Why did tbis rod fail?
 

About 100 gentle miles on the rebuild. Newly poured rods on a new Burlington crankshaft. Highly reputable builder known to many on this forum. Full flow filter. Began to knock like heck. This happened a year ago but after all I went through for a no-holds-barred rebuild, I was too beartsick to pull the motor apart to see what happened until now.

The bad one is #2; I also pulled #3 cap and took a picture for comparison. Dipper trays were full of oil and #3 journal was dripping oil when i pulled it apart, so I don't think it was a pump failure. The crankshaft journal is visually okay.

Anybody have an opinion? Should the motor be torn down and rebuilt? Thanks for opining!

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

Hi gilitos,

So sorry for your problem. Appears repairable.

Question No. 1: Did you call you engine rebuilder?

Rather than 100 possibilities for failure, please give a few more intricate details.

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

So sorry for the duplicate post; not sure how it happened. Doing this from my cellphone doesn't help

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

Do not feel bad about it ...... I never learned to send stuff from my cell phone ..... your are a genius in my book.

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

Because the engine builder is about $400 in shipping cost from here I will probably look for a closer shop. Who has a good rebuilder near Cincinnati?

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

If it was something he did wrong then he should pay for the shipping.

Bob

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

Mighty hard to point blame when a part fails on a 90 year old motor. I just want to get it driving.

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

The Motor may be 90 years but the babbitt job IS NOT. Unless the crank is messed up just send him the rod for redo along with a bill for a new head gasket.

I don't know who did the babbitt but the rods don't have oil wells at the joint like they should.

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

"I don't know who did the babbitt but the rods don't have oil wells at the joint like they should."
Red beat me to it.
So much for the
" Highly reputable builder"

That is your problem. All the bearings ie mains and rods are suspect at this time
Proper babbitting is a lost art

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

FWIW: One (1) Proven Vintage Method for Adjusting Babbitt Bearings:

May not be your problem; however, heard a few times where some recommend slightly tight Babbitt bearings prior to rebuild.

Just in case anyone is interested, on page 99, paragraph 386, and Figure 237 in Ford's Model T Service Manual, Ford describes how to correctly adjust Babbitt bearings that are fed oil by the splash system, (like our Model A's), as opposed to the oil being fed through high psi oil pump pressure like that of modern cars today.

Ford's Model T method worked beautifully from 1909 until much later when Fords went to insert bearings.

So simple ..... so quick ....... thousands and thousands of steam engines mechanics worldwide were adjusting Babbitt bearings with this same method for two (2) generations even before Ford's first Model T hit the road.

In my rural area, years ago, we had at many, many vintage industrial mechanics adjusting Babbitt bearings with this vintage method for old steam engines still used in mills.

If a Babbitt bearing cannot easily slide sideways, it is usually too tight to maintain an unpressurized thin oil film between the Babbitt and the journals .... just that simple .... and oil is not just a lubricant for Babbitt ....... it is also a coolant ..... no oil in an unpressurized Babbitt bearing means heat generation for a very soft Babbitt material with a very low melting point.

I learned this same method as a teenager from local senior steam engine mechanics and never had a single Babbitt bearing failure.

Turn Model A engine upside down with no Babbitt bearings assembled.

One by one, wipe off excess oil from all crankshaft journals and Babbitt bearings.

Remove shims until no movement can be felt up and down for each individual bearing; but movement should easily occur sideways. After achieving such, rotate journal in Babbitt to check for concentricity and ease of operation. (Adjust connecting rods without pistons with rings in cylinders.)

After adjusting all individually, oil all journals and Babbitt and assemble with correct amount of shims.

Much later after Model A production, in the 1950's, Plastigage was introduced where some 1950's and later Model A owners began using Plastigage to adjust bearings; I much prefer the vintage method ................ each to his own method ..... whatever it may be.

Hope this helps as well as it has helped me and others.

Re: Why did tbis rod fail?
 

Those big end caps look to me like the babbit was not hot enough when poured. If there is some sort of a hold up or distraction while they are doing the job which causes a break in concentration or a delay, this can happen easily.