[sprintamx]

I have a question about sealing the surfaces where the case-halves meet at the bearings (bearing saddles?)--the surfaces that are recommended for the orange Loctite 574. Bear in mind that I am far more of a "credit card mechanic" and I don't pretend to know didly about how to rebuild a motor.

That said, I am not rebuilding a motor, but recently purchased a 3.4 conversion with 7,000 miles on the convesion/rebuild. Making a rather long story short, my local technician (25+ years Porsche specialist, motor rebuilder, race-motor builder, sometime competitive racer, etc.) informed me that the motor was "unbalanced." Again, making a long, and expensive, story short, after disassembling the entire motor, weighing and measuring the rods, pistons and associate parts, spinning both the crank and flywheel to confirm balance/imbalance, he could not find any obvious mechanical/component problem.

His conclusion was that the sealer used on the case halves around the bearings caused enough of a gap to cause the crank to not seat properly and stay positioned in the bearings. He explained that this part of the case should be strictly metal-to-metal.

The evidence, besides the above-mentioned weighing, measuring and balancing tests: uneven/irregular wear on the main bearings--evidence that the crank was unbalanced when spinning; oil between the bearings and the case (not supposed to be any?); pitting and uneven wear on the cams (brand new WebCams) and unenven wear on the rockers (noted as new/refurbished).

I am posting in this thread because a few folks commented that there should not be any sealant in the bearing saddles, and I am curious if that refers to where the bearings are seated or the parts of the case that come together around the bearings?

Thanks,
Aaron