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Q: I’ve had difficulty getting the main bearing clearances correct on some Ford 2.5L engines. Do you know of any updates?

A: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding the main bearing bore for 1993-2002 Ford 2.5L VIN B and KL engines. This engine is made by Mazda and has been used in the Probe and 626 models. Engine builders should exercise caution in determining the correct main bearing bore diameter for these engines. It appears some previously published information is inaccurate.

The amount of inaccuracy is minimal but if observed and used, it will provide insufficient main bearing oil clearance. Many service specifications have listed a housing bore diameter .002″ smaller than it should be.

The correct main bearing housing bore size for the above engine is 2.6378″-2.6384″ (67.000-67.016 mm). Desired main bearing oil clearance is listed as .0015-.0022″ (.038-.056 mm).

Q: I’ve had a few injector sleeves come out when trying to remove an injector on some Duramax engines. Any tips on how to repair these?

A: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding injector tube installation for 2001-2006 GM 6.6L Duramax diesel engines. This information should be considered anytime the cylinder heads are being serviced.


This engine uses a removable sleeve to locate and house the injectors for this engine. These sleeves are in direct contact with the engine coolant, which allows the injector to be a constant temperature. On occasion, the sleeve may come out with the injector when it is being removed from the cylinder head. It is important to replace any injector sleeve with scoring or other damage.
Clean the fuel injector sleeve lower sealing area and the sleeve bore with GM p/n 12377981, (Canadian p/n 10953463), or equivalent. When installing injector sleeves, always use new sealing “O” rings.

  1. Lubricate the new injector “O” rings (1) and place in the injector sleeve (2) grooves as shown in Figure 1

  2. Apply sealant (Loctite® 272 or equivalent) to the lower sealing area of injector sleeve.

  3. Place the sleeve in its respective bore and use the sleeve Remover/Installer tool p/n J45910 to install the sleeve as shown in Figure 2.

  4. Lightly tap on J45910 with a hammer to install and seat the fuel injector sleeve.

  5. Remove J45910 from the fuel injector sleeve.

  6. Install the fuel injector(s).

For information on receiving all of AERA’s regular monthly technical bulletins and other association services and benefits, call toll free 888-326-2372 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

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