Umm... bad ***, no. Fat *** maybe I'll have the valley pan off in a few minutes. So #4 is the one that walked out. I'll get some pics. And if I can ever get the crank pulley off I'll be able to get that cam out today. What's everyone think about leaving the original #5 bearing in place and just rolling the dice?

Bought a Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited yesterday, by the way. What a nice car! My wife and I have been sharing the Rover for the past year to better attack our mortgage, but this was getting to be too much. So now the pressure's off a bit on banging through this.

 

Crank can be easily removed if held in place from rear. Gotta drop inspection plate and hold gear in place.

 

I might be inclined to try ghetto removal of rear bearing.
Long piece of all thread with a cut washer and oblonged hole. You have a bit of room to angle tab type washer and slip behind, then run a big washer and nut up front.... Tighten till it pops out.
The rear stop would need to be a welded washer or flare because a nut won't fit back there
Of course this is all in theory.

 

First off, Dusty, that picture of Bubbles always kills me.

So here are the first couple pics. The situation is a little worse than I feared. The bearing walked out a lot and has cut its way into the lifter. Stuck lifter=rounded cam lobe. So now it looks like I'm challenged with finding a decent deal on a camshaft. Used ok, or should I pony up for new?

Thanks for all the support folks.

 

Wow look at that...

 

You can get a cam direcly from Crower. I put the 53229 in mine.

http://www.crower.com/rover-hydrauli...-camshaft.html

 

Well, finally some good news. The way the bearing came out it actually jammed the lifter in the up position. So there was no damage to the lifter and the cam looks to be fine as well. I'm going to mic the lobe and make sure it's in the ball park.

So now I'm left with the challenge of removing the old and fitting the new bearings. It's the first time I've done cam bearings, so wish me luck. I think I'm going to throw caution to the wind and leave the #5 in place. I found a blind bearing puller at Harbor Freight that looks like it could get the job done for about $70, but I just can't see how it could be positioned and snugged up to grab the bearing without dropping the crank. But then, I can't really figure how I'm going to get any of them in at this point. So....

 

If you are in that far I would spend the $315 and get the CROWER performance CAM. 20 -25 more HP! You should call CROWER and talk with them, they will recommend new tappets with a new CAM as a standard practice. Also buy the Lucus zink break in treatment after you have it all back together. I am about to do this myself, I don't have any issues but need to change the lower valley gasket.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/97723385@N04/16652823700/

 

You can put pictures on Flickr.com

https://www.flickr.com/photos/76579732@N07/

 

Alrighty folks, here's the latest. Big thanks to Craig over at JC's British 4X4, here in Denver, for giving me the CliffsNotes version of replacing the bearings. Forgive me if this is a bit rudimentary, but I haven't found this anywhere, so I figured I'd share my experience.

Having the appropriate tool is of the utmost importance. I couldn't find a free loaner at any of the usual spots, so I did some Googling and found a local tool rental shop that had one. And they had a great name: "Butts."

After selecting the appropriate sized expansion plug, the old bearings get driven out starting at the front. They get driven straight back into the crank case and will more or less fall to the floor.