Slide bearings are an essential part of any IC engine. Slide bearings support the load on the engine crankshaft. Due to increased loads and complex requirements, it is necessary to use bearing materials specifically tailored to suit the particular application. Nevertheless, seizure of crankshaft and slide bearings can occur for a number of reasons, mostly due to improper lubrication. We distinguish three types of slide bearings, main bearings (pillow block), big end bearings, and axial bearings.

Crankshaft troubleshooting with damaged sliding bearing seats starts with inspection of the crankshaft axis plane (protrusion) on the machine. If the bearing seat is more severely damaged, it is then cleaned by grinding and inspected for micro-cracking by the magnaflux test. In most cases, the crankshafts are made for special grinding. Some crankshafts require factory nitriding and need to be re-nitrided after grinding. After grinding, each crankshaft is then polished.

If there are no bearings in size-down on the market or you need to start grinding the crankshaft outside the planned dimensions (rescue), it is possible to manufacture bearings in cooperation with external factories or to adjust bearings from other engines that meet the existing demand.