When I change my pistons should I also get new bearings for the connecting rods or should I re-use the old ones? I will have about 70-80k on my engine when I do the swap. Also, should I lube the piston side skirts with molly lube?

 

get new ones

 

Clevite 77 bearings seem to be good.

I havent seen King bearings for our car but those are good as well. And no, you dont need to use moly lube.... there are specific instructions to follow tho, but if I recall correctly, they dont involve moly lube. The only lube I had to use was the ARP lube on the head studs.

 

Ive heard that you can use tranny fluid on the skirts because of the way it handles metal to metal contact. Is this true?

 

Talked to Boe (he of the 5 piston swaps) about that. He said to just look them over. If they're scratched or look damaged, replace them. If not, don't. If you get the bearings, there are three different kinds. You have to look on the bottom of the block to see what bearings go where.

 

If you are changing your pistons and rods, I would recommend changing all the bearings too. I just dont like the idea of refreshing the motor and using tired parts again, even though they may seem okay. Plus, if you go forged, you might want to think of investing in something that is a little stronger than stock.

 

It's a good idea to replace them. I reused mine, but I haven't exactly driven the car enough to find out if it's a problem. I happened to have all 8 of the same bearings, and I doubt they'll cause any problems as a result. All were in perfect condition. Guess I'll find out if they're a problem down the road, but I don't see the rod bearings as a failing point really unless they completely dry out.

 

I just know it would be hell to rip apart the block, go "ok, I need 4 greens, 2 browns, and 2 blacks" and then hear the dealership say "oh, we have to order those." And I'm sure that's roughly what I'd hear. And I don't really want to buy 8 of each color and try to return the unused...

 

Well, they use them to balance the engine from the factory as I understand it. I'm guessing it allows looser tolerances in the crankshaft, rods, and pistons. I dunno for certain though. But when you put in aftermarket rods you're changing the balance anyway so...I wonder how important it is to use the existing color bearings with new rods.

 

When I swap my pistons, stock rods are going back in. So it's a concern for me, at the very least...

 

Yes, you should keep them in the same order you took them out. Each rod should go back in the cylinder from whence it came.

 

I plan on keeping the stock rods and I also dont want to have alot of down time on the car waiting to see what bearings I need then have to wait for them to be delivered. There is no predetermined way of telling what I need before breaking down the engine? Also, the tranny fluid question^ Is that true?

 

You'll need to go to a shop with a press to get the wrist pins out of the stock rods/pistons. I was bangin' away at mine using a slug and a 2lbs hammer, and got NOWHERE. I did manage to mushroom the head of the cheap socket I was using as a slug though. They take a LOT of pressure to get out. In comparison, I slid my new wrist pins into my JE pistons and crower H-beams with a thin coat of oil, a snug fit, and a firm push from my thumbs.

 

get new bearings. don't know if the lancer is the same as the later 4g63 engines as far as how mitsu does the bearings. 1g dsm's used the same sized bearings while the later 2g's and the evo's have a stamping on the bottom of the block near the corner of the oil pan and also have a stamping on the crank as well. these stampings determine exactly which one you need for which cylinder. good luck.

 

It's the 2g DSM style. They are color coded, but if the colors have faded it's also stamped on your black like WHTEVO mentioned. I don't have the manual in front of me, but each number or letter (I forget which it is) corresponds to a different color/size bearing.