OEM Dodge Stratus Rod Bearing

Dodge Stratus Rod Bearing Parts and Q&A

• Rod Bearings
  4397722
  Q: What Precautions Are Essential for Proper Rod Bearing Installation to Prevent Engine Damage on Dodge Stratus?

  A:

  Place all the connecting rods on one side of the engine, make sure they are marked when removed so you install them correctly, as the bearing caps have to be on the original side during assembly. You should avoid damaging the rod and cap face by the fractured rod to keep the engine safe. Load the bearing shells so that the tangs fit into the grooves in the machined areas of the rods and caps and confirm that the upper bearing hole is facing the oil hole in the rod before you insert the cap. Making certain that the holes in the upper and lower bearing fits together prevents the engine from being damaged. On any crank, the taper or out-of-round must be held to less than 0.015 mm (0.0006 inch), while the bearings are available in 0.025 mm (0.001 inch) and 0.250 mm (0.010 inch) undersize. Always put the bearings in pairs, do not combine an old with a new one and don't try to smooth or modify either the rods or the bearing caps. To gauge Main Bearing Clearance and Connecting Rod Bearing Clearance, use plastigage and refer to the binding information for those clearance values. If the threads of the connecting rod bearing cap bolts are worn down owing to stretching, they must be changed before being used again. Connecting rod bolts fit lightly in the rod cap, so to remove them, press the bolts from the cap with a hammer and punch and avoid harming the cracked cap surface. Check the stretching of connecting rod bolts by pushing a straight edge between the threads; a stretched bolt will not make all threads touch the edge, so it should be swapped out. Before attaching the bolts, cover the threads with engine oil and tighten each cap bolt hand-tightly, alternating back and forth to properly assemble the cap. For clearing the connecting rod side, locate a dial indicator at a stationary place on the engine and position the probe upright against the cap being checked. Pull the connecting rod to the last position and zero the dial indicator, afterward push it to the end and observe what the indicator shows. Have a look at the connecting rod specs, then measure it against the one listed in the engine guide and move to the next connecting rod, going around the engine as needed.
• Bearings
  5174612AA
  Q: How to measure Rod Bearing Clearances with Plastigage on Dodge Stratus?

  A:

  Engine Crankshaft bearing clearances can be measured with Plastigage or the same method. At first, you should wipe the area you are checking to eliminate any oil film, as Plastigage won't work if the surface is oily. After that, add a strip of Plastigage covering the whole width of the shell in the cap, 6.35 mm (1/4 inch) from the oil holes in the center and on the opposite side; if doubtful areas are suspected, additional checks can be made. Screw the bearing cap/bed plate bolts to the correct setting. When done, remove the bearing cap and see which Plastigage size matches your metric scale for the clearance in thousandths of a millimeter. Mark the differences you see between the ends of the stock because this shows how much taper is present and make sure to make all your measurements. Look at the clearances next to the measurements in the engine specs and pick the proper range of Plastigage for the job. After this, add the correct crankshaft bearings so that you get the prescribed clearances.