Stock rod???

[EXDUNER127]

How does the stock 400 rod bad and what do you look for to see if it is still good, i have a stock motor and was gonna get it ported and polished and a local shop told me he wasnt gonna start till he knew if my rod wasnt ok, he said after 2 years it has alot of wear on it, but i havent ridden as much until recently.

I thought you didnt need to worry about it until you build your motor, and if so how big of a motor should you worry about putting a heavy duty rod?

[Quadzilla]

I'm no pro builder but do know a little about motors. I think this guy is all wet. Rods don't typically wear, it's the rod bearings. Even so, on a stock motor, I don't think that I would worry about it if all you are doing is porting/polishing. Now if you were putting a new piston, cam ,etc in there along with the porting/polishing, I could see his point but for just a port/polish, this guy sounds like a joke to me. Looks like he is tryign to make money off of you by tearing down the bottom end for no reason. Hell, if you go the bottom end apart, you might as well spend a few extra buck and drop a piston in. Then you would naturally want a cam. I think he is trying to milk you....

[SnellCRP]

The rod can have side to side play, but it can't have any up and down play. If you grab the rod where the pin goes through and pull up and it moves its time for a replacement. I'm talking moving up and down on the crank journal.

Originally posted by EXDUNER127
How does the stock 400 rod bad and what do you look for to see if it is still good, i have a stock motor and was gonna get it ported and polished and a local shop told me he wasnt gonna start till he knew if my rod wasnt ok, he said after 2 years it has alot of wear on it, but i havent ridden as much until recently.

I thought you didnt need to worry about it until you build your motor, and if so how big of a motor should you worry about putting a heavy duty rod?


I'd turn around and walk away. Send the head off to someone else and tell this guy to take a hike.

[EXDUNER127]

Thanks guys, i figured this guy wanted more money out of me. i dont know alot about motors but i knew this seemed fishy. i think i will go to my usual shop even though it is a little pricier but he has a good rep.

[SnellCRP]

Originally posted by EXDUNER127
How does the stock 400 rod bad and what do you look for to see if it is still good, i have a stock motor and was gonna get it ported and polished and a local shop told me he wasnt gonna start till he knew if my rod wasnt ok, he said after 2 years it has alot of wear on it, but i havent ridden as much until recently.

I thought you didnt need to worry about it until you build your motor, and if so how big of a motor should you worry about putting a heavy duty rod?

The compression ratio, and the RPM range you will be running the motor at will be the determining factors in choosing a aftermarket rod. Really its just good insurance if you have the cases split do the rod otherwise just wait until you do then you can change the rod. I have seen 13:1 motors with a .030 squish ran with a stock rod with no problems, but I would feel better about it with a good rod.