A realistic analysis of dynamically loaded journal bearings requires the prediction of active film region moving boundaries, thermal and elastic bearing deformations and viscosity variations due to the temperature changes in lubricant film. The following paper is aimed to develop, taking advantage of enhanced structural modeling, a thermo-elastohydrodynamic (TEHD) analysis method, fully based on the finite element technique. To this purpose updated mass and energy-conserving models, independent on the finite element type, are proposed. As an example, the detailed (three-dimensional) TEHD analysis of a connecting rod big end bearing is performed, using different formulations of the lubrication problem.