can it be done while engine still in?

 

In theory, maybe. In practice, no.

 

With an auto tranny, you might be able to remove the oil pan and get to them. But I highly doubt you'd be able to get it all done up right, you wouldn't be able to get a torque wrench in at all, etc etc. The main thing is, when you know that your bearings are bad, you need to replace more than bearings anyway so.....
ie. once you have a rod knock, bearings aren't gonna save you.

Time to pull the engine!

 

yeah im planing on taking the engine out and rebuild it when it starts to smoke but right now.it just need a set a rod bearing and hopefully it didnt scare the crank. i still have good oil psi 56lb so replace the oil pump screen and a oil pan gasket.

 

odds are if the bearing actually spun the rod is elongated and bearing replacement would be pointless.

 

I agree on some points. If the bearing is bad you stand a good chance that the rod end is ovaled. Replacing the one bearing would be a band-aid that may or may not last.
But, you can get a torque wrench in there and you can do it with the engine in the car.

 

Chances are the crank journal is dead, too, and it would be lots of fun trying to work between the engine and the K member, too. Not worth even trying to do it with the engine in the car.

 

Iy you knew FOR SURE that all you would be doing is changing out one rod bearing, then that would be one thing.

However, you have no way whatsoever of knowing that. Instead, there's about a 99.999999% chance that you'll be getting the crank turned as well ( or replacing it with a turned one), and getting at least one rod re-worked. That's ALOT LOT LOT of work to do laying on your back, up under a car, with it dripping funk and anti-freeze and whatever else all over you, for days on end.

As easy as it is to ****** the motor out of one of these cars, you'll be doing twice as much work trying to get out of doing work, and making the job twice as unpleasant as it already is going to be, as you would if you just bit the bullet and did the work in the first place without trying to take "shortcuts". Plus your finished prduct will turnr out better because you'll be standing there working on it where it's easy to get the motor's internals RIGHT, rather than struggling with it.

 

it dont have a steady knock,just when u first crank it up but it goes away in a couple of sec.then when u reach about 2 to 3k it starts again give it more throttle it goes away.

but now i hear a pinging sound coming from under the intake?

 

I got a noise like that with my 93' ford thunderbird 5.0 HO. I've been driving it for 18 months now with no problems yet.

 

Well don't go tearing down the bottom end on a hunch, that's a terrible way to waste a weekend, and all the skin on your knuckles.
Do you have a mechanics stethoscope? You can get them fairly cheaply. I'd guess you have a valve train problem. I have no idea what car you have, because you haven't been considerate enough to put that information in your sidebar. But it might be easy to remove the intake and take a look. Valve covers are easy to remove though, do that when it's idling and see if anything is awry.

 

oh well i have a 88 iroc camaro 350 tpi.

i have 60psi of oil pressure and i dont think its a rod now consider the a/c bracket (the one that goes from the header to the a/c) didnt have a nut on it.but now something is rising hell under the intake,sound like a broken valve slapping the piston but idk took the valve cover off today everything seems good.then i thought maybe one of the flywheel bolts came out.

but its funny when i put it in drive the sound quits,hold the brake give it throttle no sound at all.put it back in park the noise starts back again