Hi guys-
Found a rather odd issue with my 292. However, let me discuss the motor itself really quick. It was purchased as a "fleet rebuild" and a leftover from a contract which ended early; I picked it up off Craigslist for a song. It has stock internals, but I'm running an HEI, Offy manifold, 500CFM Edelbrock carb, and Langdon cast headers. It's got a remachined and balanced 158-tooth flywheel off the 230 that was originally in the car, along with a 3-speed Saginaw manual trans. The car is a 63 Biscayne, and this engine has been in the car for ~10K miles, which were trouble free until this summer. On to the issue at hand:
The flywheel came loose this summer, despite using 6 1/2" retaining bolts and a dowel pin! During the diagnosis, we discovered that the crank endplay is at .015" - way beyond factory spec. We thought not much more of it, put things back together, and drove it. The same thing happened less than 1000 miles later! We then used Loctite bearing adhesive all around the crank flange, the dowel, and the bolts to prevent loosening. I have driven only a few hundred miles since then, and things "seem" OK...but the car is put away for the winter so I can't test further until Spring.
I'm wondering, specifically, if:
- the crank endplay might be creating a vibration bad enough that things are just loosening up over time?
- there is a crankshaft thrust bearing or washer on this motor, and if so, where?
I'd appreciate any help or other thoughts you guys might have. Many thanks in advance!
Last edited by 63Biscuit; 11/19/12 08:46 PM.
