Report that engine failure

[R31Nismoid]

yep, rb's are ****ing killer engines !

std or built, the ****s seem to only last a few thousand k's (if that)

obviosuly your doing backyard tuning u donkey.

anyway, mine was from last year

Motor - RB25DET

Type - 3 ringlands and 3 pistons (3, 4 & 6)

State of tune - Stock/Chipped ECU Running unknown tune, something jap

Reason - running of the Ext gate, was hooked up wrong but for some reason wasnt overboosting at all... then once night it decided too.

Due for a motor rebuild anyway as it was low in comp on #6 when i purchased it. Just kept my foot into it as it was moving like a freight train for an hour or so until it got so bad it was blowing a cloud of oil behind me on boost that i couldnt see anyone behind me later that month on a cruise

[nghiagero]

Engine/Car: HCR 32 gts-t Type M Rb 20det

Type of failure: Bottom end bearings decided to do a jail break from the housing, then ran amock in the bottom end, upsetting mr chrank and left him unsupported and finally he causing it buckle to one side and not not rotate on a tight axis hence killing the whole bottom end... damn end bearings....

Factors influencing the failure: car was sourced from japan, probally ex-drift/circuit due to the components already installed.

State of tune of the engine: hks 2530 turb, full 3 1/2" exhaust, nothing else to the engine

Suspension and tyres: tien HA coilovers, 16" bridgestone azensis at back, faulken sumthing in the front

Oil used and service interval: no idea, when i recieved the car the oil was blacker than a black hole, so reaplaced it with mobile 1, could be bothered trying to find motul at the time.

General comments: ok. heres the deal, be carful when you import a car, you've never seen it so you dont know how it looks/perform. my car was seemed a treat going gor 13k with the landed and complied. only after drivig it for awhile did i notice a very very subtle click click click sound coming from the engine bay afta shifting into neutral from mid speed around 60-100. afta a nite out on a friendly cruise and dinner the sound became much worse evolving into a rapid clank clank clank sound. soon lerned that the bottom end bearing wer goners and the crank had no support, GG. this was proabble to crappy oil and harsh treatment back in japan. it wasnt worth fixing the brearings so i decided to get a whole new engine swap, the price i have to pay........

[RAY]

2 rebuilts on a r33 gtr i will post the full detail tommorrow very very sad

[Abo Bob]

Engine/Car:

Rb25 R34 auto GTT

Type of failure:

Presumed ringlands in no. 6

Factors influencing the failure:

Little hose connected to T-piece going to boost controller split

as it didn't have any cable ties or anything the hold it. I had been fiddling with the boost controller for some time trying to get consistant boost but was having some trouble. Hind sight tells me the hose slowly split causing this problem.

Anyway, it wasn't getting anywhere near the set boost level so I put the duty up and up slowly with no change then I put it up heaps and the thing shot up off the stock gauge (boost) but AVC-R still only registered about 0.8 bar. Pinged like a mofo. Engine light flashed. Damage done.

State of tune of the engine:

Tune was done for 0.85 bar despite the fact I asked for it to be tuned to higher boost. I did know this however, and I knew that higher boost caused detonation as it had happened on the dyno while checking my air/fuel ratios.

Tune was a chipped stock ECU.

Suspension and tyres:

Doesn't matter.

Oil used and service interval:

Motul Chrono 3-5000kms.

General comments:

Stupid me.

[RAY]

ok here it goes

Engine/Car:

r33 gtr

Type of failure:

first time cracked pistons x 6 between the rings second time detonation

Factors influencing the failure:

First time over boosting the HKS Electronic valve controller where I wasn’t sure what the hell I did (first timer in the performance car) second time some how I managed to kill my own engine according to the Mechanic

State of tune of the engine:

Had the car for a month did full service with my mate together all good the second time the AFM plug was loose took it off all with intake drove it for about 20min and a week latter after the first rebuilt (500km) died on the M4 Sydney driving normal as down geared to 4th it farted a lot of blue and black smoke and as I pulled over it stoped no compression.

Suspension and tyres:

Nismo suspension and shocks F / R Falken tyres

Oil used and service interval:

Synthetic oil

General comments:

God it begin with not knowing performance cars and especially when you shouldn’t be touching the thing you don’t have knowledge about very very expensive car all 2 rebuilds over $20k also search around for a good, experienced and reliable Mechanic whom wouldn’t f**** you around for 2 months the first time and 3 months the second time all together I had the car with me for 2 months out of 8 months and now I am a panic button anything funny noises I would nearly have heart attack so decided to sell the car after all this problems anyone out there can convince me not to sell? That is my car.

[Rolls]

Had the car for a month did full service with my mate together all good the second time the AFM plug was loose took it off all with intake drove it for about 20min and a week latter after the first rebuilt (500km) died on the M4 Sydney driving normal as down geared to 4th it farted a lot of blue and black smoke and as I pulled over it stoped no compression.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hold on the AFM plus was lose and you took the entire intake off?

Im lost as to what you did, and how it killed the engine?

Also thats really bad luck man. Alot of money there.

[RAY]

oh did i mention 2 pair of stock turbos did i blew

and Rolls to you mate i did say being first timer in a performance car that is what made the first go and plug was loose i thought if it is off may work but that is what caused the secound time maybe the fuel ratio was high to compensate for the air i dont know

[TokyoTaxi]

Spose I'd better contribute in the name of knowledge & progress ( ?? )

Engine/Car: HCR32 RB20DET

Type of failure: #3 Big End Bearing & Crankshaft journal. ( Oil Surge ? ).

Factors influencing the failure: 215kph around turn 1 @ Eastern Creek ( 4th gear @ around 6,800rpm )

State of tune of the engine: Stock engine with FMIC, Turbo, Chippped ECU, Zorst etc, etc. 215rwkw

Suspension and tyres: Bilstien Coilovers ( track spec valving and springs ) and AZENIS Semi-Slicks 245/45/16

Oil used and service interval: Penzoil Full Synthetic 5W-50 + filter changed @ 5,000km intervals.

General comments: It wasn't a complete "KA-BOOM" failure but it was a tow truck ride home Strangest part was that every other part in the engine was sweet !! Engine had about 140,000km on it and not a sign of serious wear ( except 3# bearing & crank ). Oh and I forgot to mention.......the countersunk screws that hold the oil pump together were lose which might have contributed.

My contribution

[Beer Baron]

215kmh through turn 1 in a GTST on 16s is pretty damn impressive. what kind of times were you doing around there before the failure?

[TokyoTaxi]

215kmh through turn 1 in a GTST on 16s is pretty damn impressive. what kind of times were you doing around there before the failure?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Honestly...... no idea !!! Never got timed on a clean run and have not been back since the rebuild.

I must admit though, it's not something I could maintain with the azenis. They would start to protest severely after 1.5 laps of that kind of treatment ( especially the backs after turn 9 through 12 )

[T04GTR]

rb26. r33 gtr type 60k

stock ecu, .7bar boost. in dr30 rs-turbo.

rear turbo turbine faliue.

hears the weird part. turbine fragments went back UP the manifold and destroyed the motor. <_<

found this out from loud knocking niose imediatly after the turbo failed. also the head had ceramic fragments imbedded thru all six cylinders.

it kept on breaking the head shops tool bit on the head mill...

the block needed 40thou to remove the scratches from the bores. and also no detination marks on the pistons(except for were the ceramics had been squashed.)

no broken rings or ringlands

engine builder said it lookes somone had fed it a couple of handfuls of sand at full noise.

conditions of blow up was on limiter frying down the road in second.(quite embarising bieng at holden as a mechanic at the time and having just come back from holidays to do the conversion. )

[T04GTR]

second one was a customers car.

94 32gtr stock witha a exaust. running 13psi

spun no 4 bigend.

he thought it was ok to do 10k between oil changes and use gtx2 oil

crank was rooted as well as conrod.

all other bigends were down to copper backing. yes no whitemetal left at all.

to top it of he kept on driving it for a week with the spun bearing. when i removed the engine the front diff had no oil in it.

he informed me it recently had a clutch and major service at his local gararge.

also worth noting it had traveled 198000kms!!!

[T04GTR]

third one almost blu up.

r34gtr v-spec with 34000k

came in with a large oil leak. front crank seal pissing out.

removed all the parts and noticed the seal had been ripped up

i pryed out the seal an there was a nice piece of oil pump ripping it up.

i informed the customer ant got the authority to remove and inspect the engine.

the oil pump was fractured through the middle. and a little piece of the front had broken of and made short work of the seal.

customer wanted a new head gasket/

metal inlet,exaust gaskets/

2530turbos/hks dumps/

tomiesump baffel +restricter.+n1 oil pump.

and powerfc.

(i wish my bank acount could be like that)

i removed the head and noticed alot of pitting on no.3 piston.

ad o look a valve guides half missing!!

so after a lot of cash and time its all good.

but goes to show that age has nothing to do with the durability of these motors.

if this can hapen to a genuine 30k engine then anythings posible.

[T04GTR]

ok now for some 4cyl.

sr20de. full exaust and motec m4

not very exciting but what some owners do is quite funny.

no 2 bigend spun.

i went to remove the engine and had to drain the oil.

this is no joke but i got 17.8 litres out of it.(filled up a whole neverfail spring water bottle!!!)

im suprised it still ran. and didnt blow much smoke at all

[T04GTR]

my first blow up.

dr30rsturbo. fj20et.

i had the motor freshend up and it started to get more chain rattely than normal.

till the point where it could almost be heard while driving along.

took of from a set of lights and then bang,nothing.

i pulled over and removed the rocker cover yes it apears the lower chain had snaped.

got it home and striped it down to find the lower chain tensoner had worn down to the metal backing on the plunjer

i rang the engine shop an he informed me he had used a non gen tensoner.

it was a stiff rubber rather than the hard nylon factory one!!

he then said sorry mate ,"because its a race motor we cant help you!"

thanks mat it had only done 15k.

i got the shits and put a 26 in it. (refer to story one)

[KeeFy]

ok now for some 4cyl.

sr20de. full exaust and motec m4

not very exciting but what some owners do is quite funny.

no 2 bigend spun.

i went to remove the engine and had to drain the oil.

this is no joke but i got 17.8 litres out of it.(filled up a whole neverfail spring water bottle!!!)

im suprised it still ran. and didnt blow much smoke at all

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Errr.... 17.8 Litres? or 17.8 ML? cause 17.8 litres in an engine is like trying to say his engine capacity is more than that of a dodge viper. =E

[GTRgeoff]

That's some helpful stuff TO4GTR. 18 litres is a fair bit of oil but I suppose it would fit. Crank would be swimming though. I wonder if he filled it through the dipstick too

[Bobjones]

Also Dave, do you live at the coast and was the SR20 in a white n14...

[maccattack]

Engine/Car: R33 GTR

Type of failure: Pistons through detonation

Factors influencing the failure: Suspect fuel

State of tune of the engine: approx 500bhp (fly)

Suspension and tyres: Ohlins / Eibach running Dunlop D02G's

Oil used and service interval: Motul Race Oil (change after every track run)

General comments: Melted 2 pistons, pound the bearings to the point they went through the turbos. Had the fuel checked and was fairly inconclusive. Checked fuel pumps and filters for leaning out but found nothing.

For the rebuild we made fairly sure to cover most things - sump baffle kit, rocker cover baffle kit, CP pistons, race rings and bearings, oil gallery restrictor, race gaskets, new cams and gears, ported head, N1 pumps (oil and water)

[maccattack]

Engine/Car: R33 GTR

Type of failure: Rod bolt breakage

Factors influencing the failure: During final dyno tuning from rebuild - reused rod bolts

State of tune of the engine: approx 700bhp (fly)

Suspension and tyres: Ohlins / Eibach running Dunlop D02g's

Oil used and service interval: Motul Race Oil

General comments: Spent forever waiting for parts. Finally got it back together. Bedded the engine for 2 weeks (gently). Back for final tune and lost 3 pistons through the wall of the block and straight through the sump. This one went BANG and caught fire - put it out immediatley.

Being rebuilt back to where I was before this failure - now using ARP race bolts!!