crater in rod bearing, what does this mean? Options

[mightyohm]

This is an extreme closup of a rod bearing on a 2.0 I tore down. There is a small crater in the bearing. It is at least a few thousands deep and definitely catches a nail. The scratches through it are from me scraping at it with my nail to see if more would flake off.

Anyone seen this before? I have a cam bearing that is much worse but no pics yet.

[ArtechnikA]

i donno - i don't see as many engine parts as the experts. that kind of thing looks like corrosion, tho.

"what does it mean"? it means you need new bearings ! but you knew that. i'm pretty much of the opinion that rod bearings should be replaced any time the heads are off, 'cause they have a hard life in our engines, they're not expensive, and they're not that hard to replace.

just remember the scene from 'Men In Black,' where there's "always an Orgelian Nebula, or a Wooznatchian Galaxy" or some such damned thing, and the only thing that lets people get through their ordinary lives is that They Do Not Know.

i bet if a bunch of us went out and tore down our engines we'd find any number of lurking horrors, especially those of us with older cars with incomplete history. the only thing that gives ne strength to turn the key every time start it is that it ran okay the last time i did, and if there are lurking horrors, I Do Not Know.

when i have a Darned Good Reason to tear it down, i will Know - but until that time, i'm going to drive it as if a minor bearing irregularity is no cause for alarm 1) because i have no choice and 2) because that's close enough to the truth for me.