Originally posted by bret:
also i would check the condition of your rods, if in fact this problem is s/c related it could that some/all of your rods are out-of-round, which would most likely from added stress from the blower... also did you check to make sure enough oil is getting to the crank case? do the bearings appear to be cracked? had metal been removed from the bearings rubbing against the journals?
i think you would be doing everyone on this board a great service by inspecting and determining the cause of your premature bearing wear, and if this is s/c related i think you would be doing an even greater service to those who plan to buy the vortech.
From what I saw, the rods are fine but posibly the one that spun. All mains are A.O.K. There was no premature bearing wear, only lack of oil flow to the crank, thus the caramel color on the two center rod caps (burned that color from the heat of no lube). What the engine needed is one of three things: 1. Knife edged crank 2. A better windage tray or crank scraper 3. An external oil source to the heads to keep the drainback flow to the crank plentiful. The oil in the crank case isn't enough for the rod bearings at high engine speed because of oil wrap-up. Any one of the three things I mentioned would have bettered the chance of survival, only one of which is easy and inexpensive... #3. High RPM for sustained amounts of time... Must I say it again? Anyone? Beuller? :P
