Thread: Can i get some recommendations on crankshaft inspection and block

Really I would "let sleeping dogs lie"
You cannot tell the condition of the crank by looking at it. That to me looks like a quite old 3.5 so you cannot expect purity.
What matters is the condition of the bearings and crank bearing faces and you cannot tell without pulling it apart.
New oil and a couple of changes will clean out any sludge but I have to say it doesn't look too bad. If the oil light does not go on on idle be happy.
Now the camshaft is most probably a different matter. At those miles the cam and lifters may be very worn and the timing chain may be slack. The timing chain is very short and unlikely to ever break.
You should either consider a full rebuild at many dollars or just put a new sump gasket on and be thankful if it is relatively quiet with not too much tappet noise and no oil light when hot at idle..
Thats my 2c worth.
Regards PhilipA

unless you really know what you're doing leave it alone.

Ive seen many v8s in far uglier condition inside still working well.

you access the timing chain through the front cover and theres a tolerance on it, there isnt a reasonable way to inspect it from the underside other than slowly barring the engine over to check for bulged or failed links.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

Really I would "let sleeping dogs lie"
You cannot tell the condition of the crank by looking at it. That to me looks like a quite old 3.5 so you cannot expect purity.
What matters is the condition of the bearings and crank bearing faces and you cannot tell without pulling it apart.
New oil and a couple of changes will clean out any sludge but I have to say it doesn't look too bad. If the oil light does not go on on idle be happy.
Now the camshaft is most probably a different matter. At those miles the cam and lifters may be very worn and the timing chain may be slack. The timing chain is very short and unlikely to ever break.
You should either consider a full rebuild at many dollars or just put a new sump gasket on and be thankful if it is relatively quiet with not too much tappet noise and no oil light when hot at idle..
Thats my 2c worth.
Regards PhilipA

Hi Philip,
Thank you for your post, all very good information. I will be thankful for now because I don't have tappet noise or an oil light at idle.

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

unless you really know what you're doing leave it alone.

Ive seen many v8s in far uglier condition inside still working well.

you access the timing chain through the front cover and theres a tolerance on it, there isnt a reasonable way to inspect it from the underside other than slowly barring the engine over to check for bulged or failed links.

Hello Dave,

Thank you for the share of information. I do not know what I am doing when it comes to disasembling main bearings, however I have the desire to learn. Though this scenario will not be the time I learn.
Could you let me know the process of barring the engine to check for the chain links?

Originally Posted by Benny Disco

Hello Dave,

Thank you for the share of information. I do not know what I am doing when it comes to disasembling main bearings, however I have the desire to learn. Though this scenario will not be the time I learn.
Could you let me know the process of barring the engine to check for the chain links?

Easy,


Using a large socket or bar on the main nut that holds in the front pully on the crank turn the engine over very slowly in the direction of normal rotation while you inspect the links.

you can also use a prybar or similar on the teeth of the ring gear on the fly wheel to do the same thing.

Removing the spark plugs will make it easier.
While you are there, a main indicator of engine health is the compression in the cylinders. Maybe talk to a mechanic about a compression test. Does it burn much oil? Is there smoke from the exhaust? If not do not worry but if it does or if it uses coolant some work could be called for.
Regards PhilipA