With the e-brake on put the car in 1st gear. Slowly let the clutch out and give a little gas like you would to pull away but the brake will hold the car then push the clutch back in. This will create a load on the engine. If the bearings are spun you will start to get a rod knock...push the clutch back in and shut it off. My car spun the rod bearings around 25K (still under 3/36). You could only here the knock when it was under a load and mainly in 1st or 2nd gear. The dealer did the same test listed above to determine if the bearings where bad or not. The bottom end can be completely rebuilt while in the car from the bottom if the crankshaft isn't trashed. We caught mine quick before a lot of damage was done. All crankshaft journals were still within tolerance. A set of bearings, pan gasket and I was back on the road in one day...quite a bit cheaper then a 3L if you are not ready for that yet. Now, 25k later and I'm still running... knock-on-wood!
2002 F150 SuperCrew
