Note. Removal of a cranked shaft is possible only from the engine taken out from the car. It is understood that the flywheel/drive plate, timing belt, oil pan, oil pickup, oil pump and connecting rod and piston assemblies have already been dismantled. On 4-cylinder engines, the connecting bridge must be removed before the connecting rods are removed (see Section Removal of connecting rod and piston assemblies). Before removing the crankshaft, it is also necessary to unbolt and separate the rear oil seal holder from the cylinder block.
1. Before proceeding with the extraction of the crankshaft from the engine, measure the value of its axial play. Fix the DTI gauge on the block coaxially to the crankshaft, resting its plunger against the cheek of one of the cranks.
Note. Main bearing caps and their connecting bridge (4-cylinder engines) should remain in place, and their fasteners tightened with the required force.
2. Push the crankshaft all the way back and reset the instrument indicator. Now push the shaft in the opposite direction and read the meter reading. The value of the shaft free play in the longitudinal direction is its axial play. Compare the measurement result with the requirements of the Specifications. If the backlash exceeds the maximum allowable value, check the thrust surfaces of the shaft for signs of excessive wear. If there are no obvious signs of wear, installing new thrust washers usually corrects the situation.
3. If you do not have a dial gauge on hand, you can use a conventional blade-type probe. Carefully slide the shaft all the way forward along the engine, then determine the amount of the resulting gap between the crank web and the rear wall of the thrust (front) main bearing, tightly fitting a blade of appropriate thickness into it (I) probe.
4. Check up covers of radical bearings on presence on them adjusting marking. The covers must be numbered consecutively from front to back of the engine. If necessary, mark yourself with a center punch. In addition to the serial number, the lids are usually marked with cast arrows. On properly installed covers, the arrow should point in the direction of the timing belt.
5. On 4-cylinder engines in several steps (1/4 turn per approach) loosen the bolts securing the main bearing caps / their connecting bridge so that they can be turned out manually. Remove the bridge. Using a soft-faced hammer, carefully tap the bearing caps and separate them from the block, use the bolts as levers if necessary. Try not to drop the main bearing shells.
6. On V6 engines, the cover of each of the main bearings is fastened with four bolts, - two bolts are screwed in a vertical plane (looking down at the block) and two more are screwed on each side in a horizontal plane. Before attempting to separate the covers from the block, make sure that all bolts are removed.
7. Carefully remove the crankshaft from the engine (use the help of an assistant). Make sure that the main bearing shells remain in their beds in the block and covers. Install the covers on the block, then finger-tighten the bolts securing them.