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F4R main bearing shells / oil pump

maece82

New Member
Hi

I'm in the process of rebuilding a spare F4R 774 Megane II RS engine, to keep my daily car running.
Its first engine is getting near to 300'000 km, with a cam belt being 6 years old now...having 110'00 km on this belt...so I might hear a time bomb clicking...

Spare engine (approx. 80'000 km) should get rebuilt to OEM spec, with engine reliability in mind and not big power!
Engine is completely dismantled and I'm sourcing the right parts to get it reassembled.

1.) Two main bearing shells are stamped "rouge" and three "bleu"
According manual these are slightly different shell thicknesses to properly interact with bore/journal sizes.
But in all webshops there is only one OEM bearing size listed (only massiv bigger ones for reground journals then).
So slightly different shell thicknesses might not be available, as used during factory assembly.
How do you handle this? Just install the available ones and hope to get the right clearance (measured with "plastigage")?

2.) Manual mentions a specific tool to gurantee proper positioning of the bearing shells, as there are no bearing locating tangs.
This "tool" might not be available anymore.
But I think it's only used to locate the bearing shell quite exactly in the middle of the bore (bore approx. 5 mm wider than shell)
Shell should get properly located by eye as well, right?

3.) What about aftermarket oil pumps?
Might manufacturer "Pierburg" offer proper aftermarket quality (it should, as beeing part of the Rheinmetall concern, like Kolbenschmidt)?
OEM Renault oil pump is quite a bit more expensive than the Pierburg one...only due to the Renault printed carton...?
Or leave your hands off and buy OEM Renault oil pump only?

Thanks a lot in advance for your feedback.
I'm a bit nervous to do it right, as this is my first ever Renault engine rebuild...whereat it shouldn't be much different from any other engine rebuild :-)

Cheers
Marcel


304.webp
 
This looks like an increasing issue on newer stuff.
The clearances are so fine that there are 2-3 different shell colours which are used to obtain the correct clearance. Thing is the aftermarket only supply undersize shells, meaning the crank needs a regrind to use them. The superfine tolerances are part of the reason why the engines are so powerful and long lasting, but it's not free unfortunately
Can you buy shells From Renault as a set of Rouge and a set of Bleu ? 2 sets I know, but they may not supply any, Ford Don't, just a short engine.
One thing is if the motor is low mileage(80000km is low) then an experienced Engine builder may advise on the condition of what you have and you can re-use them. Are there any marks at all?? You can try a build with plastigauge to check clearance.
This is the joys of modern stuff, some of it is great and some is not..................
Someone on here must know more about it specifically than me.
 
Looks like I may have to take that back...
There is a Parts look up tool on here which you can find on the home page.
From that link you will need to put in your vehicle build code. Which is usually a 4 Digit Letters numbers combo. Possibly on the inner wing or door check on a sticker (not the one with the chassis number)
I have just checked a Megane 250 cup code DZ1N and it shows coloured shells as spares, so may be available from Renault.
 
Personally id be going to the main dealer for the shells, honda also do this, i had 3 different sizes in my old H22 engine. Also plastigauge up to make sure they are still within tolerance. If not regrind for off the shelf bearings though I've never been a fan of it, id much prefer a good condition used crank over a reground one.
 
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