Crankshaft plane bearings. Xj550

Hello all, I currently I am rebuilding a spare xj550 engine I got, all is going well but I have a query.

Which way round are the crankshaft plane bearings meant to be? I toon the engine apart and found the plain ones without groves and hole in the bottom crank case and the top crank case has the bearings that are grooved with holes, I checked Fowlers parts and it makes it out as that's wrong way round, nothing in the manual either.

Hope someone can clarify.

 

Grooved with holes: lower crankcase.......the oil feed holes for the crank and rod journals are in th e lower crankcase, and come thru those holes in the bearing shells.

If that engine had been run with the bearings installed "backwards" as you describe, it wouldn't have run for long in that manner, and all the crank juornals would be ruined.

BTW....it not necessary---and not recommended---but the bearings with groove/hole can be used in the upper crankcase as well.

 

Hi, cheers for that, that's backing up what I suspected,

It all looks OK to me, no play/wear etc, from what I gather the engine was refreshed but never run, I did a compression test on it and found 50psi in every cylinder, I suspect my guage, but decided to strip it.

Luckily I did, gaskets sealer made it's way through everything. And the primary chain tensioner oil feed pipe was fractured at the banjo. Plus a knackered bearing on the drive shaft to the generator

I assume the cases need a very light coat of sealer? Panicking a bit about the sealer not between 1.2 and 3mm of the journals part.