A have 1-2mm of movement in my crankshaft. Anyone think it could be terminal? Anyone else had it before and if so what did you do about it?

 

You've probably ruined the thrust face of the main bearing shell that has the thrusts built into it. You may also have crank damage. The only way to find out is to completely strip the unit and check the shells and the crank. Remember you have a pull clutch, so the damage will be on the front faces of the thrust shells and the rear thrust faces of the crank

Depending upon the year of your engine the thrust face will be either the centre main bearing or the rear main bearing. Cranks cannot be saved once damaged so you will need to buy a crank and shells plus necessary seals and gaskets.

There will be significant swarf from the worn surfaces, so a thorough clean out will be required of all galleries - make sure you remove ALL gallery plugs from the block and heads [ also look out for the restrictors in some galleries, they do come out with a gentle tap, and MUST be put back ].

It is possible that the end float may have damaged the oil pump gears so a careful looksee is also needed there.

If you're not mechanically adept this is not a job for an amateur.

David API Engines

 

That pretty much what I thought I would have to do, engine coming out on saturday. Typical as I have only had the car 6 weeks and only done 2-300 miles. The car had a slippery clutch when I bought it, I guess the damage wouldn't have become apparent until I replaced the clutch.

I have put it down to '**** happens!'