Spun bearing issues?

[mclarengts]

Hello guys I've been in here a lot reading and looking and learning. The Viper has been one of favorite cars since 1996 when the GTS came out hence the MclarenGTS... Well anyway I'm going to be getting into a viper before the end of the year. I really want a 2006 Coupe and I've found some first edition coupes that I like. I've seen and heard about people spinning rod bearings and having to get motors rebuilt. My question is, is that a common problem in Gen 3s? Should I step up to a Gen 4 or down to a Gen 2?

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

Mostly a problem with cars at the track, high rpm will stack oil in the top end and then in a corner the pick up tube will starve for oil. Many owners upgraded to the Competition Coupe swingarm oil pan to compensate, some even added an extra quart of oil when at the track. The Gen4/5 cars came with a swingarm pickup from factory to prevent this.

 

[Dom426h]

If you drive hard and have a 1996-1999 Gen2 then upgrade to the higher capacity 2000-2002 oil pan and add the baffle kit while your at it.
If you drive hard and have a Gen3 then upgrade to the comp coupe or gen4/5 oil pan & swinging pickup.

On the Gen3:
2003-2004 have 120 degree main bearings, 2005-2006 got "upgraded" to 160 degrees to help alleviate oil starvation issues but they still have a standard pan&pickup that can run out of oil in long sustained high-G corners.

I assume most oil starvation that leads to spun bearings happenes on the track, but keep in mind that you can pull the same amount of G's for a longer period of time on many ON/OFF ramps on the street...

 

[Dom426h]

Here is a good option for the Gen3's:

http://viperspecialtyperformance.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22_34&products_id=97

 

[mclarengts]

Ahh ok this is good info that I did not know.. Thanks

 

[swexlin]

If you have the funds, just go for a Gen 4. And I say they as an owner of a 2003. Not that I don't like my car, but the Gen 4, in addition to more power, has upgraded tranny, internals, diff, and others. That being said, the price difference between Gen 3 and Gen 4 is rather wide.

 

[AZTVR]

2003-2004 have 120 degree main bearings, 2005-2006 got "upgraded" to 160 degree

I've only rebuilt a couple of very simple low tech,old 4 and 6 cylinder engines. In my reading over the years, I have not encountered the terminology you used about bearings. A Google search wasn't explicit; but, from what I learned this morning, I am thinking that your terminology refers to the amount of the 360 degree bearing surface that does NOT have a groove? or is it the number of degrees that do have a groove? or something else? This is a design/build consideration that had never occurred to me and shows me that there is so much that I don't even realize that I don't know about.

 

[Viper Specialty]

On the Gen3:
2003-2004 have 120 degree main bearings, 2005-2006 got "upgraded" to 160 degrees to help alleviate oil starvation issues but they still have a standard pan&pickup that can run out of oil in long sustained high-G corners.

Close. 1992-2004 have 120 degree mains, 2005-2006 have 180 degree as a stop-gap. 2008+ went to a 160 compromise, but with a double oil feed hole at a secondary location.

 

[Westxsrt10]

If you can stretch it go for a Gen 4.....I know of a good one for sale.

Do your research....there is many improvement's to the gen 4 over a gen 3. (not just HP and a oil pan)

I have owned both.

 

[mclarengts]

Yeah I don't want to deal with bearing issues

 

[Roy]

Yeah I don't want to deal with bearing issues

You'll have to question yourself what kind of driver you are, if you are planning on tracking it a lot, buy either Gen 4 or a 3 with upgraded oil pan (cheaper than upgrading to a complete gen 4) But if you are a streets only guy, don't bother and save yourself the money, why spend so much more for basically the same car? (I can think of some reasons, like 100hp for instance, but it is a big price difference)

 

[Viper Specialty]

Also worthy of note, is that with the price difference between the Gen-3 & 4... you can technically buy a Gen-3 and then add this: http://viperspecialtyperformance.com/TomNSRT.asp

IMHO... a Gen-3 + VS-X700 + TR6060 + Wavetrac is just about the nicest package you can build... all for the price of a Gen-4.

 

[Flexx91]

Yeah I don't want to deal with bearing issues

Well, what are your plans for this car? (Gen. III) As many have already said, you should have no worries if it is only street-driven. If you do plan to track it, then upgrade the oil pan along with a swingarm oil pick-up tube.