ok. i did search and could not find anything similar to what i am dealing with. My XJ is a 1993 sport i6. i am in the middle of replacing the RMS and i ran into this.. im no expert but i know a bearing shouldnt look like the one i took off (see pics). my questions are
-Basically, how f**cked is this thing?
-what can cause the chips in the side of the cap?
-whats up with the gasket looking thing on the bottom that seems to be half missing?

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

I would say that was some material left in the oil galleys from the manufactoring process.
It was pushed to a bearing and left light scoring.
Its not down to the copper so no worries there about the integrity of the bearings.
Put it back together and run it.
All engines I have ever torn down have some light abrasions like that on the bearings.
You want to look at the crankshaft journal and make sure its not scored like that too.
Most likely not.

 

Thank you for the quick response...would it be necessary to replace that bottom half of the bearing or just leave it as it is?

 

Bearings come in pairs....
Replace both the top and bottom at the same time.
I wouldn't typically replace just ONE bearing, I would replace them all.
But if there is no copper showing then its still good.
If you want to get really accurate on the clearances there get some plasti-gauge.
you put a piece on the bearing, torque the cap down and then remove it, the plastic flattens out and compare it to the width on the wrapper and that will give you the clearance.

If it wasn't knocking and oil pressure is good, and theres no copper, showing just put it back together and run it.
I would put a little oil/vaseline on it before reinstalling it, that way it doesn't start dry. You removed it and removed the protective oil film that would have been there.

 

Again Thank you for your help.. such a relief!
any ideas on the chips in the outside of the cap?
or the gasket material that seems to be half there?

 

Gasket material: Not really.
The casting flaws your seeing on the outside, just seen you can knock them off with a chisel and hammer. Just don't scare up any machined surface.

 

thanks again "Caish"! time to get the top half of the RMS out...
one more quick question if you dont mind...
is it a bad idea to loosen up all of the crank cap bolts in order to help get the top half of the RMS out...could this throw the crank shaft out of alignment?

 

Nope go ahead and loosen them to give the main seal a little more wiggle room.
Just make sure you re-torque them all to spec.

 

haha sorry to keep asking but this is my first RMS... should i re-torque them b4 putting the new (upper piece) in?

 

ANYONE???
will it make a difference if i tighten the other bolts down first or after the top half is re-installed?

 

I've never replaced one of these bit would assume If the bolts had to be loose to remove the bearing they would prolly have to be loose to get it back in. But like I said Ive never done this specifically

 

thanks for the input...i ended up getting it back in after tightening the bolts up a bit, however it probably would have been easier with the bolts loose!