Rod and main bearing replacement…good deal? (copy of the bill)

What motor?

I'd honestly say that's a fair price. Can't really complain if you opt out of doing your own motor work.

 

$65 an hour labour? #### that's cheap. Local Peterbilt dealer here is just over $200 an hour.

 

The labor is a deal. Hours is a little long but if your are tedious and detail oriented as this man must have been to use 16 cans of brake cleaner to clean everything up than it is what it is.
To do the job in 4 hours at 130 an hour I think would be a rush rush job , not the kind of thing I would want to see with someone working on my bottom end.

 

Did the gear on oil pump start slipping and hurt the bearings?

 

It cost me about $1,800 at my local CAT house and their shop rate is $115 an hour. Which just goes to prove what I have always said. Whether they tell you $50 an hour, or $65, or $75 it will always end up averaging about a $100 or more. They tell you that low rate per hour to make you feel good. Then they won't stand behind the work. In my case about 100,000 miles after I had bearings rolled in my motor went down and needed an inframe. My conclusion was rolling bearings in on modern electronic diesels is a waste of money and not necessary. I was even told by the mechanic the old ones looked fine. Oil pressure did go up 5psi but even being lower with the old bearings was still in spec. Rods and mains should last well past a million and be changed when you inframe it. So basically yeah you got screwed. But hey I did too.

 

From my experience, bearing rolls are a waste of money. Bearing manufacturing, quality and oil lubricating quality is so much better now compared to 10-15 years ago or further. Bearings are good for the life of the engine now. This would be something to do at overhaul time. Doing bearing rolls for pm is a thing of the past. Any labor rate lower than $80 is a good deal. 8 hours is standard time for bearing rolls, any quicker and they are being rushed and cutting corners.

 

Back when I was in trade school we had a rep from Chevron come in and give a schpeel about engine oils and how far they've come since the 70's. A lot of it was him talking up their products but it was pretty interesting to see how far the ability of lubricants have come in the last 30 years. I do agree with PM bearing changes being a thing of the past. The materials and machining processes have come a long way in the last 30 years as well.

 

I think folks are overlooking the oil pump replacement, may be the reason for bearings, think about it