GE Power & Water

Chris GOULD
Mechanical Engineering
GE Jenbacher GmbH & Co OG
Distribution list Achenseestr. 1-3
Jenbach, Subsidiaries, Service Providers A-6200 Jenbach, Austria
T +43 5244 600 3253
christopher.gould@ge.com

Service Technician Instruction ST-149 21 April 2015

Engine type J624-G/H

Subject Connecting Rod and Bearing
Reuse Criteria

Service Technician Instruction ST-149 describes the reuse criteria for J624 connecting rods and bearings after
disassembly.

AFFECTED ENGINES / SCOPE OF THIS BULLETIN

All J624 engines versions G and H.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTENT

This document describes the criteria for reusing connecting rods and bearings when any of the following conditions
are observed:
• Bearing rotation
• Oil coking on big end bore
• Pitting/fretting corrosion on the connecting rod serration
• Fretting corrosion on the bearing back

Furthermore ST-149 defines some Basic Guidelines (regarding the connecting rod bolts, burrs and tools), Cleaning
Instructions and additional information about the Syntec overlay (Bearing Reuse Criteria) as well as the Engine
Running-In Procedure.

This reuse criteria instruction is applicable once the connecting rod has been disassembled but it is not an instruction
for a proactive campaign inspection or replacement.

This procedure is to be applied whenever a connecting rod is opened.

• It does not apply for connecting rods that have completed 30.000oph as connecting rods and bolts must be
replaced after 30.000oph as per applicable maintenance schedule.
• Furthermore it does not apply for connecting rod bearings that have more than 500oph as such bearings must be
replaced whenever the connecting rod bolts and cap are removed (see ‘Bearing Reuse Criteria’ further down).

GE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

The information contained in this document is General Electric Company proprietary information and is disclosed in confidence. It is the property of GE and may not be used, disclosed to
others or reproduced without the express written consent of GE. This includes, but is not limited to, use of the information to create, manufacture, develop or derive any repairs, modifications,
spare parts, designs or configuration changes, or to obtain government or regulatory approval to do so. If consent is given for reproduction in whole or in part, this notice and the notice set
out on each page of this document shall appear in any such reproduction in whole or in part.

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 SERVICE TECHNICIAN INSTRUCTION ST-149
Connecting Rod and Bearing
Reuse Criteria

BEARING ROTATION
Following disassembly of the connecting rod cap, inspecting of the bearing position must be immediately made.
ACCEPTABLE UNACCEPTABLE

>2mm

Bearing edge lines up with the connecting rod parting line within 2mm.
Connecting rod can be reused BUT the bearing MUST be replaced
considering the ’Bearing Reuse Criteria’ defined further down.
Table 01: Bearing rotation
The edge of the bearing no longer lines up with the cap and the
‘tang’/’positioning nose’ is not in its slot. This indicates that the rod and
bearing have operated under critical conditions.
Connecting rod AND bearing must be replaced.

OIL COKING ON BIG END BORE

ACCEPTABLE UNACCEPTABLE

Light general coking distributed on the connecting rod surface with no Localised areas of solid black oil coking where a thicker layer is
significant local build-up. detectable.
Connecting rod use permissible. Do not reuse connecting rod.
Table 02: Oil coking on big end bore

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 SERVICE TECHNICIAN INSTRUCTION ST-149
Connecting Rod and Bearing
Reuse Criteria

PITTING/FRETTING CORROSION ON THE CONNECTING ROD SERRATION

ACCEPTABLE UNACCEPTABLE
PITTING FRETTING CORROSION

Pitting, to any extent, in the serration could be detected in some Fretting with rust, to any extent, requires replacement of the
connecting rods. However, it does not indicate malfunction in the connecting rod.
serration.
Connecting rod use permissible. Do not reuse connecting rod.
Table 03: Connecting rod serration

FRETTING CORROSION ON THE BEARING BACK

ACCEPTABLE UNACCEPTABLE

No visible sign of fretting. Fretting detected on the bearing back close to the bearing split line.
Connecting rod use permissible. Do not reuse connecting rod.
Note: Bearing must be replaced anyway. Note: Bearing must be replaced anyway.
Table 04: Bearing back condition

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 SERVICE TECHNICIAN INSTRUCTION ST-149
Connecting Rod and Bearing
Reuse Criteria

BASIC GUIDELINES
• BOLTS: Always check thread and corresponding surfaces of head and cap, must be free of burrs and smooth, to
avoid loss of torque!
• BURRS: If possible always inspect connecting rod surfaces for presence of burrs. Do not install the connecting rod
if a burr is present in any location.
• TOOLS: Always use the proper connecting rod/bearing alignment tools according to TA 1400-0170.

BIG END BORE CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS

The big end must be cleaned ONLY using the following tools/method.
Tools
ITEM REQUIREMENT
De-greasing agent E.g. Brake cleaner Hollu AW 491
Cleaning cloth Lint-free
Scotch Brite™ Rough structure, 3M 100
Never use higher numbers (a more fine-grand type of Scotch BriteTM).
Use a new Scotch BriteTM for each connecting rod.
Table 05: Connecting rod cleaning tools

Method
IF THE BORE IS ALREADY HONED:
• Do NOT use Scotch BriteTM!
• Use decreasing agent ONLY!

IF THE BORE IS NOT HONED:

• Use Scotch BriteTM!
Using the rough structure 100 Scotch Brite™, the bore (connecting rod
+ cap) should be cleaned in a diagonal direction. Then the opposite
diagonal direction to create a cross hatch honing structure and
removing oil coke deposits.
After cleaning with Scotch Bright™ 100, use the de-greasing agent to
clean the surface of the cap ensuring no debris or residues remain.
NOTE: DO NOT use Scotch Brite™ finer than 100 as this could cause the
surface to be too smooth, preventing adequate bearing retention.
NOTE: When connecting rod remains in the engine, this procedure can
only be made on the cap. Never use Scotch Brite™ inside the engine!
The upper bearing bore can be cleaned with degreasing agent sprayed
onto a clean cloth prior to reaching inside the engine.
NOTE: Always clean the serration with a lint-free cloth.

The bearing bore MUST NOT be cleaned in the circumferential

direction.

Table 06: Connecting rod cleaning instructions

NOTE: De-greasing agent must never be used on the bearing back, only on the connecting rod. The residual oil often
found on the back of new bearings actually helps with the bearing settling during assembly. Please find a detailed
assembly procedure in TA 1400-0170.

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 SERVICE TECHNICIAN INSTRUCTION ST-149
Connecting Rod and Bearing
Reuse Criteria

BEARING REUSE CRITERIA

If the connecting rod bolts and cap are removed at any time, the bearings must be exchanged for new bearings PN
1218261 (lead-free).
EXCEPTION: When the bearings 1218261 have <500 hours running time AND the Syntec overlay is still intact. The
Syntec overlay has a dark grey appearance. If it has been removed the Sputter coating under the Syntec will show
through as a shiny light grey area (see examples in photographs below).
Disassembled bearings have to be wiped off with lint-free cleaning cloths, which can be slightly oiled, before
reassembling into the connecting rod again. In addition the bearings have to be visually inspected and checked for
damages on bearing back and running surface. It is not feasible to clean up the bearings with any brake cleaner or
other chemical cleaning liquid.
At any case of doubt, the bearings should be replaced.
NOTE: Old design bearing PN 475141 must never be reused and must be replaced with 1218261.
ACCEPTABLE UNACCEPTABLE

Full Syntec running-in layer still intact with only 1 or 2 light scratches. Dark Syntec running-in layer has been already removed on one edge.
Bearing can be reused IF operation has been less than 500 hours. Bearing must be replaced.
Table 07: Bearing reuse criteria

CONNECTING ROD BOLT TORQUEING/TIGHTENING PROCEDURE

See TA 1400-0170.

ENGINE RUNNING-IN PROCEDURE

If any bearings have been replaced, the engine must be restarted according the “Regulations for running-in GE
generating set engines” TA 1400-0100. TA 1400-0100 has been revised to include a new running-in procedure for
J624. This procedure details a new start-up process and extended load ramp times which must be adhered to ensure
safe bearing “bedding-in”.

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS
All the relevant instructions are part of the plant documentation handed over to every customer on delivery of an
engine. The latest versions of documents referred to here can be downloaded from the Jenbacher web portal
at http://information.jenbacher.com under the heading "Technical Knowledge Base".
• Technical Instruction TA 1400-0100, Regulations for running-in GE generating set engines
• Technical Instruction TA 1400-0170, Pistons, connecting rods, cylinder liners – Removal on Type J624 engines

REVISION CODE
INDEX DATE DESCRIPTION / REVISION SUMMARY
05 Apr. 21, 2015 Basic revision
04 Aug. 04, 2014 Connecting rod bolt torqueing/tightening procedure optimized
03 Jul. 25, 2014 New connecting rod bolt torqueing/tightening procedure added
02 Feb. 28, 2014 Additional cleaning instructions added
01 Jan. 27, 2014 First version of this document
Table 08: Revision history

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GE proprietary information: CONFIDENTIAL Uncontrolled when printed or transmitted electronically
Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restrictions on the cover or on the first page.