Connecting rod side play

[ceduby]

Sorry guys I left manual at work 50 miles away, and I'm not sure if it would tell me anyway. And I'm off for the next 3 days.
Taking some measurements to refer to later, I noticed side play on the connecting rods, Just a tad on the rear, more on the front. I'm able insert .040 in between the front and rear rods near the crank. I didn't use a dial indicator as I have no reference as to how high on the rod to check. Is this normal or do I have something else to worry about??  I can not feel any up and down or twisting play.

Also since dumbass me forgot the manual, The breather gear bore has some grooving you can catch with your finger nail, seems to match the plastic breather gear I change out about 7500 miles ago to a S & S steel. I don't remember for sure if they were there then but I think so. The Steel gear looks fine and measures 1.122 while the bore measures 1.125. So is .003 loose fit acceptable??

The reason for all of this is I got some contamination last year when I did the top and as a result I got some piston slap which was very evident when I pulled the cylinders. Also the oil analysis revealed high iron and aluminum content which made me more suspect of piston slap. The conn. rod bushings look fine, they measure .791-.792. I have .001 L. between the cam end and bushing I.D., and .001L. between the lifters and the housing. These I can check with manual next week, My main concern is the .040 at the connecting rod as stated above.

Any experience will be appreciated   Bottom end is stock 97 evo. with about 25K.

Thanks

[bigtone]

If you are rocking the rods back and forth, that's not side play. Sliding the rod side to side is the actual side play. There is no spec for the inside rod, I dont have a manual handy but somewhere around .025" seems about right for the outside rod. Rocking the rods back and forth really doesnt tell you anything, I had a few engines that rocked alot at the top of the rods, had no issues and lasted for a long time. My S&S engine I own now has a heck of a lot of rocking play, and a good amount of side clearance and has no issues. Hope that helps.

[Bucket]

1997&98 softail service manual....under connecting rod....Side play between flywheels....0.005-0.025

[wfolarry]

Your rods should not have that much room between the front & rear. This should only be a few thou. The side play between the rear rod & the flywheel should be around .025. If your front rod is able to slide from side to side inside the rear rod something is wrong.

[ceduby]

Well I can't detect movement on the front rod side to side if I grab it close to the crank and try to move the entire rod, only by rocking do I get movement. So if there is a problem, what could have caused it?? Worn bushing(s)? Set up loose from the factory? What would be the results running it this way? The cylinders looked good, (still had cross hatch) on the sides, it was the thrust sides that had an issue.

The rear rod measures .009 on the left side and .022 on the right relevant to the crank. Still  within specs. But is this normal? I would think that they should be pretty close on either side.

So now I'm on the fence of pulling the motor, (not planned or within budjet) or putting it back together with fresh cylinders and running it as is and take my chances until funds allow me, ( ha,ha,ha ) to either rebuild the bottom end or replace the entire motor. If I do run it as is I'll be taking oil samples to devlope a wear trend.

Before I pulled the cylinders the only noticeable noise was the piston slap, A metallic ringing only at cruise with little throttle. And a intermittent sticky lifter they would subside after a few seconds.

As far as the previous contamination, the oil was changed about 5 times, I didn't keep a log. Would it be safe to assume that the contamination should be gone by now? Assuming that the motor is not producing any??

Is there a good way to flush the engine to be sure all of the oil and any contaminates are removed??

Given the previous contamination, would it be worth it to take the lifters apart to clean? Or is there another way to clean them with out disassembly?

All and any responces will be greatly appreciated.   Thanks

[wfolarry]

Holding the front rod at the top you should feel some rocking movement. This is normal. Your side clearances are OK too. Hold both rods & spin the flywheels. If they feel smooth [no binding or rough spots] you should be fine. I wouldn't woory about the oil contamination. Seen worse than yours survive without any problems.

[ceduby]

Thanks for the replies, I guess I'm just thinking too much and worrying about nothing so I'm just going to put it back together, ride and enjoy.