2005 Rev-Up Manual - Found Copper in Oil After Rebuild, Possible #6 Bearing Again?

Well, this is probably the post I was hoping I’d never have to make.

I’ve rebuilt my Rev-Up and it’s only done about 150km since being put back together. Everything seemed fine at first, but the other day I got home and noticed a knock. Checked the filter and found copper in it, my heart sank.

The thing that’s really bothering me is that the engine has had a misfire ever since the rebuild. Between about 1500-3000rpm it jerks and stutters pretty badly under load. Sometimes it’ll clear up after 10-15 minutes of driving, sometimes it won’t. I’ve been trying to figure it out since i’ve put it together.

What worries me is that before the original engine **** itself, it started doing almost the exact same thing. A few days later I spun #6 and found #3 was heavily worn as well.

This engine has a new crank, new rods, ARP main studs, and all the machine work was done by a reputable shop. Everything was measured and supposedly within spec. I never had any oil pressure issues during the rebuild process, although now my hot oil pressure seems lower than it should be.

The knock sounds like it’s coming from the back of the engine which has me thinking #6 again. I’m pulling the engine back out soon to find out for sure, but honestly I’m already expecting the worst.

My main question is whether it’s actually possible for a misfire like this to damage a rod bearing. Could the constant jerking and uneven loading be enough to hurt #6 again, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

So far I’ve:

• Checked grounds
• Checked for vacuum leaks
• Checked coil pack connectors
• Checked plug gaps
• Replaced the crank sensor
• Replaced both intake cam sensors

Replacing the sensors seemed to help for a little while but the problem never fully went away.

At this point I’m wondering about:

• VVT solenoids
• Exhaust cam sensors
• ECU issues
• Something else I’ve completely missed

Has anyone had a Rev-Up with a misfire in this RPM range that ended up being something unexpected?

Anyway, wish me luck. Looks like I might be pulling this engine apart for the second time and I’m honestly gutted if it’s another bearing.

 

No, I don't think a misfire for 150km would lead to a damaged rod bearing. If you had severe knock or pre-ignition issues, that could do it, but not a typical misfire.

What type of misfire is it? Random or cylinder specific? What codes are present if any?

Who re-assembled the engine? Was that you or the shop? What were the measured clearances on the rod bearings? Were they plasti-gauged?
-Icer