Big end shell replacement

[Chris]

Went to see Carl last week to ask about BEBs. He said he'd never heard of ACL. He just orders bearings and what comes, comes. I asked to look at a set. They were something like Haito or similar. I guess that there are good bearings and really good bearings, but does anyone one sell absolute rubbish? Even if they only lasted 100,000 miles, I reckon I'd be dead before I needed to change them again.


By the way, where are you getting your stretch bolts from. I know a man who can, of course, just wondering as Milner don't seem to stock them

Chris

 

[Bat21]

Went to see Carl last week to ask about BEBs. He said he'd never heard of ACL. He just orders bearings and what comes, comes. I asked to look at a set. They were something like Haito or similar. I guess that there are good bearings and really good bearings, but does anyone one sell absolute rubbish? Even if they only lasted 100,000 miles, I reckon I'd be dead before I needed to change them again.


By the way, where are you getting your stretch bolts from. I know a man who can, of course, just wondering as Milner don't seem to stock them

Chris

Chris, if I was in your situation and having problems getting hold of ACLs, I wouldn't arse about.

Just fit genuine Toyota shells and bolts... why mess about saving a couple of quid when you could potentially end up writing your engine off.

 

[Dave2000]

Went to see Carl last week to ask about BEBs. He said he'd never heard of ACL. He just orders bearings and what comes, comes. I asked to look at a set.
Chris

Can I assume 'Carl' is the owner/stock buyer at Milners? If Carl is the buyer/owner you have now got me a little worried, the buyer/owner should be concerned at the quality of what he is getting and it should not be a case of 'what comes ,comes'. Either way when I rang up (April this year) to put in my order I particularly requested the name of the BEB supplier as I wanted ACL's, "ACL's no problem" I was told, in fact I bought the bolts at Toyota where I could have got the bearings but I had heard so many good comments about the ACL's and the fact that Milners had them in stock at such a good price led me straight there in the first place.

regards

Dave

 

[Dave2000]

You need to host them on the interweb somewhere and then link to them in your post

Thanks for that tip.

Doing the job without renewing the stretch bolts will result in driving around in a ticking time bomb

I have been 'in the trade' for many years and it is quite common to measure stretch bolts and re-use them if within spec however, I personaly never do. I have this 'thing' about stretching a bolt into place and then it being heated and cooled several thousand times, then being released and then re-stretched with the metal perhaps having taken on some 'metalurgical memory', possibly resulting in a failure at a later date, it just goes against my old fashioned way of thinking.

regards

Dave

 

[Chris]

Sure Paul - I am with you, but I am not arsing about looking for ACLs. I saw the post saying that Milner had them - but they haven't. That was all really. I have to do mine, it's next big job. GW has just turned 100k so I figure it's bordering on the green to amber zone rather than glowing red just at the second. No question of saving pennies here. I shall do a proper job. No one seems really sure if the Toyota ones have been altered to cope with the original problem, so for me, I'd rather have ACL as we know that they are fine.

But my question still stands, although possibly unanswerable - are there people out there selling BEB that will disintegrate as soon as you pull off the drive? If they were all you could get at the time would it be so terrible? I dunno. Not prepared to find out which, my friend, is why I left the bearings where they were.

Yes, Carl is the parts guys at Milner. He does some of the sourcing but not all. He's very knowledgeable but if you ever visit, you'll see just how big their stock area is. He can't be worrying about every single product. And of course when I asked him, they have sold hundreds of sets over the years and had no complaints. Milner really are a force for good as I have said many times. But their products are not always the best. Carl has always said that they need to know if something isn't right. I certainly tell him.

Chris

 

[Dave Burgess]

This ACL issue is becoming tiresome! I've been looking on & off for about 6 months and not had any luck - each lead to get some has just sold out when I call

I contacted Julian V and his advice was the same as Paul's, i.e use Toyota Gen and be prepared to do them again in 100000miles. I'm in the same mileage bracket as you, Chris, but I'd like to find some ACLs if I can.



They're getting to Holy Grail status!

 

[Dave2000]

Yes, Carl is the parts guys at Milner. He does some of the sourcing but not all. He's very knowledgeable but if you ever visit, you'll see just how big their stock area is. He can't be worrying about every single product. And of course when I asked him, they have sold hundreds of sets over the years and had no complaints. Milner really are a force for good as I have said many times. But their products are not always the best. Carl has always said that they need to know if something isn't right. I certainly tell him.
Chris

Thanks for that, I have to tread carefully when ordering parts as I spend most of my time abroad and have the parts shipped to me. Based on that I want the best I can get obviously weighted with a sensible price as it is a PITA getting on the phone to the UK and returning parcels ect. Milners have sent 'stuff' to me (and friends) here in Spain and in the UK and we have never had a problem, I hope it stays that way as they are getting a good name over here.

regards

Dave

 

[Julian Voelcker]

Quick update...

I finally have some ACL BEBs coming in to stock tomorrow that will be available on a first come first served basis.

Just to cover some other issues mentioned in the thread....

ACL and other 3rd party bearing manufacturers just do bearings for standard crank size and then 3-4 sizes to cover reground cranks. Toyota sub divide the standard size by ISTR five sizes which is where the plastigauge comes in for determining the size you need. If you are going down the Toyota route it is worth getting the FSM and doing it properly.

There is no evidence that the bearing materials used by Toyota for their BEBs has been improved to avoid the problems.

 

[SimonD]

I'm already at the front of that queue

 

[Chris]

2nd please Julian. Set of standard ones for me please. I have new bolts sitting waiting. 104k miles and holding - well with no wheels on I'm not going far am I?

Thanks for this Julian. Just let us know the whys and wherefores in due course and payment will be made. it was £20 wasn't it?

Chris

 

[Julian Voelcker]

Hi Chris,

Email me your full address and I'll get it sorted.

 

[Ian Rubie]

There is no evidence that the bearing materials used by Toyota for their BEBs has been improved to avoid the problems.

According to the EPC they have changed the BEB for the 12v engine to the same one as the 24v. By my understanding the 24v does not suffer the problem anywhere near as much as the 12v. From this I would have thought the 24v ones are an improved material over the 12v ones.

Ian

 

[SimonD]

Truck back from Julian V's and the BEBs were showing wear and tear which is interesting as the truck only just crossed 100k miles [Julian suggested youngest he'd seen although the previous owners took it to Capetown]. Group shot [apologies for poor quality] shows wear on each but the worrying one was number 5

Close up of number 5 showing degradation:

Other side of number 5 there was evidence of where the metal went:

On number 1 there was a scored line around both:

All now replaced with ACL BEBs and good to go.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Those look pretty typical of all the failing ones we've seen so far, good job you got them done!

 

[scalci]

This might be a stupid question, can onse replace the bearings with the motor still in? Just remove the oil pan?

 

[Chris]

That's the idea.

Chris

 

[frank rabbets]

I've looked at shot shells out of a 12 valve and my 24 valve [good but changed] and they appear to be different surface material. The latter appear to be lighter in colour and harder.

Frank

 

[Kevin.Neal]

Hi guys. Just bought a 1992 VX. 290'000kms and running really well. Do you think I should do the big ends now? How many Km's had the shells in the above photos done?

 

[Chris]

Difficult one that. Seeing as you aren't in Europe, we don't know what oil you have been running. The 'story' seems to go that the calcium in the bearings leaches out into the oil which is magnesium rich. If run on the same calcium rich oil as the Japanese markets, this shouldn't happen.

So hard to say.

Chris

 

[Julian Voelcker]

Kevin,

The safest thing is to just do them, it's cheap insurance particularly if you don't have detailed knowledge of the service history, oils used, etc.