And no, it isn't about how to install them.

I have to rebuild my engine again, thanks to my spun bearing. The first time that I built the engine, it took me a long time to do it. I got new piston rings, but they sat in the engine for about a year before I had enough money money to finish the engine and get it in the car.

The rings didn't get broken in before the engine spun a bearing. They've been in the car for about a year and a half, most of that time sitting. I maybe got 200 miles on the engine before a bearing went.

When I rebuild the engine, should I get new rings? It seems to me like it would make sense to, but I have heard from some people at work that I shouldn't need to.

Just looking for opinions! Thanks again!

So your saying that you put 200 miles on the engine before the bearings went? Dont worry about your rings, if you drove that thing 200 miles, then your rings seated themselves long ago.

Oh okay. I once read that it could take 2500 miles or so to seat them. If 200 will do it, then I can save money! Thanks!

Did you spin a rod or main? If it was a rod that piston has to come out, and I would replace the ring. You crank will also have to come out to be turned and polished if it messed up that journal.

My dad is giving me a new steel crankshaft, so I'm covered there. As of yet I am not sure if it was a rod or a main, I'll find out when I actually pull the engine. Unless there is some way to tell with the engine still in.

Usually a rod bearing is a very definitive knocking noise. A main, since there are 5 of them, usually causes a deeper, less intense noise. You'll definitely see when it comes out, and I hope it wasn't a main or you're looking at cutting the caps down and align boring.

Hmm....I wonder if I actually spun a bearing then. My engine wasn't making a knocking sound, the sound it was making was more of a loud shrieking sound. In fact when it first started happening I thought it was a belt squeaking.

Just to make sure it wasn't an accessory, I disconnected all the accessories and took the belts off. The engine still makes the shrieking sound...it isn't a constant squeak; but it does have a definite pattern linked to the rotation of the engine.

I'm new at this, so I just assumed that I spun a bearing. I suppose it could be any moving part in there huh? Anyone?

A shriek is good enough reason to pull it down. Something is siezed and you better find out what.

As far as the rings, depends on the bore finish and what rings you have if I'd trust them for the second time around. If they were Ductile/moly standard tension rings,, in a torque plate hiones bore,,, they are already seated, and will re-seat if the bore is not glazed (which is highly unlikely with 250 miles). If they were a cheap non-moly ring,, they probably would also be just fine, but is it worth the risk? Gaskets, a trip to the machine shop for honing, tanking and down time... that's a lot to weigh against a touch hone and a set of standard iron rings!

I've had spun bearings make a squeaking noise, but only in combination with banging. First it squeaks, then it starts to bang, then you know something's gone bye-bye in the bottom end.

Usually there are several that end up being spun. Last time I had a "squeaker" there were 2 spun mains and 4 rod bearings. Once you spin the mains you usually spin the rods shortly thereafter (since the oil holes don't line up and no oil can get to the mains, so it can't get to the rods either).

BEFORE you do anything else check your carb gasket. I had a rubber carb gasket get a tear in it once and it caused a vacuum leak - it would SHRIEK like crazy (actually a very high pitched whistle if you think about it). You will feel very stupid if you pull the whole motor apart for a vacuum leak.

Trainmain, interesting idea. I'll check that tomorrow....but the engine makes the noise even when you are just cranking it....would just cranking the engine create enough vacuum to make a whistle like that?

Might also check the starter to make sure it's not sticking with the gear engaged.

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Ass, gas, or grass,no one rides for free

My project 79' (http://79camaro.com/)

How's you oil pressue? Have you checked the oil for bearing debris?

I drained the oil Monday, since I am pretty sure the engine has to come back out. The oil didn't have any metal debris in it at all. Unfortunatly, after draining it I realized that there wasn't much oil in there.

I can only surmise that I have been burning it (car doesn't blow smoke though) because it's not leaking, and I had changed the oil fairly recently before all this started.

i too had the shrieking carb. defintely sounded like the world was coming to an end. also had a distributor bushing take a crap and made a horrible noise like the one your describing. (if you have a drill press you can chuck your dist. in it and spin it to determine this.) like stated earlier, your oil pressure is very good way of detecting bottom end bearing failure and you should of had metal debris in your oil

Interesting ideas.

My oil pressure is kind of a mystery, due to my own stupidity. When I first started the engine and broke in the cam, I didn't have an oil pressure gauge hooked up to the car.

Ran fine, no indications of any problems. It spent a lot of time thereafter idling in my driveway as I tried to fix an engine miss....it took me about 2 weeks to figure that one out.

Then I got it running well, lisenced and insured it and started driving it around town. Again, no indication of any problems, and one of those trips was about 150 miles round trip.

About two weeks after that trip, I decided to install in oil pressure gauge. (And temp and voltmeter, even though those two factory gauges still worked). The temp and voltmeter gauges worked fine, but I couldn't get the oil pressure gauge to budge. Oil came through the line, but it was sporatic. But still, the engine ran great, thus I assumed I had a problem in the line or with the gauge.

Then, on my way to my friend's apartment, the squeaking started. It started off small, sounded like a belt squeaking while I was sitting at a stoplight. My alternator belt is notorious for squeaking, so I thought it was that at first. When I sped the engine up, the noise went away and all as good.

For about a minute, and then the squeaking returned. This time it was loud, so I whipped into a parking lot and shut the engine down. I haven't started it since that incident, but I have cranked the engine over for diagnostics. The oil pressure gauge never did move....so I either had ZERO oil pressure the entire time the gauge was hooked up, which was about 2 weeks or so (which makes no sense on a brand new bottom end with a brand new high volume oil pump) or something else is wrong.

I'll check those ideas tomorrow, thank you guys very much.

Verdict is in. I was right, the bearings on rods 1 & 2 spun. One of the bearings looks really funny, when I get the pic uploaded I'll show you.

I noticed that the oil pump pickup was sitting in the bottom of the oil pan when I pulled the pan. Perhaps the pickup fell out of the oil pump and the pump wasn't sucking enough oil through?

Fortunatly, my father is giving me a new scat steel crank he has, since mine is already .010 under, and my camshaft is still fine. So, barring any unforseen circumstances, I should be back on the road in a couple of weeks. (local machine shop is about 2 weeks behind, etc)

Thanks everyone!

FYI that is why they say you should weld the pickup to the pump.