Crank thrust bearing

[airemdwn]

It is 100% confirmed. If you do not run a completely balanced crank/rods/flexplate and blancer on an externally balanced. the first thing to die will be the thust bearing,, followed closely by the mains and cylinder walls.
DO not trust the exteranlly balanced balancer and flexplate without the entire assembly being balanced at a shop.

This is a valuable lesson!

 

[63chevyll]

Huh, what happened, well except the obvious

 

[wasted wages]

cylinder walls ???? unless it tossed a rod....sounds like a lube issue to me....

 

[diesel4me]

Beating the harmonic balancer on with a hammer or mallet is responsible for many a trashed thrust bearing surface!..we rebuilt engines at one parts store's nachine shop,and if the customer put the balancer on the engine instead of us,there was no warranty if they didn't use the proper tool to put the balancer on it..several engines we rebuilt came back with excessive end play ,some were damaged from improper balancer installation,others had a tranny problem,a pinched cooler line or clogged cooler can make the torque converter "balloon" and exert outward forces on the crankshaft,and the thrust bearing surfaces litterally get ground away..

 

[GMC Truck]

Generaly a "out of balance" engine will not kill the thrust bearing. Balance issues act on the crank in opposite to the thrust. If the thrust is out it will eventualy push the crank throws into the block webs at the mains and make a god awful noise long before it kills the cylinders.