i am helping pdr do his det swap, and we were wondering if you HAD to replace rod and main bearings if they are in good shape? We are going to open it up this weekend and take a look at them, and I was hoping that if they were in good shape we could lube them up and reassemble it without any problems, or do we HAVE to replace them??

I did the same thing when I received my BBDET. The mechanics opened it up and looked at two con rod bearings, they were in good shape, so they didn't replace them. But if you have some money left, changing them takes the same amount of time than just checking them.

Be aware of something though. The crank take an elliptic form after thousands of kilometers because of the alternative movement of the pistons. So if you change the bearing and replace it with a new one, perfectly round one, it may not be as good as the old one because the older was fitting tight. That's what the mechanic told me.

You the judge.

id like to replace it all, but its not mycar, and i know pdr is on a tight budget right now having had his hybrid accord having problems, plus the regular costs of supporting a family...
i appreaciate the response, i hope it is something that we can save a few bucks on without risking reliability...

It can wait... if every you got spun bearing, you only have to get the crossmember out of your way and you're ready to change them.

As mentionned in SCC in december I think, the only good reason to do that right now is because you can work easily while the engine is out.