Dodge 2001 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual page 1434

BR/BE
PISTON & CONNECTING ROD (Continued)
INSTALLATION
(1) Lubricate the cylinder bores with clean engine
oil.
(2) Generously lubricate the rings and piston
skirts with clean engine oil.
(3) Compress the rings using a piston ring com-
pressor tool (Fig. 133). If using a strap-type ring com-
pressor, make sure the inside end of the strap does
not hook on a ring gap and break the ring.
Fig. 133 Piston Ring Compressor Tool
1 - PISTON RING COMPRESSOR TOOL
(4) Bar the crankshaft so the rod journal for the
piston to be installed is at BDC (Bottom Dead Cen-
ter) - (Fig. 134).
Fig. 134 Piston/Rod Assembly at BDC
(5) Be sure the mark you made on the piston and
the numbers on the rod and cap are oriented as illus-
trated.
(6) Position the piston and rod assembly into the
cylinder bore with the mark you made on the piston
towards the front of the cylinder block. In this posi-
tion the numbers on the connecting rod should be
facing the oil cooler side of the engine, and the rod
bolt holes toward the camshaft. Use care when you
install the piston and connecting rod so the cylinder
bore is not damaged.
(7) Push the piston into the bore until the top of
the piston is approximately 50 mm (2 inch) below the
ENGINE 5.9L DIESEL
top of the block. Carefully pull the connecting rod
onto the crankshaft journal.
(8) Use clean engine oil to lubricate the threads
and under the heads of the connecting rod bolts.
(9) The number stamped on the rod cap at the
parting line must match and be installed towards the
oil cooler side of the engine (Fig. 135).
Fig. 135 Correct Rod Cap Installation
(10) Install the rod cap and bolts to the connecting
rod. Tighten the connecting rod and bolt evenly in 3
steps.
• Tighten the bolts to 35 N·m (26 ft. lbs.) torque.
• Tighten the bolts to 70 N·m (51 ft. lbs.) torque.
• Tighten the bolts to 100 N·m (73 ft. lbs.) torque.
(11) The crankshaft must rotate freely. Check for
freedom of rotation as the caps are installed. If the
crankshaft does not rotate freely, check the installa-
tion of the rod bearing and the bearing size.
(12) Measure the side clearance between the con-
necting rod and the crankshaft (Fig. 136). DO NOT
measure the clearance between the cap and crank-
shaft.
Fig. 136 Side Clearance between Connecting
Rod/Crankshaft
1 - FEELER GAUGE
CONNECTING ROD SIDE CLEARANCE 0.1 - 0.33 mm ( .004 -
.013 inch)
9 - 287