Its time for crank updates

Message

comander420 · #11 Post by **comander420** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 11:12 pm

can you guys help me out a little here I am no mechanic but I can turn a wrench fairly well, Are you using z400 bearings in place of the originals and where are you using them at the crank side of the rod or the wrist pin side?

cannondale27 · #12 Post by **cannondale27** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 11:32 pm

Crankside.

cannondale27 · #13 Post by **cannondale27** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 11:45 pm

I am not sure if I posted this but in researching side clearances I found that .018 was actually very common.YFZ has .017 and others also that I dont remember.All the things that are talked about here and in the past are really theories no guarantees here it is a learning process but I am convinced the poor bearing choice is THE major problem with our cranks.There are other problems for sure but they are minor in comparison.Up until this year I dont believe there was more than 1 or 2people who even split a crank.What for?That is a job that others handle even for most mechanics.Cannondales have a way of "teaching" their owners.And here we are.Thanks for sharing Wistech.This is how we all learn.

cannondale27 · #14 Post by **cannondale27** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 11:54 pm

Kdeal the inside and outside diameters of rod and crankpin are going to need more research but they are a bit sloppier than is the norm for ones I measured.However specs for z400 bearing match cannondale bearing.Its kind of hard to measure old or wrecked cranks to get a true reading.Ideally new stuff would be best.It would be nice to find some rods.

comander420 · #15 Post by **comander420** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 12:35 am

Another dumb question sorry, so when the crank is split you can just take the dale rod/crank bearing out and install a z400 rod/crank bearing right back in with no special machining?

claas900 · #16 Post by **claas900** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 1:06 am

.Hey Cannon27 if we,or you

could find a replacement bearing that a person know would work,be stronger and just all around better i bet you could save a lot of cranks,person could just buy a new bearing,set up the clearnce right,blance it and run it..
I hace a freind now that has parked his Cannon just from fear of rod takeing a dump,dont have money for a new crank..but i bet i could get him to do this??

wistech · #17 Post by **wistech** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 1:22 am

That is exactly it. A z400 bearing will drop right in with no machine work at all. Just press it apart change the bearing and press it back together. The only downside is you have to do it before the rod or crank has worn to much. Although even if it does have some wear the damage wont continue and a far longer crank life should be achieved. The z400 bearing has more rollers in it which will reduce the load on everything. I dont know about you guys but I think a $35 bearing and some shop labor is nothing compared to waiting till your rod locks up and wipes out your liner,piston,crank,and oil pumps. What is that $1200 in parts or more? You could also install a falicon or ATK crank but when you have 3 engines that should get this fix thats a big chuck of change. And Im not made of money.

comander420 · #18 Post by **comander420** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 3:43 am

wow, thanks for figuring out this for the rest of us, I haven't had any problems so far, but I want to keep it that way. Maybee this winter I will tear into the engine and have this done, can any machine shop, engine builder, etc press the crank apart? What type of shop do you recomend do this and balance it also? I would rather spend the 30 for the bearing plus a couple hundred in machine work for splitting and balancing than 750+ for the falicon and other parts, not that it won't be worth it but I don't have a money tree growing in the back yard yet!!!

timbomoose · #19 Post by **timbomoose** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 4:04 am

I'll post a pic of a fixture people can make to press apart there crank on Sun. and also I'll post some pics on how to clean out your crank and I'll post the part#s also.I've been running the z400 bearing in my 465 with no problems with alot of hard hours.I'd be a good idea for people to do this while doing there updates or just tearing down in the off season.The bearing is an exact fit right to the .0001.

cannondale27 · #20 Post by **cannondale27** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 4:55 am

I wasnt sure if Timbomoose wanted to go public with all this but he is the one who figured this all out.He is a very humble and cautious guy who decided to take matters into his own hands.Now we have gone from no options to many options time will tell what works but it seems to me that all options are way better than stock.Do whatever you feel is best but as of right now there is no reason to sell your Cannondale ride it and have fun knowing there are options everyone should feel comfortable with.Thanks Timbomoose and Wistech for thinking out of box. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: