I recently just got another 93 f150 with a 5.0 the guy i got it from said the thrust bearings are bad?? he gave me the bearings and said to take the oil pan off and you can change them that way. I have never done this at all. When i grab the pulley i can pull it out about 1/8 of an inch and slide it back in. Are the thrust bearings the problem?? The way i see it is if you pull the crankshft forward it would put the connecting rods outta whack and would break them. the truck runs and drives just fine has no knocks or nothing the only thing i can notice is the belt squeals a little bit and what i was told it was due to the thrust bearing. Does anyone know what the problem is and how to fix it?? Thanks for all the help!!

 

Did you figure this out? I’m having the same problem with my 92 5.0

 

That is what the thrust bearings are for and if you are going to open it to replace them, you might as well replace all of the rod and main bearings.

The better way to do this is to look at the bearing shells and decide if std or oversize bearings might be required. The right way is to measure the journals on the crankshaft and compare the measurements to the specs.
Halfway measures can comeback to haunt you.
Best to have an experienced shop with the equipment handle this project.

If the crankshaft has been doing this for quite a while,you could be looking at a torque converter seal too.