Posted by Jason Mckinley on October 12, 1998 at 17:52:50:
I just finished assembling my 230 about a month ago. When I took the engine apart I found that there was a spun rod bearing #1 and a cracked piston, also in that hole. The #1 rod had worn into the crank web. I took the crank to a machine shop in Billings. The machinists, one of the best, told me that he could build up the journal web, but it would be best not to. He measured the distance that the rod and the web were worn. We made the choice to switch one rod for another. Here is my problem. Without thining, I switched #1 and #2 rods. I changed the pistons to the right cylinders. The rods are offset so what I had to so was turn the numbers opposite of the cam. They normally would go on cam side. I would not of had any problems if I would have changed #1 and #3. Having switch #1 and #2 the tang were changed around. I was wondering if this would cause the rods to spin again because the tang on the bearing would have the forces acting on them differently. The piston cooling hole out of the rod would also be on the wrong side. The last thing that I would worry about is that the rod have been run one way would the stress of running the other way affect them. The engine has not run yet. I need someone's opinion other than my own. I would run it this way but maybe there is something that I am not seeing. Thanks for your time