Removal of Main Bearings

[Lisa P]

Hi all, I have been told by my mechanic mentor that I should check the main bearings on my engine (1948 Kaiser, 6-226) before we reassemble the rest of it.  Has anyone done this while the engine was still mounted to the frame and if so, how difficult a process is it?  I do have the KF shop manual and this explains most of the procedure pretty well, however I am not opposed to any hints any of you might have.  Thanks again in advance for your time.

[joefrazer]

Checking the mains while the engine is in the car can be done...but it isn't easy. You'd need to raise the engine a bit and remove the oil pan to get to the main caps. Then, you can drop main caps to check the bearings. There's alot more to it than this but it can be done.

[Roger]

Hello
    When you are in there checking the mains, don't forget to do the thrust bearing for movement (front to back) on the crankshaft. A while ago we were about to rebuilt a motor because of a knock, and we found that the main thrust bearing hadn't been replaced so all we had to do was replace it and the knock was gone. The old "back yard mechanics" didn't like to do mains so they just replaced the con bearings.
     Roger

[Lisa P]

Roger, thank you for the advice.  I am hoping to get the mains apart this weekend and will check the thrust bearing as well.