Bent rod

35th T-bird SC

Registered User
A while back I had a post about a rod not perfectly centered in the piston bore when installed in the engine. I can now see the rod is slightly bent. I think I also put the right 3 connecting rods in backwards because the oil hole on the rod is supposed to point straight to the cam right. Mine point to the are like that on one side and opposite on the other. I have the notch on the piston pointing to the front so both my machinist and I went by the idea that the stamped number on the rod faces towards you when installing. So I need to buy one new rod and flip the 3 rods around so the oil shooter points towards the cam right? That means pulling the head off and buying a new head gasket.
 
Yeah, there should be a little dimple on the rod that faces to the front. All of the oilers point to one side of the block. I can't remember what side though. I'll look it up tommrow.
 
All the oil holes face the cam or do all six face the same direction? That wouldn't make sense because on side would just be spraying oil up underneath the piston. They should be facing each other with all of them blowing up into the cam right?
 
35th T-bird SC said:
All the oil holes face the cam or do all six face the same direction? That wouldn't make sense because on side would just be spraying oil up underneath the piston. They should be facing each other with all of them blowing up into the cam right?

The holes were to squirt oil on the pistons and wrist pins. Serves a dual purpose, to cool the piston and lube the pins more thoroughly. Later rods didn't have the holes (as most engine designs do not). Has nothing to do with the cam at all.

All the bearing tangs should face the same way and I believe the little dimples did all face forward. All the numbers should face the outside of the block even though it means the oil holes face all the same way (one side in, the other side out) as do the bearing tangs.

Soooo.. your fine and all the pistons are correct.

Regards,
Steve
 
Can anyone else confirm what blackbird is saying about the oil holes point the same way?. It's no that I don't trust you Blackbird I just don't want to pull this motor out again or my wife will be gone:rolleyes: Mike?
 
Welllllllll....since you asked for me to interject BlackbirdSC is correct. BlackbirdSC is a very knowledgeable guy on engines.
I'm flattered that you asked me, but to be truthfull he probably knows more about this engine than I.
 
35th T-bird SC

you are correct they should all point up towards the cam and each rod should be #erd for the cylinder it is on . Say a #1 rod on the #1 cylinder so on and so forth. It appears that there were some problems with Quality control on the production line. I have saw cases that were all wack some rod #s were the same and put in backwards. Proving once again that if you want the job done right you have to do it yourself. They F you at the drive through. Good LUCK!
 
O.K. guys I'm still a little confused. I was starting to get the picture then Stocker has said just the opposite. So blackbird has stated that they are for cooling the crowns and pins etc. Fine. Then why doesn't BOTH sides have the holes facing outwards towards you shooting up into the cylinder because if one side is pointing inward away from you it would shoot towards the cam right? It seems like one side is lubing the cam and the other is lubing just those 3 cylinders on that side. In review, stocker says they both point to the cam (inward) and Mike and blackbird say the same direction. (One side inward, one side outward) The latter being the way I had it because I thought the stamps point outward but didn't verify this when I took it apart. And yes Mike you have helped me in the past and I have a lot of trust in what you say because I see dollar signs everytime I potentially mess this motor up.
 
Whats throwing you off and it threw me off the first time as well are the squirter holes not being on the same side. Those holes dont really squirt much oil until the oil feed hole in the crank journal lines up with the hole in the rod bearing which is aligned with the squirter hole in the rod. Thats why the squirters are on diff sides of the engine. You're OK, it threw me the first time as well.;)
 
I feel pretty good about it now that I see the dimple on the rods that were all facing forward. So I did have it right the first time. Just have to throw a new rod in to replace the bent one and I should be ready to install this motor. Thanks
 
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