Camshaft Bearings

[arco777]

On my 94 4.0 I had the camshaft bearings replaced. The Ford service manual states that the bearing oil holes must be aligned with the oil holes in the block surface.

I know on the earlier 2.9 engines this was critical because the oil holes fed the valvetrain on each side.

I asked the guy who installed my bearings if he did so; he stated that there was a groove around the cam bearings so this wasn't necessary. I've attached a picture of the bearing set I installed and sure enough there's a groove on the middle ones (some sets don't seem to have this groove), but I'm still unsure if this is good enough. And I'm unsure if the end bearings have grooves in the block around them, though he said they did.

Does anyone know for sure if this set of bearings still needs to be aligned with the oil holes, or is the groove sufficient?

 

[trashtruck]

if the mechanic who installed them is reputable i'm sure there won't be any issue with parts replacement due to incorrect installation

 

[shucker1]

My personal preference is that even if there is a grove around the outside of the bearing the oil holes should align.

Better safe than sorry...

 

[arco777]

I asked Tom Morana and he stated that he prefers to line up the oil holes, but it isn't required due to the grooved block. So I think I'm safe. Will update this thread if I find out otherwise.