Engine Blow-Ups

[Bob McNeill]

We are currently having dramas with a chinese copy of a 248 cube Perkins, Owner complained of oil lite flashing and dealer said it,s a faulty sender and sent a new one. Problem loader frame prevents removal of sender and actually touches terminals. [cure is to cut 50mm hole in frame ] Owner goes plowing with lite on and under full power several hours later motor self destructs. Reason, the idler from crank to balance weights AND oil pump has a 6mm bolt holding the gear in place. Bolt sheared off. Perkins genuine has bush located INTO housing and locked in by 1/2 UNF bolt. Dealer now has 3 out of 4 tractors fail as has his business, and factory supplied fan to flywheel units require a modification similar to Perkins, but at owners cost. By the way these tractors are a lovely LEMON colour.

[ozm29c]

Attached is a photo of what remained of my Toyota Landcruiser 80 series 1HDT big end bearings. The rest of the bearings were in the sump in tiny pieces. I managed to catch the engine before # 2 and 5 conrods disintegrated. Believe me this engine failure happened in seconds, all was fine then a loud knock knock knock and stop. I was towing my horse float with horses aboard.
I purchased this vehicle years ago second hand unaware that it had not been returned to Toyota in its warranty period to have the bigend bearings replaced.
Apparently 1HDT engines are still prone to bigend bearing problems.
Cheers
John W.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

Interesting reading about various violent deaths of engines. I once grenaded engine in my 1969 Jeep plow truck it was equipped with Buick 350 V8, plowing along in deep snow 1st gear, low range when all of a sudden a very loud bang, then near total silence. Only the faint ticking of hot metal.

Turn key to try and restart, hoping it was just a loud backfire, nothing. Open the hood the wrist pin and top half of the connecting rod were laying on one frame rail while on the other side the bottom of the connecting rod was sitting on the other frame rail. A large puddle of oil and antifreeze was forming on the ground under the truck.

When we drag the critter in shop and after stripping the engine of all accessories to be installed on the replacement and engine. Pulling the engine then revealed the full extent of the damage :

• Hole big enough look through from one side to the other.
• Two inch slice cut out of the oil pan under number one cylinder
• When the distributor was pulled as a possible spare the drive gear had been smashed off.
• The cam shaft was broken into four pieces.
• Camshaft timing gear was smashed.
• Number one piston was missing, nothing but little bits of aluminum.

What I surmise happened was that a valve on the number one cylinder had stayed open the following collision with the piston was catastrophic, resulting in the piston disintegrating. Which was followed by the wrist pin and connecting rod making one or more revolutions acting as a sledge hammer on the inside of the engine. Before leaving the engine a low velocity.

The picture which I just took is of the two bits of that engine that I set on the shelf in garage as mementos.

Cheer Phil

The Jeep went on to plow for many more years with a junkyard engine replacement. In fact it was in use up until two or three years ago.

[Lynn Eades]

John W., I have heard those motors should get new shells every 100,000.
Apparently they have some inherent crankshaft vibration. It seems they are known to fail at one particular big end.
A fellow mechanic was telling me about it. I have no first hand knowledge.

[Phil Waterman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_8Fc9qAZcw

It speaks for itself

Cheers Phil

[David DeWeese]

Hi,

Found this one tonight...not a failure, but can't believe it didn't....gave me the shivers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M1o2rpO_JY

Thanks, David

[Lynn Eades]

Detroit! Running on it's own oil (sucked through the blower seals?)
She has an emergency stop on that inlet.