Engine Bearings
- Mahle®Crankshaft Main BearingCrankshaft Main Bearing by Mahle®. This top-grade product is expertly made in compliance with stringent industry standards to offer a fusion of a well-balanced design and high level of craftsmanship. Manufactured from industry-leading...Designed to deliver trouble-free, consistent performanceRight for your vehicle and lifestyle$20.18 - $145.51
- Sealed Power®A-Series Connecting Rod Bearing SetA-Series Connecting Rod Bearing Set by Sealed Power®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to...Perfect for upgrading your fuel injection systemMade with the use of the highest quality materials$3.23 - $31.55
- Sealed Power®A-Series Main BearingA-Series Main Bearing by Sealed Power®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a perfect...A-Series bi-metal aluminum alloyGreater seizure resistance than tri-metal material$18.35 - $230.24
- Sealed Power®Crankshaft Main BearingCrankshaft Main Bearing by Sealed Power®. Designed utilizing the latest technology, this product by Sealed Power features premium quality and will perform better than advertised. Perfect for your vehicle and lifestyle, it is...Direct replacementManufactured to strict engineering quality standards$39.05 - $362.49
- Enginetech®Balancer BearingBalancer Bearing by Enginetech®. The Engine Builder's Source, can locate the right part for nearly any rebuild application. Offering a full line of internal engine parts for domestic, import and high performance applications,...Rigorously tested to withstand years of abuseDesigned with innovative manufacturing techniques$7.72 - $27.72
- Enginetech®Crankshaft Main BearingCrankshaft Main Bearing by Enginetech®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a perfect...Rigorously tested to withstand years of abuseDesigned with innovative manufacturing techniques$12.51 - $194.72
- DNJ Engine Components®Camshaft BearingCamshaft Bearing by DNJ Engine Components®. Protect your engine part from contaminants and prolong it's service life with this premium DNJ seal. Rigorously manufactured from top-grade materials and expertly tested, this reliable product...Designed to provide reliable sealing performanceProtects the engine part from contaminants and extends it's life$14.65 - $38.16
- ITM Engine®Camshaft Bearing SetCamshaft Bearing Set by ITM Engine®. This top-grade product is expertly made in compliance with stringent industry standards to offer a fusion of a well-balanced design and high level of craftsmanship. Manufactured from industry-leading...Designed with innovative manufacturing techniquesMade with maximum safety and reliability in mind$20.13 - $56.49
- ITM Engine®Crankshaft Main Bearing SetCrankshaft Main Bearing Set by ITM Engine®. This top-grade product is expertly made in compliance with stringent industry standards to offer a fusion of a well-balanced design and high level of craftsmanship. Manufactured from...Designed with innovative manufacturing techniquesMade with maximum safety and reliability in mind$18.18 - $140.47
- Vaico®Camshaft BearingCamshaft Bearing by Vaico®. This top-grade product is expertly made in compliance with stringent industry standards to offer a fusion of a well-balanced design and high level of craftsmanship. Manufactured from industry-leading...Designed to deliver trouble-free, consistent performanceRight for your vehicle and lifestyle$271.16 - $273.49
- Original Equipment®Main BearingMain Bearing by Original Equipment®. Looking for high-quality replacement parts to restore the performance of your vehicle? Then Original Equipment automotive parts are for you. They are manufactured from the finest materials according...Perfect replacement for your damaged or worn out original partMade using high-grade materials for long-lasting dependability$218.41 - $242.51
- Clevite®A Series Crankshaft Main BearingsA Series Crankshaft Main Bearings by Clevite®. This product is made of high-quality materials to serve you for years to come. Designed using state-of-the-art technology and with customers in mind. It will meet your needs and deliver...Designed to deliver trouble-free, consistent performanceRight for your vehicle and lifestyle$17.53 - $177.88
- Clevite®AL Series Main BearingsAL Series Main Bearings by Clevite®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a perfect fit...Expertly crafted from premium materialsDesigned to match rigorous quality standards$23.22 - $103.56
- Clevite®Camshaft BearingCamshaft Bearing by Clevite®. Enjoy superior performance by getting this premium-grade Sniper product that is throughly engineered to help take the performance of your fuel system to the next step delivering unprecedented levels of...Perfect for upgrading your fuel injection systemMade with the use of the highest quality materials$8.53 - $180.95
- Clevite®Connecting Rod BearingConnecting Rod Bearing by Clevite®. Enjoy superior performance by getting this premium-grade Sniper product that is throughly engineered to help take the performance of your fuel system to the next step delivering unprecedented levels...Made with the use of the highest quality materialsModern technology for uncompromising reliability$2.66 - $39.58
- Clevite®Crankshaft Main Bearing SetCrankshaft Main Bearing Set by Clevite®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a perfect...Expertly crafted from premium materialsDesigned to match rigorous quality standards$13.98 - $161.68
- Clevite®H Series Crankshaft Main Bearing SetH Series Crankshaft Main Bearing Set by Clevite®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a...Expertly made from premium materialsHigh crush for better seating and retention.$123.89 - $264.97
- Clevite®H-Series Connecting Rod BearingH-Series Connecting Rod Bearing by Clevite®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a...Designed to deliver trouble-free, consistent performanceRight for your vehicle and lifestyle$18.80 - $36.50
- Clevite®P Series Crankshaft Main Bearing SetP Series Crankshaft Main Bearing Set by Clevite®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a...Expertly crafted from premium materialsDesigned to match rigorous quality standards$23.49 - $218.51
- Clevite®Replacement A-Series Connecting Rod BearingsReplacement A-Series Connecting Rod Bearings by Clevite®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to...Designed to deliver trouble-free, consistent performanceRight for your vehicle and lifestyle$3.27 - $98.57
- Clevite®Replacement Crankshaft Main BearingsReplacement Crankshaft Main Bearings by Clevite®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a...Expertly crafted from premium materialsDesigned to match rigorous quality standards$51.30 - $123.80
- Clevite®Replacement P-Series Connecting Rod BearingsReplacement P-Series Connecting Rod Bearings by Clevite®. Enjoy superior performance by getting this premium-grade Clevite product that is throughly engineered to help take the performance of your fuel system to the next step delivering...Perfect for upgrading your fuel injection systemMade with the use of the highest quality materials$5.30 - $168.99
- Dura-Bond®Camshaft Bearing & Auxiliary Shaft Bearing KitCamshaft Bearing & Auxiliary Shaft Bearing Kit by Dura-Bond®. This top-grade product is expertly made in compliance with stringent industry standards to offer a fusion of a well-balanced design and high level of craftsmanship....OE quality parts from top original equipment and aftermarket manufacturersThe finest quality at a great price$42.96 - $74.77
- King Engine Bearings®AM-Series Connecting Rod Bearing SetAM-Series Connecting Rod Bearing Set by King Engine Bearings®. This King Engine Bearings product is professionally and meticulously designed to provide superior durability you are looking for. The company does not accept compromises...High quality at an affordable priceExpertly made from premium materials$13.35 - $46.91
- King Engine Bearings®AM-Series Main Bearing SetAM-Series Main Bearing Set by King Engine Bearings®. This King Engine Bearings product is professionally and meticulously designed to provide superior durability you are looking for. The company does not accept compromises when it is...High quality at an affordable priceExpertly made from premium materials$20.37 - $127.97
- King Engine Bearings®BB-Series Camshaft Bearing SetBB-Series Camshaft Bearing Set by King Engine Bearings®. This King Engine Bearings product is professionally and meticulously designed to provide superior durability you are looking for. The company does not accept compromises when it...High quality at an affordable priceExpertly made from premium materials$19.77 - $45.45
- King Engine Bearings®CP-Series Connecting Rod Bearing SetCP-Series Connecting Rod Bearing Set by King Engine Bearings®. This King Engine Bearings product is professionally and meticulously designed to provide superior durability you are looking for. The company does not accept compromises...High quality at an affordable priceExpertly made from premium materials$22.46 - $76.37
- King Engine Bearings®Camshaft BearingCamshaft Bearing by King Engine Bearings®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a...Designed to deliver trouble-free, consistent performanceRight for your vehicle and lifestyle$30.09 - $190.28
- King Engine Bearings®Connecting Rod BearingConnecting Rod Bearing by King Engine Bearings®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability. Designed to provide a...Designed to deliver trouble-free, consistent performanceRight for your vehicle and lifestyle$21.10 - $281.10
- King Engine Bearings®Duratec High Performance Main BearingDuratec High Performance Main Bearing by King Engine Bearings®. This premium product is the best way to go for those looking for the highest quality replacement that offers supreme levels of quality, performance and reliability....Designed to deliver trouble-free, consistent performanceRight for your vehicle and lifestyle$78.97
There are many different kinds of bearings used on automobiles, including ball and roller bearings, needle bearings, and tapered roller bearings, but the bearings that are commonly used inside the engine are called plain bearings. These bearings are either cylindrical or are made of two inserts that form an enclosure. Components like the crankshaft and camshaft rotate on plain bearings supported by a film of oil. Oil is supplied under pressure by the engine oil pump.
Bearing construction varies according to intended use: stock, high-performance, and racing, and there are too many variations for an in-depth discussion here. In general, there are bi-metal and tri-metal bearings. Both have the lining material applied to a rigid and supportive steel backing. Bi-metal bearings have an aluminum alloy lining. The alloy may be strengthened with other metals, and the latest alloys contain silicone, which significantly increases surface hardness. Aluminum alloys with silicone are highly resistant to seizure. Tri-metal bearings have an intermediate layer of copper bearing alloy and an overlay of lead-tin-copper alloy. They have the strength, fatigue resistance and embedability (the ability to embed hard particles like dirt and debris that would otherwise become lodged between the bearing and journal, causing wear to the journal) that is the right combination for many applications.
Bores in the cylinder block are precision machined to accept the engine bearings. The camshaft and balance shaft bearings are cylindrical and pressed into the bores. The main and connecting rod bearing bores are split, with the bottom half of the bore known as the cap. Main and connecting rod bearings are called inserts that fit into bearing “saddles” formed by the top half of the bores in the block and connecting rods, and the caps. Where required, bearings have oil holes that must align with oil passages in the block, and some may have oil grooves. The thrust main bearing is flanged where it contacts the crankshaft thrust surface. Bearing halves for the crankshaft and connecting rods have a certain amount of material that extends above the bore parting line when placed in the saddle, which is known as bearing “crush”. This ensures that the bearings will be fully seated in the bores when the caps are torqued to specification.
For optimal performance and long life, engine bearings must have the right amount of oil clearance. This clearance is the difference between the shaft diameter and the diameter of the installed bearing, and is typically between 0.001” and 0.0035”. Main and connecting rod bearing clearance can be checked with the crankshaft installed using Plastigage, but a more precise measurement can be achieved by measuring the journal diameter with a micrometer and the installed bearing diameter with a bore gauge, and subtracting the micrometer dimension from the bore gauge dimension. If the clearance is excessive and the crankshaft is worn, it can be ground undersize and the appropriate undersize bearings used. However, the main or connecting rod housing bores could also be larger than specifications, requiring the block to be aligned honed or the big ends of the connecting rods reconditioned.
Although there are some performance bi-metal bearings, most performance bearings are of tri-metal construction. Many performance bearings also come with a proprietary dry film coating to reduce friction, provide startup protection, and increase strength and heat resistance. In addition to superior materials, they also have design features better suited to high power output engines. The eccentricity of performance bearings are tailored to the engine block and connecting rod bore characteristics of performance engine components to help maintain proper oil clearance, and they have higher crush for improved bearing retention. Performance bearings may be narrower than stock or chamfered to allow for the larger fillet radiuses of performance crankshafts, and they may have enlarged oil holes and/or grooves to improve lubrication.
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Related Categories
- Engine Assemblies
- Motor Mounts
- Engine Blocks
- Valves & Valvetrain Parts
- Pistons, Rings & Connecting Rods
- Oil Filters
- Serpentine Belts & Auxiliary Drive Belts
- Valve Covers
- Timing Gears, Chains & Covers
- Oil Pans, Drain Plugs & Dipsticks
- Cylinder Heads
- Timing Belts
- Engine Pulleys
- Engine Sensors, Relays, Switches & Connectors
- Oil Pumps
- Drive Belt Tensioners
- Oil Coolers
- Camshafts
- Crankshafts
- Engine Management Systems
- Harmonic Balancers
- Engine Rebuild Kits
- Oil Catch Cans
- Balance Shafts
- Engine Swap Kits
- Engine Wiring Harnesses
- Intercoolers
- Throttle Bodies
- Carburetors
- Motor Oils