Crankshaft specs?

[KenC]

I'm going to yank my crankshaft soon. How do I check the bearing surfaces to make sure they're within their tolerances and don't need oversized bearings? I'm assuming just with calipers, bu I just want to get details and numbers.

[BlueBMW]

In this post I put up some size specifications for an M42B18 (it was for a 95 318is)  If you want me to look up for a different car just let me know.

http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10417

Although I've never done much engine building myself, when I built plastic injection molds I usually measured with micrometers for outside dimensions and a depth mic with a gauge pin for inside surfaces.  I'd think any sort of micrometer would be more accurate than calipers (though you can get pretty close with a good set of calipers)