Town & Country Van AWD V6-230 3.8L VIN L SMFI (1998)
3. Place a piece of Plastigage across the entire width of the bearing shell in the bearing cap approximately 6.35 mm (1/4 inch) off center and away
from the oil hole. In addition, suspect areas can be checked by placing Plastigage in the suspect area.
4. Assemble the rod cap with Plastigage in place. Tighten the rod cap to the specified torque. Do not rotate the crankshaft while assembling the cap
or the Plastigage may be smeared, giving inaccurate results.
Clearance Measurement
5. Remove the bearing cap and compare the width of the flattened Plastigage with the scale provided on the package. Locate the band closest to the
same width. This band indicates the amount of oil clearance. Differences in readings between the ends indicate the amount of taper present.
Record all readings taken. Plastigage generally is accompanied by two scales. One scale is in inches, the other is a metric scale. If the bearing
clearance exceeds 0.076 mm (0.003 inch) replace bearing.
NOTE: Plastigage is available in a variety of clearance ranges. Use the most appropriate range for the specifications you are checking.
