Question about the wear on my rear main cap

[transampacecar]

Bought the TTA completely stock with 29,000 miles. Did a couple of bolt on mods, such as RJC powerplate, 160 thermostate, scanmaster.
Like mostly everyone else, my rear main seal was leaking. Bought a new one from Kirbans.
When my friend (basic mechanic skills) and I took the rear main cap off he found that the inside of the cap is down to copper. He said that its worn and as long as I use synthetic and change it regularly and dont beat on it, it should last. That was his opinion
My questions are, how long will it last, what caused it, is it possible to only replace the rear main cap, or am I in big trouble ?
Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Razor]

You mean bearing. The cap wont wear, the bearing attached to it will.

Copper is not good. Typical cuase is detonation, poor oiling, poor condition of oil, overheating, etc.

I said this before.. 29K miles can be a lot of miles..

It is what it is... keep the hammer mild on it.. If you spin a main bearing, its bad news. As the engine will need to be rebuilt.

Personally i'd up the weight of the oil to straight 40.. the oil is what keeps the crank from touching the bearing, if you have copper.. that means there is additional clearance.. make it up with thicker oil.

HTH

 

[transampacecar]

Thanks for the reply. Are you recommending conventional 40 grade ? I have been using Red Line 10/30.
Red Line doesnt sell 40 but sells either 15/50 or 20/50 and mentions these two are for large clearances like you said BUT their site says this about the 15/50 or the 20/50 " Not recommended for street use in production engines that see sustained oil temperatures below 225°F. Those engines should use Red Line 10W-30 or 10W-40."
Any suggestions what you would use in my situation ?
Thank you

 

[Razor]

Just use conventional oil. And keep it fresh.

I dont use any fancy oil's.. never had a turbo issue, or bearing problem. I also dont wait for X miles to change it. Once a week, I pull the dipstick out.. if and when its dirty.. oil gets changed. Sometimes at 200 miles.. sometimes at 2K.. depends how its been driven.

Stuff I buy went up to 1.68 a quart..

HTH

 

[transampacecar]

Julio, one last question please.
Forgot to mention that since the rear main seal installed, I installed your kit and 22 lbs of boost with Erics chip.
TTA is used on the street only with occasional getting on it. What is your opinion of Valvoline VR1 oil in their 40 weight ? Its not much more than regular oil as far as price goes.
Here is what Valvoline says about the VR1.
1. New ashless anti-wear additives combined with ZDDP provide ultimate wear protection
2. Enhanced anti-foam system helps protect the engine even during extreme stress
3. Enhanced additives protect against high-temperature deposits for a cleaner engine
4. Friction modifiers help improve horsepower output

Would the Valvoline VR1 40 weight be ok to use ?
Thank you

 

[89ICBM]

Howdy!

One more thing, you need to check the crank. Look at the journal for scratchs then scrape the bearing journal with your finger nail, if you can feel scratchs, this plus the copper showing is really not good. You can probably get away with a heavier weight oil for a while, more like a 50 but sooner or later you will need to do repair work. Don't forget, these are babbit bearings so, if you can see copper, that means that babbit is floating around thru your oiling system. Don't be concerned with fancy claims on oils. Just check for a GS4 rating on which ever brand you buy, all quality brand oils will have this rating and if one brand is cheaper than the rest get it, the oils are all basically the same. Good luck!

 

[Razor]

The Valvoline will be just fine.

Just keep an eye on its color.. keep it honey colored, all will be well.

And try and stay out of knock...

 

[transampacecar]

Ok, Julio
Will use the VR1 straight 40 as opposed to the 20/50 if I understand you correctly.

 

[Razor]

I'd keep straight weight oil..

There is an oil filter cutting tool Summit Racing sells for 39.00. Cut your filters open and inpect the pleat, any metal circulating will be captured by your filter. Pay attention to your oil pressure readings. Any deviation from normal means your developing an issue. In other words car has X amount of oil pressure today at Y temperature. It has to hold the same oil pressure.. everyday. If it starts dropping.. an issue is developing.

Beyond this.. call me.. I hate typing :wink: