Crankshaft endplay clearances

Hi guys, I’m just in the process of rebuilding my ALH ( with NEW parts ) and need some assistance with endplay numbers

With the mains caps all torqued to 48 ft-lbs I cannot get the suggested end play as per the Bentley. The most I can achieve is .02mm

If I take the #3 main cap off and perform the test again I get .10mm - which of course is perfect

So this leads me to believe that I have an issue with the two thrust bearings on the cap end.

It was suggested that I sand down the front thrust bearing ( on both sides) down a few thou and perform the test again

So... I was hoping some tdi engine rebuilders could throw in some suggestions. Should I just do the one bearing, both , flatten down the tang???



Cort




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Are they NEW thrust bearings? I cannot honestly say I have ever felt any need to replace those, because I have never seen enough wear on them to be concerned over. And ETKA only shows one version. The "kit" is 026-198-421 which consists of (2) 056-105-635-B (lower) and (2) 056-105-637-B (upper).

These are one of the handful of pieces leftover from the old engines (056 is a common prefix for the old Rabbit engines). They do not even offer anything plus or minus sized.

So I'd be curious if you took a mic and checked the thickness old vs. new. Normally these engines do not have crank/bearing wear issues unless something catastrophic happened.

Glyco also has a main bearing set that has the center bearing shells with thrust lips made on to them, but they are also only listed as one size fits all.

Actually, some place used to offer three thicknesses for the old 1.6 thrusts. But, I don't recall where that was.

Are you SURE you have clean surfaces where the bearings fit into? Installed right?

I, too, rarely need to go with new....even on the old 1.6's with the totally different clutch system.

Try to swap the four around and see if that changes things.

I would NOT go with an integrated center thrust. They offer about 45% of surface area over the old inserts. On the older 1.6's, the integrated thrust bearing would get down to the copper very quickly even with my gentle use of the clutch and NOT standing around with my foot on the clutch at stop lights, etc.

You sure you did not manage to "bend" one or more of these while the engine was apart? Did you inspect your corresponding crank surfaces prior to assembly?

Paying attention to these obscure details pays dividends.

Prairieview said:

Actually, some place used to offer three thicknesses for the old 1.6 thrusts. But, I don't recall where that was.

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Enginetech and Clevite comes to mind from when I was in a auto parts warehouse. I don't remember if it was one or both of them.

I seem to recall having one 1.6 crank with to much end play. Got it cut to fit the over size length bearings.

Enginetech pistons & rings usually .010 (US) over size.

Are they NEW thrust bearings? I cannot honestly say I have ever felt any need to replace those, because I have never seen enough wear on them to be concerned over. And ETKA only shows one version. The "kit" is 026-198-421 which consists of (2) 056-105-635-B (lower) and (2) 056-105-637-B (upper).

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Yes they were brand new. In fact I ordered two sets - one from Idparts, the other from VW

These are one of the handful of pieces leftover from the old engines (056 is a common prefix for the old Rabbit engines). They do not even offer anything plus or minus sized.

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I did check for different sizes as well - nada

I'd be curious if you took a mic and checked the thickness old vs. new. Normally these engines do not have crank/bearing wear issues unless something catastrophic happened.

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I did mic the new sets. All sat around 1.96xx mm. Unfortunately I tossed the originals in the garbage about six months ago so i cant compare new vs old.

Glyco also has a main bearing set that has the center bearing shells with thrust lips made on to them, but they are also only listed as one size fits all.

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I did see these as well, but I was told to stay away from them because they limit/reduced the proper oil flow compared to the 4 piece design

Are you SURE you have clean surfaces where the bearings fit into? Installed right?

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Try to swap the four around and see if that changes things.

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Spotless.. The machine shop cleaned the block after the work was done.
After I painted it, I washed it down with soapy water, WD40, used compress air, and had everything wrapped up in plastic

I have the oil channels on the TB facing out and it appears they do not have a right or left orientation. The bottoms can only fit on the caps NOT on the mains.

I would NOT go with an integrated center thrust. They offer about 45% of surface area over the old inserts. On the older 1.6's, the integrated thrust bearing would get down to the copper very quickly even with my gentle use of the clutch and NOT standing around with my foot on the clutch at stop lights, etc.

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Agreed

You sure you did not manage to "bend" one or more of these while the engine was apart? Did you inspect your corresponding crank surfaces prior to assembly?

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The engine was bought from PNP to replace a ALH that was a runaway. I had the machine shop inspect everything - no red flags. They bored and decked the block, as well, polished the crankshaft.
When the engine was taken home, i immediately put it into the engine stand and quarantined the caps. I plastigaged the mains - all within spec and the engine turns over smoothly

I just re-installed my alh set a few days ago...putting the busted Beetle back together. Otherwise, I would measure them.

I do have a pair of AVH 2002 gas Jetta thrusts sitting out where I work 65 miles south.

Who suggested you sand them down? And, were they suggesting the "work" side or the backing plate side?
What is PNP? Is it possible they sub'ed a #3 cap for some reason?

I just re-installed my alh set a few days ago...putting the busted Beetle back together. Otherwise, I would measure them.

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Ah bummer, just my luck I feel pretty confident that I have the correct TB's for the ALH. I must admit, the odds of purchasing the wrong set from two different companies is pretty slim.

Who suggested you sand them down? And, were they suggesting the "work" side or the backing plate side?

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I went to the machine shop to discuss my issue- two shops actually. Both had mentioned to check that the bearing(s) did not have any burrs on them, which of course I did. One gentleman suggested sanding down the fwd thrust bearing (the one on the main cap) a few thous - front and back and repeat the test. He also pointed out that the #3 cap must be pushed to the side ( I forget if it was to the front or back of the engine) with a screwdriver while the cap bolts are tightened down. This will assure the TB is seated properly. I'm gonna take a time-out and do this tomorrow night

What is PNP? Is it possible they sub'ed a #3 cap for some reason?

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Pick N Pull. The main caps are in sequential order from 1->5 so I'm golden there

I would be inclined to only remove material from the "backing plate" (non-working side) of the insert. Do you have access to a precision ground steel block (probably not) or a piece of stout glass to perform your sanding on?

400 grit or 600 grit or 800 grit?

I have a couple of precision ground blocks which I use for all kinds of stuff like this. It isn't going to take much time to remove some material...so beware. If you go too far......new ones are only aboooot $15 prior to shipping. hahaha......

Nope... don't like it. We use Kolbenschmidt or Glyco thrust bearings. I agree with OH, rarely do we feel the need to replace them. Something looks wrong on the picture of the thrust washer, as it is shown in the picture for the bottom bearing. The tang is buggered out against the crank. I agree, it's really hard to mess up something that can only go in one way, but it appears you may have done so.

This is not apparent, but I do assume there is a very off-chance one or more of the caps are backward. Normally, a crank cap is offset enough you can't install backward or it will bind the crank. But that is not a 100% case. Some caps are cut very close. Both of the tangs on the block and on the cap are to the same side.

As for plastigauge, the people who I know that build engines never use it. You measure the crank. You measure the bore. When you have the right dimensions, it works.

Whatever you have with your thrust washers, I wouldn't be ruining them by sanding on them. They are correctly and accurately made from the factory, assuming you got something that isn't CRAP. I hope you can figure out the error and fix it.

We have seen the one-piece center bearing/ thrust washer sets made by Kolbenschmidt, but not Glyco. Tried ONE SET. Never again...

There are times that the side journals will gall and you can get oversize bearings. To date, we have not had to do that, as when the thrust journal was damaged, there were other issues that caused us to condemn the crank. But they do have .25 and .5mm oversize bearings. the crank would have to be cut to fit those bearings.

We use Kolbenschmidt or Glyco thrust bearings.

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One set i bought was kolbenschmidt and the other was VW

Something looks wrong on the picture of the thrust washer, as it is shown in the picture for the bottom bearing. The tang is buggered out against the crank. I agree, it's really hard to mess up something that can only go in one way, but it appears you may have done so.

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Ya i feel the TB on the rear side of the engine is not sitting correctly - it sit too far out

This is not apparent, but I do assume there is a very off-chance one or more of the caps are backward. Normally, a crank cap is offset enough you can't install backward or it will bind the crank. But that is not a 100% case. Some caps are cut very close. Both of the tangs on the block and on the cap are to the same side.

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I did go tang-to-tang on all caps. For ****s-and-giggles I reversed the #3 cap and stopped immediately because it was binding the crank

As for plastigauge, the people who I know that build engines never use it. You measure the crank. You measure the bore. When you have the right dimensions, it works.

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I wanted to do the build myself and unfortunately I can not afford those measuring tools and was under the impression that using plastigage was a valid testing method

Whatever you have with your thrust washers, I wouldn't be ruining them by sanding on them. They are correctly and accurately made from the factory, assuming you got something that isn't CRAP. I hope you can figure out the error and fix it.

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I used a 500 grit paper and flat piece glass to sand them down. I mic'ed three spots on the bearing to make sure they where close - they were
In the end it didn't improve my numbers.

What I did do tonight;
1) Tried another crankshaft - same numbers (0.00 mm)

2) Removed the two bottom thrust bearings (left the two top ones in) and torqued #3 down. I then pushed the crankshaft to the front of the engine - same numbers (0.00 mm)

3) Removed bearing cap #3 (left the two top TB in) and pushed crankshaft to the front of the engine - measured 0.10 mm on the dial indicator. The crankshaft did not reset back to its home position ( 0.00 mm)

So... it looks like I have a main cap #3 issue. It's too wide.

Not to be an anus or anything......what happens if you install the #3 cap without the thrusts? Or...did I miss you already doing this?

So, this engine was fully assembled and had been running when you bought it?

I did bring home the two #3 cap thrusts out of that AVH gas engine tonight. The one measures (with my Mititoyo digital caliper...not a micrometer) 1.94/5 mm and the other at 1.96 mm. THAT would be on the "working" surface.....not in the oil space.

This engine had 155,000 miles BUT had been run TOTALLY hot (I think the water pump went and they just kept going...) and they actually turned all but one quart of oil (in the entire engine) into solid carbon!!!!

Yes, there was a brick of carbon in the pan.....I had NEVER seen anyone do this. they burned up every plastic piece on the engine.

SO.....these thrusts may have been slightly "machined."
I bought this car for body parts.

Not to be an anus or anything......what happens if you install the #3 cap without the thrusts? Or...did I miss you already doing this?

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I'll edit my above post because it wasn't clear. I did re-installed the #3 cap with the two lower thrust washers removed and I was still unable to get the correct end play (The dial indicator snap back to zero once the screwdriver was remove)

So, this engine was fully assembled and had been running when you bought it?

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The engine was 100% assembled. I took the short block down to the machine shop that day it was pulled

This engine had 155,000 miles BUT had been run TOTALLY hot (I think the water pump went and they just kept going...) and they actually turned all but one quart of oil (in the entire engine) into solid carbon!!!![emoji33]

Yes, there was a brick of carbon in the pan.....I had NEVER seen anyone do this. they burned up every plastic piece on the engine.

SO.....these thrusts may have been slightly "machined."

I bought this car for body parts.

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Wow that's terrible

One last question before this goes back to the machine shop on Monday.

I’m in the process of getting the block ready for transport. I removed the crankshaft and the-installed the main caps. One thing that immediately became apparent was just how off-set the main caps sat when tightened down. If you look at the photos all the caps are pulled to right. In other words they do not sit flush at all with the main block body

I am assuming this is not a good thing and the block is now junk

Cap #3



Cap#2



And so on...






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Any chance the caps are backwards?
I'm not sure if that's possible.

wonneber said:

Any chance the caps are backwards?
I'm not sure if that's possible.

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No sir. Caps went on tang to tang. The #1 cap starts on the timing belt side of the block.

I hope I get some good news on Monday because I’m around $700.00 into that block


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I see the oil squirts and that indicates the front of the engine. The numbered caps are to the back of the engine. That is the correct direction. The fact that the tangs for the bearings are to the same side (although you can't see it in your picture, that indicates the main caps are installed in the correct direction.

Did you ever have this engine running? We bought one block that the owner had swapped main caps from another engine. But here is the thing with the mains. They are all machined in sets, attached to the block and align bored. Even for the engine with the wrong set installed, we had the align bore done and fixed the error. In your case, you are showing a cap that was out-of-line laterally.

We have heard of an engine shop screwing up sets of caps between two Chevy 350's. There were two ruined engines when those two builders put things back together. Is it possible the shop you work with had another VW block in the shop at the same time? That's a one-in-a-million shot.

I'd try to place the cap into it's correct alignment laterally. There is a possibility that there is damage to the ends of the main cap from being dropped, or the opening on the block that the main bearing cap fits tightly into has a burr or deformity. Run a file across the sets of flats and make sure to clean up any possible damage.

As I said, the sets of main bearings are manufactured separately from the block and then when attached, they are align bored. I would guess that if all your caps, when tightened down without installing the thrust bearings, you have a free-turning crank. So, if you can install without the thrust bearings, and have a free-turning crank, I doubt you have the wrong main caps.

The last operation in the initial machining of the block after align boring the crank caps is to machine the two sides of the center crank cap for perfect alignment of the thrust washer's bearing surface.

So, the question is, can you force that cap to align, front-to-back in the block? I have a feeling, if that is truly the correct cap, you may find some damage to the side contact points in the block or cap. It may be forcing itself into an incorrect location.

I would be very interested to see the cap and it's side contact points.

Did you ever have this block in a running state? You wouldn't believe what we've seen foisted on John Q. Public.... is it possible the center main was changed-out? Sure, why not? We've seen every other way to screw up an engine.

This thread has been in the doldrums for a few days, so I took the initiative to pm Mr.loops.

His response was that the machine shop altered the bottom bearings to make them fit.

In all the blocks I have ever put together, I have NEVER had an issue like this and truthfully, that is a LOT of blocks. Not only are the top and bottom thrust washers not running flat to each other, but the main bearings are also out of line.

I took the #3 main cap off of two blocks we have currently in the shop for rebuild. With the crank cap bolts screwed down to touch the cap, I can move the cap laterally almost 1/4". I can create the gap you have by pushing the cap all the way to one side. But then, the bottom thrust and top thrust washers are terribly out of line. the fact that all the caps are made basically identically the same and then fit to the block leaves me with the same comment I said earlier. I would pull the crank out and make sure the cap and block fitment has no damage causing the cap to be pushed to one side. By aligning the cap with the bolts, you should be able to see the amount of deviation you can apply to the cap. Something in either the main cap or the block is keeping the cap from going on the correct way. There is a burr or hammered mark... something that needs corrected on the block or cap to make the cap align properly.

The thrust washers perform two functions. 1) They keep the crank aligned laterally, so it does not move side-to-side more than a few thousandths. 2) The rear thrust washers take the load of the clutch when released. The heavier the clutch, the more important the alignment of the thrust washers. Your crank cap is out of kilter and cutting the bearing only ruins the bearing.

FIX THE CAP AS IT GOES INTO THE BLOCK

As a footnote, we do not think pushing and holding the clutch in, especially on a large clutch, is a good practice. Your thrust bearings will last longer.

In your case, Mr.loops, I would look for the thrust bearings to fail.

I have taken pictures to describe what I think has happened to your block.

First here is a #3 main cap, pushed into the position as you show:

The overhang of the block is almost exactly the same as you show in your picture.
From another angle, this shows the crank cap bolt and the amount of deflection it will allow:

Now a picture from the opposite side, with the cap forced in the opposite direction:

As you can see, there is about .125" that the crank caps can be forced to deflect in the block housing. This is something of a fault of a 2-bolt main cap, that it can 'float around'. Unlike some Chevy or Dodge 4-bolt main caps, there is no way you can get a lateral deflection of the caps.
The next two pictures are the end of the cap and the end of the block that the crank cap that has an interference fit. the block end:

And the cap end:

I do not believe you will find any deformity, dents or damage to your block where the caps fit or on the caps themselves. The two pictures above are typical for what each end cap and block should look like.

Here is what I discovered that I seem to do by something of chance, but in truth, it should be by choice. I install the center main cap, with it's thrust washers before I install any of the other main caps.

That way, the thrust washers center the #3 cap in the correct location. If any other cap is tightened down or even pressed into position, the other 4 caps can keep the #3 main cap and it's thrust washers from locating correctly.

My solution is to remove all of your main caps and start with the middle cap. I have always done this out of pure habit, without thinking of the consequences of doing it otherwise. I'd rather that instead of doing an accidental good habit, I would do it with forethought. From now on, I will.

Check to see if I am not right.

Franko6 said:

I have taken pictures to describe what I think has happened to your block.

First here is a #3 main cap, pushed into the position as you show:

The overhang of the block is almost exactly the same as you show in your picture.
From another angle, this shows the crank cap bolt and the amount of deflection it will allow:

Now a picture from the opposite side, with the cap forced in the opposite direction:

As you can see, there is about .125" that the crank caps can be forced to deflect in the block housing. This is something of a fault of a 2-bolt main cap, that it can 'float around'. Unlike some Chevy or Dodge 4-bolt main caps, there is no way you can get a lateral deflection of the caps.
The next two pictures are the end of the cap and the end of the block that the crank cap that has an interference fit. the block end:

And the cap end:

I do not believe you will find any deformity, dents or damage to your block where the caps fit or on the caps themselves. The two pictures above are typical for what each end cap and block should look like.

Here is what I discovered that I seem to do by something of chance, but in truth, it should be by choice. I install the center main cap, with it's thrust washers before I install any of the other main caps.

That way, the thrust washers center the #3 cap in the correct location. If any other cap is tightened down or even pressed into position, the other 4 caps can keep the #3 main cap and it's thrust washers from locating correctly.

My solution is to remove all of your main caps and start with the middle cap. I have always done this out of pure habit, without thinking of the consequences of doing it otherwise. I'd rather that instead of doing an accidental good habit, I would do it with forethought. From now on, I will.

Check to see if I am not right.

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Frank,
Fantastic explanation and advice - thank you so much for you help!

I haven't stopped into the machine shop yet to pick up the block. I just needed a time-out on this thing - I'm pretty bummed on the situation. I was at PNP this morning pulling an engine harness and found another ALH engine in there. I almost pulled the damn thing to have as a back-up in case things went South.

Anyhow I'm going in tomorrow to have a chat with them to get clarification of what exactly was done to block. The original conversation was that I probably have a burr on the #3 main cap which needs to be removed. (As Frank pointed out). When I phoned back a few days later to get an update, I was told that the job was done. I asked what the problem was and service writer said that the trust bearing was taken down a few thou. So if the latter is true then I'm not going to be terribly happy (see Frank's notes above)
I always like to verify the work, so when I get the block back I'm taking it apart and will check the #3 cap myself.

Frank I'll show you some pics next week when I pick it up

Thanks again

QuickTD said:

Standard procedure with non-doweled thrust main caps is to snug the cap down lightly, pry it toward the flywheel end then pry it back the other way to center the thrust cap, then torque it down to the first stage while holding it forward. That's the way I've always done it, no problems to report.

Maybe I missed that procedure in a previous post?

Click to expand...

That was one method shown to me by several engine re-builders on YouTube. I tried it and I didn't get anywhere with it improving my numbers. That's when I panicked and sent it down to the machine shop ( At the time, I honestly didn't think I was was going to get any help with my original post - Ha, was I wrong!)

Great bunch of guy's here

QuckTD,

Basically, I've let the center main 'float' to its location, and you compel it to it's location. I follow the reasoning. With clearances below .010", I'm not sure, but I think maybe I might experiment and try and see what shim stock does on side clearances.

I think the center main cap is machined to fit the thrust washers at the same time the caps are first installed and the main journal is align bored. If that is so, there could conceivably be minor variations in the cap width at the thrust washers. That would make the absolute centering of the caps somewhat difficult. I am going to measure a bunch of caps and see what I come up with for that distance.

To date, I've never had to repair the thrust journal surface of any crank, as when the thrust journals were damaged, there was also extreme damage to other parts of the crank.

Update:
I had a chat with the service writer this morning. I asked what specifically was done to the #3 main in order to get correct crankshaft endplay. The machinist ended up polishing the cap and flatten the tangs on the TB. They did NOT grind them down which is what I thought was done originally.

He couldn’t answer if the final torque was done on the main bolts - which is disconcerning. New bolts are needed now

They are dropping the block off to my house today, which I thought was nice






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Run your torque wrench at about 50-60 ft lbs. If it clicks before it moves the bolt, they are turned to the torque to yield point. About $22 worth of bolts.

You could make a case that since the block has never been hot, the bolts have not stretched to their limit. Unless you want to obey rules to an exacting standard, I think a stock block would not make me worry.

We had one engine, years ago, that waiting for the bolts would have caused a big issue. We marked where they were originally set, removed and retorqued and added the 1/4 turn. They moved just a fraction more. We shrugged our shoulders and said, "no big deal". It's still running just fine and that was 8 years ago.

Franko6 said:

Run your torque wrench at about 50-60 ft lbs. If it clicks before it moves the bolt, they are turned to the torque to yield point. About $22 worth of bolts.

You could make a case that since the block has never been hot, the bolts have not stretched to their limit. Unless you want to obey rules to an exacting standard, I think a stock block would not make me worry.

We had one engine, years ago, that waiting for the bolts would have caused a big issue. We marked where they were originally set, removed and retorqued and added the 1/4 turn. They moved just a fraction more. We shrugged our shoulders and said, "no big deal". It's still running just fine and that was 8 years ago.

Click to expand...

Thanks again Frank

The block was picked up today and I just put it back onto the engine stand.
I checked the crankshaft endplay and guess what, I have the same bloody results as before it was sent to the machine shop.

Perhaps I’m misunderstanding the testing procedure for end play?
- align caps and tighten bolts down to first stage
- push crankshaft to the rear of the block
- zero out the dial indicator
- thrust the crankshaft forward and record the value

The above is pretty straight forward but this is what is not clear to me.
**When I release the preload should the crankshaft go back to its home position (ie: 0mm) or stay at its new forward recorded value?**

The machine shop signed off on this job as “done” so I’m going to chalk this one up as error on my part. Time to move on



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I use a dial indicator and dead-blow medium-sized hammer.
Tap crank one way or the other........zero out the indicator.......light to moderate tap does the trick. Of course the crank does not "spring" back. That's why they call it "end-play."

The crank shifts from one side to the other like a fat girl on a trampoline.

I do not pry and poke around with a screwdriver. You need to wean yourself off youtube or whatever. Common sense is king.

ONLY work with the #3 cap and set bearing clearances with ONLY the center cap.

We use Joe Gibbs assembly grease. It doesn't take much and stays exactly where you put it. Grease the thrust washers for the top bearings inside and out, using enough assembly grease that the bearings stick to the block. The top bearings are directional. Make sure the slots cut into the bearing face OUT. The bottom bearings cannot be put in wrong, as the tang that goes into the slot in the cap prevents this.

Be sure the crank and saddles are pristine clean. Install all of the top bearings, with the radial slot into the block's saddles. Apply a reasonable amount of grease on the bearing surfaces. Do not go overkill. More is not Better.

Install the crank into place in the main cap bearings. Now at this time, you should notice there is clearance between every cap and the crank can be budged back and forth in the crank bearings, only slightly, as the lower thrust washers will control the movement of the crank.

NOW WITH ONLY THE CENTER CAP... grease a NON- MODIFIED set of the bottom thrust bearings, stick the bearings into the proper locations into the center main cap and drop it into place. As with every engine I know, the tangs in the block and the tangs in the crank caps are on the same side. This is also true for the rods.

There should be absolutely no issue, that with the thrust bearings in place and worked between the thrust journals on the crank, the center crank cap will virtually center itself.

If you really want to get anal with this, figure the total clearance on the thrust bearings and split the difference between each side with a set of shims to force the center cap into exactly the right place. Tighten the two crank cap bolts for the center cap to 45 ft lbs.

Is there any problem now?

After the center cap is correctly installed, the other main caps virtually 'find their own location'.

I will make note, we use the bearing sets, for example Glyco H027, which have only 4 solid main caps and 6 slotted main caps. The 'extra' slotted bearing goes into the bottom of the #4 main bearing cap. So, both top and bottom #4 bearings are slotted.

The reason for this is a specific problem usually only seen in a given situation. The example is a 100 degree day, climbing a long, 3% grade at 75 mph and all of a sudden, the #3 rod is sticking out of the block. An otherwise perfectly running engine... WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?

The #3 rod is oiled by the #4 main journal. #3 rod is the most worked and hottest rod from the perspective of oil flow and water flow. If there is a situation that a rod failure will happen, the #3 is persistent goat. By making the #4 main journal perform 100% duty cycle, instead of 50%, the additional oil keeps the rod from blowing out. Rare as it may be, it's real and you only need to see it once to know you never want to see that happen ever again.

Ok, Mr.loops, what now?

I put one of the many blocks I have to build together last night... An AHU. The AHU and any model VW that is a 4 cylinder has very much the same order of business. In order of assembly, here is my build.
First, my favorite assembly lube. Although I have a 1lb can, we usually sell it in 2oz tubes.

Installing bearings is a 'clean room' operation. Everything should be spotless and work with everything wiped down, blown out and carefully treated.
The first thing to do is install the oil squirts, as they cannot be installed after the crank is in. Then, we start with the center bearing, #3 thrust and main bearing. Note the position of the thrust bearing, with the slots in the thrust bearing surface OUT.

We coat the surface of the main bearing lightly, as any extra will just attract dirt. Use the assembly grease to 'glue' the thrust bearings in place.
Next, install the top bearings into each of the journals in the block. Note the installed oil squirts.

Next, we bed the crank into place.

We install the crank sprocket bolt so we can use it to turn the crank. We turn the crank on the top bearings to assure nothing is binding. Any issue, now is the time to remove the crank and correct any burr, contamination or incorrect bearing size.
We now prep the center cap with the remaining thrust bearings and main cap bearing. Note that, unlike the top thrust bearings, there is no way to improperly install the bottom thrust bearings. They can only go in one way... I like that.

Limit for pictures, so continued on next post...

Place the prepared center cap into position, noting that the main bearing tang in the cap and the bearing tang in the block both go to the same side.

Center the cap. I agree with Prairieview, it's like the fat girl on the trampoline. There is very little distance between the running surface on the crank to the thrust bearings. It's just about self-centering, but make effort to align the bearings.
Then, bolt it down...

Don't waste any time checking for smooth operation of the rotating assembly. Use that 19mm 12pt wrench and turn the crank. It should spin like it's in butter.
The remaining caps, in order. If you don't know it, the #1 cap ALWAYS is the cap closest to the Timing belt side, or FRONT of the engine. #5 is closest to the transmission side.

Flip side of the same 4 crank caps, with main bearings installed and prepped with assembly lube.
Note we use the Glyco H027 version with 6 slotted and 4 solid main bearings. The #4 cap gets the extra slotted bearing to oil the #3 rod 360 degrees of rotation.

Install the balance of the main caps. Note that all the main caps number should be on the same side as the #3 main cap, already installed.
This picture shows the #1 main cap slightly offset.

I removed and retried setting it, but it insisted on it's slight offset, until I persuaded it with a dead blow hammer. If this cap were to be installed prior to setting the center main cap, it would have pushed the center cap, with it's thrust bearings, out of position. I'd rather the slight offset on #1 than any offset on #3.
I hope that helps.