1999 Dodge Durango Replacing rod bearings

NESSA20X

MEMBER
1999 DODGE DURANGO
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
140,000 MILES

I am trying to save some $$ and am going to replace my rod bearings maybe my mains as well. My problem stems from the removal of the oil pan which sounds easy, but it is blocked by all of my front drive assy. I'm worried about how to support the engine once the mounts are loosened. The front drive assy will probably be hard to remove but I'm more worried about the engine's stability as I'm a small girl and don't feel like having a body part crushed. I have read that the engine can be jacked up slightly by the oil pan with a block of wood, then the mount bolts can be removed and replaced (different bolts) when the engine is lifted high enough. Does the tranny need to be supported w/ a jack and lifted slightly too? Also how hard is replacing the main bearings w/o removing the crankshaft? One more thing. I am replacing the bearings b/c one has failed. Obviously this means there is now metal everywhere in my engine so I was going to flush 2 or 3 oil changes through the engine. I was thinking maybe I would do this before I replace the bearings and pump (the engine still runs well, not for long though). Do you think this is a good idea? How else could I get rid of some of this metal? Thanks so much!

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,757 POSTS

I did this to my Caravan engine trying to solve what sounded like a rod knock. Bearings turned out to be fine, but what you must consider is that the crank journal is going to be chewed up and will likely destroy your new bearing. At the very least you will probably have low oil pressure if you don't replace the crankshaft. If only the bearing insert is hammered out, there's a chance the rod journal will be ok, but measure it to be sure. You might want to install one undersize bearing on that one journal. This is a quick fix that I have seen work in the past for some people.

If you're lucky, the big chunks of metal got stuck in the oil filter and the small pieces are sitting in the bottom of the oil pan.

Yes, you can jack up the engine by the oil pan. The transmission mount is rubber and can flex quite a bit. It's more important to watch that the distributor doesn't bang into the firewall.

The best way to support the engine is to set a bar between the two inner fenders, then loop a chain over it and bolt it to the engine in two places or wrap it around the exhaust manifolds.

The bearings will slide out very easily once all the main caps are removed.

Good luck. Sounds like you know what you're doing.

Caradiodoc