I have 4 or five favorites that I use, depending on what is going to happen with the engine. If it is going to be put in a car and started within a week or so, I will use EOS, or Bearing Guard, depending on what I have in stock. If the car is a restoration project that might sit for a year before being started, I use Lubriplate 105 Engine Assembly Grease ... it stays just like you put it on for many years.
Point is, everyone has thier own favorites, and they probably all work fine if the engine is assembled properly. I think the engine in the post you are talking about just plain was not put together right.
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I use the moly lube on high pressure areas, (cam, pushrod ends, Valve stem tips) and Lubriplate on everything else. (bearings, wrist pins, skirts, etc.) It stays put until you fill with oil and fire, and thins out easily with the break in run.
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Ditto on what Bill K. said. The teacher in my engine rebuild class swore by a 50:50 mix of STP and motor oil. The important thing is cleaning/mock assembly/cleaning/careful assembly. Did I mention cleaning?
Mike
Mike
Ditto on the STP - it sticks to everything. I'll also slather the camshaft with moly-lube, then put a blob on the foot of each lifter as I drop them in the holes, and wipe the extra off my fingers on the pushrod ball-ends.
Also, the bearing shells should be installed dry - as in no lubricant on the backsides! These surfaces should be sterile so the bearing seats in the register as perfectly flat as the machining allows (Bill K. chime in here if I'm wrong).
Also, the bearing shells should be installed dry - as in no lubricant on the backsides! These surfaces should be sterile so the bearing seats in the register as perfectly flat as the machining allows (Bill K. chime in here if I'm wrong).
Don't mean to state the obvious (not mentioned in this thread), but when using moly lube, don't forget to change out the oil filter! It will plug with moly after break in, and with bypass not blocked, filter will bypass the break in filings back through the oiling system, eating bearings. I always use 2-3 filters in the first 500 miles just to make sure nothing is going 'wrong' (that means checking elements). I also plug the bypass.
JR
JR
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Just because a block has been hot tanked doesn't mean that everything is clean. You need to use wire brushes and solvent to clean the oil passages in the block. It is amazing just how much stuff is still in there. If enough of this stuff gets to the bearings and lifters, it won't matter what lube you have used. Most problems can probably be traced back to dirt.
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