I pulled the oil pan to check the rod bearings and while I was in there I also checked the crank endplay/ thrust bearing clearance. I didn't have gauges for measuring actual endplay at the time but something seemed odd. I could see the thrust bearing moving along with the crank. Is this normal? In other engines with a one piece flange style thrust/main bearing the thrust bearing is a tight fit on the block/girdle so it doesn't move. It seems like these engines are a little different, the girdle is supposed to be aligned flat with the oil pump, not the thrust bearing. I'll have time to check the actual crank endplay later. For now I just want to see if the thrust bearing is supposed to float on the block/girdle?

FYI the rod bearings looked OK. 2+3 had a little wear, while 1+4 were almost new. Oil pressure with Amsoil 10w-40 Euro high zinc formula oil was 2.5 bar at hot idle, 4.5 bar at 2500rpm. I plan to install new rod bearings, rod nuts, oil pan gasket, and other gaskets/seals while I'm in there.

 

Thrust bearing moving along the crank? Not sure what you mean? Is it spinning in the block? Can you post a picture or video? Whatever it's doing, it doesn't sound right at all....

 

Haha nevermind!

I took another look today and the thrust bearing is fine. I guess there was so much oil squishing around in the bearing last week that it only looked like the bearing was moving. Today I cleared away the excess oil and got a good measurement with both a dial indicator and a feeler gauge. The bearing is fine, which is good because I also found that it's not easy to drop the main girdle with the engine in the car, it's bolted to the oil pump and forms part of the RMS holder. These cars are not exactly easy to work on!