Before the removal of the piston and connecting rod assemblies, the cylinder head, oil pan and the balancer shafts and carrier assembly, for the 2.4 L engines, need to be removed. First, look for any ridges on the top of ring travel in any cylinder head as these must be cut out with a ridge reamer so as not to contribute to the breakage of the piston. After level block and unbolt each hanger so that the engine is free of the bed, and place the engine crank shaft on the upper side and using the feeler gauge, measure the connecting rod end play and if it is outside thegiven limits, true it. Identify the connecting rods and caps and remove the connecting rod cap along with the bearing insert; the connecting rod pistons will then be pushed up through the top of the engine. Do the same thing for all the cylinders and replace the caps and inserts in order to guard the bearing surfaces. In the case of installing piston rings, check the end gaps with reference to the standard sizes and optimizing on the gaps when necessary. Start with the O.C.R next the center and the final one was the top ring and make certain that they are positioned correctly. Piston/connecting rod assemblies shall be fitted after some processes like: Cylinder wall cleaning and chamfering of edges. New bearing inserts should be fitted into the connecting rod and cap dry then place them in such a manner that adjacent piston ring gaps are opposite each other, while lubricating the piston and rings. Place the piston/connecting rod assembly into the cylinder so that the connecting rods big-end pin fits on the
Crankshaft journal. Insert the Plastigage under the connecting rod bearing to check the oil clearance and compare it to the standard options available. If clearance is not as it should be then check sizes for bearings and journal diameter. When ready, wipe off any Plastigage remnants, and coat the bearing surfaces with assembly lube evenly before putting back the rod cap and do the same thing for the others. Last of all, turn the crankshaft to search for binding and again check the connecting rod end float to see that it is still within standard range.