A50 Small end rod bearings

[ramwing7]

The small end rod bearings on my A50 measure well within spec, but one of the is loose in the rod. 
Can I use something like Red Loctite to secure it or am I going to have to go thru replacing the bearings?
Thanks.

[chaz]

to be honest, no.
having seen SE bearings disintegrate and also spin it could end up more expensive.
having said its within spec but loose, I would say something isnt within spec.

o/dia of bush size?
i/d of rod?
is the s/e of con rod tapered?
I would carefully check, possibly hand ream rod true then get a new bearing made to correct fitting tolerances.
is it a brass s/e bush or a phos bronze one?

[Mike Farmer]

 As its already stripped its probably only about £40 to have it done. I cant imagine the cost if it breaks up and rips the top off the conrod. with the bottom half flailing around.

I know people have used a Loctite variant to do it and in fact a local machinist said that there is a product available specifically for the "build" purpose with a +005"/+007" capability .However I would like to hear from anyone who has tried it

Personally as its in bits I would go down the suggested route.

Mike

[chaz]

working in a machine shop for 40 years, I have amassed a large stock of Loctite, we also manufacture compressors for vacuum brakes on trains. Ive got Loctite bearing seal, yellow for phos bronze bushes in castings and normal blue/green high strength retainer for plated brass bushes, we dont use loctite in small end bushes. our rods are scrap if oversize as we use split bimetal small end bearings.

erring on the safe side...

[ChrisG]

If the bush is loose in the rod, it will rotate and close off the oil hole. It will then probably seize on the gudgeon pin and oscillate in the rod wearing it oval. That's what happened to my mate on his Shooting Star. I would't rely on Loctite, I would get a new bush made oversize and fit that.

[ramwing7]

Yep.  New bearing already in.  Loctite just didn't make common sense to me, although I've read about it's use multiple places.
Gotta admit I don't like working on 'em THAT much.

Thanks for the input.

[bikerbob]

I have had this problem but on my A7. I was fitting some new piston rings when I noticed that the bush had turned in the rod and was blocking off the oil hole but it must have just recently have happened because the bush was still a good fit on the gudgeon pin. I still had to  press the bush out it was not what could be termed as loose so I did some research and bought some Loctite you can get different types of Loctite I believe I bought the right type at the time but cannot now remember what type. I used the Loctite and pressed the bush back and thought Ok thats fixed that. About a year later I had this noise coming from the top end so stripped the top end down and found that the same bush had turned and blocked the oil hole again, but this time it had worn the bush also there was deep score marks on the con rod. I ended up fitting a second hand con rod  and this has been running for a while now without any futher problems,