Pontiac FIREBIRD 1972 Service Manual page 599

V-8 ENGINE 6-87
I
RIDGE CAUSED BY CYLINDER
WEAR
i
Fig. 6-1 5 1 Installing Connecting Rod
I I I I
PLASTIC GAGE METHOD FOR DETERMINING
CONNECTING ROD BEARING CLEARANCE
Remove the cap of the bearing to be checked. Wipe
the bearing and the crankpin free of oil.
Place a piece of plastic gage the width of the bearing
(parallel to the crankshaft) on the crankpin or bear-
ing surface. Install the cap and tighten cap bolts to 43
lb. ft. (Do not turn crankshaft with plastic gage in
place).
Remove bearing cap and using plastic gage scale on
envelope, measure width of compressed plastic gage
before removing it from the crankpin or bearing. If
the bearing clearance is between .0005" and .0025"
(all except 307 engine) or .0013" and .0035" (307
engine), the clearance is satisfactory. If clearance is
more than .0025" or .0035", replace bearing with the
next undersize bearing and recheck clearance. Bear-
ings are available in .001" and .002" undersize.
Rotate the crankshaft after bearing adjustment to be
sure bearings are not tight.
CONNECTING ROD AND PISTON
ASSEMBLY
REMOVE
1. Remove oil pan, oil baMe and oil pump (see OIL
PAN
-
REMOVE AND REPLACE).
2. Remove intake manifold and cylinder head on bank
from which piston is to be removed.
3. Rotate crankshaft so crank pin carrying assembly to
be replaced projects straight downward (Fig. 6-1 50).
Fig. 6 - 1 5 2 Cylinder Ring Ridge
4. Remove ring ridge (Fig. 6-152) using suitable ring
ridge remover.
5. Remove bearing cap and install rubber hoses on con-
necting rod bolts.
6. Carefully remove connecting rod and piston assem-
bly by pushing out with hoses (Fig. 6- 15 1).
REPLACE
1. Install rubber hoses on connecting rod bolts.
2. Using proper ring compressor, insert piston connect-
ing rod assembly into cylinder so that notch in top of
piston is toward front of engine. Be certain oil spurt
hole in connecting rod is toward camshaft (Fig. 6-
153).
Fig. 6 - 1 5 3 Installing Piston Assembly