OMG I blew my motor apart this weekend, any ideas why???

[chpseat987]

My buddie talked me into loading up and we went to Grand Junction Col for test N tune and a jackpot race. I have to say that was the smoothest track ive ever ran down and the people were very nice.

BUT my first 4 hits I really struggled with the tune. Never got it bellow 12 seconds and thats un-heard of.. My last hit of the day it launched really hard it was great, grabbed second gear and it sputtered, I peteled it and it cam back grabed third gear had a bad vibration looked in my mirror and seen smoke thought for a sec I blew a tire. shut the swtiches off and got it out of the groove and stopped. I put number 1 and 2 rods through the side of the block blew oil all over the car and dam near caught fire. I Freaked, everything I have is in that motor all my savings GONE.. It was a Very bad day. Not sure what im going to do now but tear it down and hope I didnt loose my heads also. I need a new 600 plus HP BBC short block anyone got one 4 sale? What do you think happened???

[curtisreed]

You are going to have to provide a lot more info on your combination and what you were doing, such as spraying and how much, to get any better answer. The best answer is going to come when you tear it apart and then tell what you see.

Curtis

[johnracer]

That sucks! I had no idea that was you. I was there, gray Vette roadster at the far end of the staging lanes.......lot's of possibilities there. I noticed on a previous post something about losing oil pressure last year. Did you find that problem? Might be related.

Really should tear it down and see if you can spot anything. If I can help, let me know....
Johnny SG5306

[chpseat987]

Ya that was me... :( Sorry for messing up the track out there and the long down time one of the rods busted through the diaper it caught alot of the oil but not all then about 4 gallons or so of water.. its just an average build 427 BBC, 14:1 comp high domb pistons, No spray all throttle runing 110 octane.

[curtisreed]

That sucks! I had no idea that was you. I was there, gray Vette roadster at the far end of the staging lanes.......lot's of possibilities there. I noticed on a previous post something about losing oil pressure last year. Did you find that problem? Might be related.

Really should tear it down and see if you can spot anything. If I can help, let me know....
Johnny SG5306

Look for a black bearing. Usually the bearing spins then out come the rods. Sorry for your misfortune.

Curtis

[chpseat987]

I did loose oil pressure last year, that was fixed this WAS a fresh motor, bearings, crank polish, rings, new cam, Lifters, they did find my crank was bent by .0010 but was able to straighten it.. :shock:

[bubbabbc]

I have a new 467 short block I can sell you. It is a GM 4-bolt block, +060 over, with ARP main studs. The block has been align-honed, bored and honed with torque plates, and decked with BHJ fixture. The deck height is 9.786". The crank is a new Callies Magnum 4.00 stroke. The Carrillo rods have been reconditioned by Carrillo and have new Carrillo bolts. The new CP Pistons are high dome (approx 14:1 CR) and the rotating assembly is internally balanced. The cam bearings and brass soft plugs are installed. The main and rod bearings are Clevite "H" series. The parts are all new, with the exception of the rods, which are Carrillo reconditioned. This short block is ready to install cam, and is on a one piece engine cradle. If you're interested ,give me a call.

(315) 343-6030 days
(315) 343-3666 evenings after 8pm EDT

[johnracer]

No big deal about making a mess. That's racing....would've been much worse without the diaper.
Did you assemble it yourself or have someone else do it? Definately look for black bearings like doorracer suggested and/or black rod big ends. Since it was fresh, it's probably a clearance or assembly issue such as rod caps swapped, bolt torque, or if it had h-series bearings, swapped bearing halves. The h series rod bearings have a large chamfer on one side, so there is an upper and lower half. Could also have been a rod bolt failure or a number of other things....
Later,
Johnny

[Tod74]

I never blew one on the track but I busted a lifter which ruined the entire engine,including the block. Had my friends not been there I probably would have cried. I operate on a tight budget and building an engine for me takes time...buying it piece by piece as funds allow...so I know how you feel. It sucks but it happens.

[cepx111]

yeah buddy, nothing sucks more than being a buget racer and blowing your goods to smitherings, been there done that.
Though I cant offer up too much insite as to what may have caused your problem, but my first guess would be a bearing/oil related issue of some sort causing the rod(s) to weld them selves to the crank then exit the stage left, been there done that too, it sucks, I feel your pain.

This may be a touigh pill to swallow but learn from it and you'll be better off in the long run.
Heres a suggestion for your next build:

If you dont already have one, plumb in a low oil pressure warning light, a BIG BRIGHT RED one.
Have it right in your face, the instant you see it come on, kill the power, it just might save you a few thousand dollars and or the entire motor, its easy to do and is a relatively inexepnsive detection system.

I teed into my oil pressure gauge fitting with a single wire idiot light sensor I bought from a local parts house, I paid all of $5 dollars for it, the light I used was old shift light I had laying around the shop, mounted it right next to my tach in clear view.

A oil accumlator is another good investment, though more expensive.


Hope you get back to racing soon.

Regards, Cp

[TheYellaBrick]

A fellow budget race here also...
Spent all winter piecing together a brand 'new' 360 for my circle burner.
Second race out a pushrod 'pushed' right through a rocker and caused catastrophic engine failure like I'd not experienced up to that time.
Blasted the piston, which came off the rod, which went clean through the side of the block. Coolant steam and oil smoked the whole track....VERY embarrassing to say the least ! But boy what a smoke show !! :shock: :shock: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[cepx111]

A fellow budget race here also...
Spent all winter piecing together a brand 'new' 360 for my circle burner.
Second race out a pushrod 'pushed' right through a rocker and caused catastrophic engine failure like I'd not experienced up to that time.
Blasted the piston, which came off the rod, which went clean through the side of the block. Coolant steam and oil smoked the whole track....VERY embarrassing to say the least ! But boy what a smoke show !! :shock: :shock: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
OUCH!!!

DD< Too bad they dont make a broke pushrod warning light..lol

[suicidebomb]

DD, did you invent some new cuss words, or string some of the old ones together in new and colorful ways? :)

[suicidebomb]

ANGRY parts, wanted out!!

[chpseat987]

no kidden and OUT THEY WENT, kind of like a women they always get there way LOL. Im going to pull the motor this weekend and get it up to th machiest for an autopsy, I'll try to get some pics and put them on my race space for you all to see.

[chpseat987]

My car is at a friends house, he has been taking my car apart when he can little by little. Went over last night he had the right head ready to pull, we found a Brand new Expensive Comp lifter did i say they were brand new and expensive,on #8 ex broken ???? pulled the head and there is no sign of a vlave hitting a piston, the cyl look great and the tops of all the pistons look great, they was a little bit of black thick carbon on them I was running way fat. The head looks great no signs at all from anything gone wrong except for the #1 and the #2 rods sticking out the side of the block. So its still a mystery for all of us. This weekend im planning on pulling the other head and the motor and getting it up to the machinest for the autopsy.

WISH ME LUCK.... Ill keep everyone posted of the findings and hope some pictures.

[chpseat987]

here aree some pics of the findings, number 1 rod looks like a pretzel, and #6 was hydrolic ?? that is way wierd what ya think? dam it cant figure it out how to add them, but if you would like they are on my racespace in my album.

[DirkaDirka]

I went and looked at those pics and to me it looks like the valves were hitting the piston in a couple of those pics.

[TheYellaBrick]

X2..at least on the only one pictured...really tough deal. Did you 'clay' the valve to piston clearance during the build ?

[chpseat987]

ya my machinest did, he said with the piston I had it barley met mininum clearance. I dont remember what that number is though.

[TheYellaBrick]

Barely on the tight side ??

Was that cylinder one of the 'rod thru block' ones ?

[Tod74]

ya my machinest did, he said with the piston I had it barley met mininum clearance. I dont remember what that number is though.

I tried to look at the pics but didn't see any engine pics on your race space.

If you had a broken lifter and the pistons hit the valves you may have floated the valves...valve float will beat a roller lifter to pieces in a hurry.

[cepx111]

ya my machinest did, he said with the piston I had it barley met mininum clearance. I dont remember what that number is though.

valve float will beat a roller lifter to pieces in a hurry.


Sounds like the voice of experience right there.

[TheYellaBrick]

Here ya go Tod;

http://www.racingjunk.com/gallery/album/4730

[Scooterz]

I like the pic of the side of block w/ the hole in it... epic carnage when that happens.

[chpseat987]

Ya it hurts everyday let me tell ya... I missed our first race of the season this last friday and im going to miss the second race this coming friday. Its tough had all my savings in that dam motor. so I get to try to find some overtime and mabey sometime mid season I can get back out there. And yes that was Cyl #1 that had markings from the valves that went through the block. Number 2 rod was fine But here is the wierd part number 6 Hydrolic so bad you can see it clear as day. so I blew apart number 1, squished number 6. and the lifter being broke we found one of the Number 1 rod nuts in the lifter valley we think it got caught in the lifter and thats what broke it. oh and not one single bent pushrod?? Wierd.