5.7 crank end-play

-

b5cuda

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Messages
224
Reaction score
33
Hi everyone,
I've started assembly on a 2013 5.7 and ran into a question on crank end-play. The crank spins freely after tightening down the main caps and cross bolts, but when I measure the end play there is only .001-2 movement. From what I’ve read, there should be more like .006-7, especially with a manual trans. This is my first attempt at building an engine so I don’t know what I don’t know. How can I gain more end-play? Grateful for any light you can shed.
 
Hi everyone,
I've started assembly on a 2013 5.7 and ran into a question on crank end-play. The crank spins freely after tightening down the main caps and cross bolts, but when I measure the end play there is only .001-2 movement. From what I’ve read, there should be more like .006-7, especially with a manual trans. This is my first attempt at building an engine so I don’t know what I don’t know. How can I gain more end-play? Grateful for any light you can shed.

Have you loosened the thrust main cap and forced the crank back and then forward so it sets the upper and lower bearing halves?
Just a thought.
 
Haven't tried that. Would that throw off the torque settings if I just loosen the center main cap?
 
Loosen the mains and torque them back up to 15 ftlbs. Use a dead blow hammer and tap the crank nose rearward and then the crank flange forward. Now torque the mains to specification. 65'
 
Thanks for the replies! I can try that. Next question is the TTY bolts; they're not supposed to be tightened more than once - so don't I need to replace them all if I loosen them? And if I swap in new TTY bolts, how do I prevent the same situation from happening again? I thought about the ARP main stud kit to get rid of TTY bolts (evidently ARP doesn't make the bolts, just studs), but that would require another trip to machine shop to remeasure cylinder walls, etc.
 
You didn't mention TTY bolts in your original post. If that's the case just loosen the main thrust cap, replace those bolts, torque to 15 ftlbs. Tap the crankshaft back then forward and then torque to specification. 65'
 
OK, thanks. Will order some fresh bolts and give it a shot. Just to be clear, you're suggesting remove the two thrust main cap bolts and the two cross bolts, then reinstall without touching the other four caps, right?
 
FWIW, right wrong or indifferent, I installed ARP main studs on a 5.7 and it didn't need to be align honed. It measured and spun perfectly. With those having separate thrust bearings, I thought there might be different thicknesses. Also, did you have any break in grease/lube on those? I just squirt a little oil in there. Seems like the grease can take out some tolerance when checking end play.
 
I don't think Plymouth 65 realizes G3 Hemis use TTY main cap bolts. AND smaller cross bolts on all 5 caps. A main cap will not move unless the cross bolts are also loosened. The cross bolts are not TTY (21 ft-lbs)

The thrust is taken by #3 but the bearing is not flanged like a typical engine. All 5 main caps are numbered and an arrow indicates direction of installation. The #3 main cap is basically the same as the others but the upper part of #3 bulkhead is machined to hold special thrust inserts, one on each side of the bulkhead. These inserts are held in place by the crank, main cap and unique design of the inserts. These inserts are what controls crank end play.

I don't have direct experience and the above is from Shepard's Hemi book.

You could try reaching out to somone like MMX, Johnnymac, Arrington of Bouchillon for a definitive answer.
 
Per the specs in the back of Shepard's book, crank end play range is .002-.011 for all G3 engines.
 
Thank you guys for replies - I'm planning to try resetting the thrust maincap as suggested, will let you know the result.
 
Thanks everyone for advice - much appreciated! Life and overtime got busy so it took a while to close the loop. Bottom line: tried resetting main cap - no change, then experimented with three different sets of thrust washers with no improvement. Finally had to clearance a set of thrust washers to get the recommended endplay. Slow process (sandpaper with WD40 on a flat piece of glass) but eventually got where I needed to be.
 
-
Back
Top