i pulled my front cover off while in the car to re tap some of the oil pan bolt holes and saw that the thrust bearing plate was cracked what would cause this?

 

Excessive heat caused by lack of lubrication or a dropped torrington bearing.

 

the bearing was fine so does this mean someone ran it with low oil??

 

pic?

 

Yeah, I'd be very surprised if the bearing was fine and the plate was cracked. A cracked plate is major destruction and I'd be shocked not to find more damage somewhere else.

 

there are TWO bearings, one in front of and one behind the plate...remove the plate and inspect underneath it.

 

i removed the plate and the washer that sits behind the other bearing was cracked in half and had signs of extreme wear ...... I figure this all happened because there was no second bearing behind the plate!!!! now im wondering if this could cause other problems?? so someone before me forgot to put a bearing in and this caused the cracking of the plate and the broken washer behind the plate the stationary gear is in good condition no signs of wear should i check anything else?