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[mg907]

Hello dear alfa boxer experts.
Hope there is still someone around here.
I come with a (maybe trivial) question.
Yesterday I found in the oil sump a good amount of glittering metal flakes that I suppose being made by aluminium as they are not attracted by a magnet.
Worndering about where these flakes are coming from, I started removing the rod end caps in order to check the rod bearing.
I was expecting to find some spun rod bearings but everything was fine, the bearings where in perfect shape as well as the crankshaft journals (no scratches at all).
Then I moved to the main bearings, Number 1 ok,number two fine as well but problems started to arise when trying to remove the third one, the one under the oil pump.
I removed the three bolts securing the oil pump to the block but the oil pump doesn't want to come off. It goes down more or less 2 centimeters and then stops.
Is there something blocking the oil pump in its place I have to remove before? Maybe the mechanical fuel pump ?
Even taking the distributor off nothing changes.
Please take in account that my car is a 1992 carb 33 with Bosch distributor and I'm working from under the car with the engine still in place.
Any advice will be really appreciated.
Thank you in advance
Mario

[mg907]

Just an update. I was able to remove the oil sump. The fuel pump pin was blocking it in its place. Removed the 3rd main bearing cap and I found a very worn bearing, where the metal flakes came from.

[Bobkelso]

Hi
yes, still reading sometimes here

so bad news for your engine bearing
maybe you was able to save crankshaft surface?

I imagine you have take off the engine from the car now
to remove flywell on rear and front plate to free completely
crankshaft and his bearings?

Ps.: I know standard bearing are good, problems are more about
correct oil lubrification, but I was just curious, did you know
if new 33 engine bearing are available somewhere the type "trimetallic",
someone talk about but I never have seen?
_________________
Alfa 33

[mg907]

Hi Bobkelso,
nice to year from you!
Yes the crakshaft journal surface was quite good, not major scores detected.
To change the main bearing there is no need to take the engine apart, you can replace them just removing the oil sump. There are plenty of videos on youtube showing the procedure. Just insert a little screw in the cramkshaft oil hole and then the bearing comes out just by rotating the camshaft. More or less the same procedure to fit the new one. It was already hard to find the normal main bearings ... I cant't figure out how difficult could be to search for the trimetallic ones. Anyway the car runs very well now and the noise coming from the engine under load has disappeared.
The only thing it worries me a little is that I was not able to detect the cause of the bearing failure, maybe the previous owner run low on oil sometimes...who knows. I wonder if someone more expert than me could suggest a possible cause.