Did I just Grenade my Engine?

[mnez]

Rod bolt failures from a previous overrev some time in the past that stretched the rod bolts?

[db_cooper]

If there were some manufacturing defect the Porsche engine won't go 100k miles..so why would a 3.2 ventilate the crankcase? I have rebuilt many 911 engines with much more than 100k on them with absolutely no rod/main bearing wear..if the oil is changed regularly.

If for certain the 911 engine had never been opened up or rebuilt..then the only answer is an oil pressure problem, too long an oil change interval, low oil level (starvation) or hydro-lock....due to the cylinders filling with fuel due to a temp sender or DME problem..engine started and then bent a rod..they will grenade shortly thereafter

Don't think an over-rev is the problem..although I have seen engines that broke because the driver dropped into a much lower gear than intended and released the clutch...the engine will break..911s don't like 11,000 rpm+. Usually the valves are bent first..a sure sign of over-rev if a rod is punched through the block too.

[sballard]

gliding_serpent... Love the tii

I had a '73 2002tii for 16 years and put 250,000 miles on it. Fantastic car. Wish I still had it...

[Geneman]

serpent that is a gorgeous 2002 keep it forever!!

with a team, i campaigned a full race 2002 in winter spring this year in fla on the HSR SVRA circuit they are bullet proof. great momentum car.. and teaches you alot about car control ...

looking for one now to convert to race car fulltime for vintage events they are hard to come by..

cheers frank

PBIR in Feb2014:

[KTL]

Maybe the common cause here is recent rebuilds using the 3.2, 3.3, 3.6 rod bearings that have been claimed to be defective?

[86 ssinit]

pmax I bought the car in 2011 it came with a full history of what was done on the car. I bought it from the second owner who had it for 6 months and bought it from the original owner. Again it came with full records and I maintained the car and have my records. My mechanic loved the car and was shocked when it happened. Only problem with it was the clutch had started slipping. It was going in the Monday after in broke for a new clutch. It was the original clutch in the car. If I let the car sit for a couple of weeks it burnt oil on start up. If I use it regularly it didn't. It used about a quart of oil every 1000 miles or so. Car ran like a champ never DE it or raced it but I did enjoy it.
I have replaced the engine. Not cheap!!!! I have the blown engine and plan to take it apart over the winter see what's salvageable.

[Walt Fricke]

Engine cases can be welded. Whether that is economic or not for a given model is a different issue.

[Lapkritis]

^I second what Walt states. It'll need full machine service after welding is done; align bore case, spigot decking etc.

[gliding_serpent]

Originally Posted by Geneman

serpent that is a gorgeous 2002 keep it forever!!

with a team, i campaigned a full race 2002 in winter spring this year in fla on the HSR SVRA circuit they are bullet proof. great momentum car.. and teaches you alot about car control ...

looking for one now to convert to race car fulltime for vintage events they are hard to come by..

cheers frank

PBIR in Feb2014:

I don't want to hijack this thread, but that looks like fun!!! I was tempted to get a 2002 race car for kicks... but I went with the 3.2.
Check out 2002faq.com if you are looking for a car. great place.
Don't worry, this car is a keeper. My kids might get it in 30-40 more years.

The 2002tii is a blast. IT taught me a ton about handling and made me a much better driver after 2 DE's with it. God it was fun. I quickly learned to brake far less than I ever did in the 328, and be on the gas far sooner and harder. Pretty sure it was overall faster than the 328, but we are not allowed to time in BMW HPDE's. With R888's I was passing everything around 300hp or less (our track is a tight handling one). I passed a 335d, 335, 450hp twin turbo 350z, kept pace with a 500hp RX7, passed a Challenger R/T and a new Stingray amongst many more modern BMW's. In my first (and only) autocross a few punks called it Grandma's car. Grandma's car came in the top 1/3rd around a tuned modern WRK STI. ;-) I made a few guys eat crow pretty hard.

[bigel]

Wow...that is an absolute nightmare.

Here's to hoping you can, with great dilligence and effort, find a reasonably priced case...even if it requires machine work. Hell, maybe you can dig out an abandoned 911 from some field or something and harvest the parts you need.

Good luck, brother!

[A&F]

Casualty Report:

Micro knick in Crank, Salvageable

2 Rods, total loss
4 cylinders, total loss
3 pistons, total loss
1 case, total loss
1 valve, total loss

[A&F]

[A&F]

Carnage:

[86 ssinit]

Wow that's a lot of damage. Hoping to start on mine next week. After the engine blew up how long was it till you shut it off?? What are your plans now?

[Dan J]

Did that rod have a spun bearing? It kind of looks like the bolt broke
Were there rod bolts charged on the engine rebuild bill?

[VFR750]

Rereading your original post, and looking at the bent rod cap, it suggest you may have broken one rod bolt earlier. The noise you heard may have been the rod cap smacking the rod on each stroke. Since you shift at 3k or so, the one bolt was probably strong enough. As soon as you blipped it, it was overloaded.

Just a possible scenario. Did you find the other rod bolt? Was it pulverized? That would support my theory.

Regardless, a sad, spectacular, failure. Devastating.

There are used cases out there. Tom134racing has a whole garage filled with used parts and I have seen many, many used cases. He can also supply used bits and pieces at a very reasonable price.

[jlex]

Almost looks like you've been hit with an armor piercing round. Scary.
What have you decided to do?

Seen this FS post? FS 1987 3.2 Complete Engine w/ G50 Gearbox

Could swap the engine, then sell the G50 to recoup some of the purchase price...

Luck.

[A&F]

Wow that's a lot of damage. Hoping to start on mine next week. After the engine blew up how long was it till you shut it off?? What are your plans now?

Less then s second. The car was not moving.

[A&F]

Did that rod have a spun bearing? It kind of looks like the bolt broke

Were there rod bolts charged on the engine rebuild bill?

Tool marks on the hardware indicate the same bolts where reused. The bearing did not spin.

Had to turn the engine over a few times before finding any damage to the crank.

[Jerome74911S]

I feel so sorry for you.

In your first post you lamented 6K $ to do a DIY rebuild (no kidding), and now the story looks worse... Yikes. Not the best scenario for the holidays.

You really have to go with your gut on this one and do whatever feels best, whether or not you even keep the car. Best of luck. Hopefully there are fellow PP types, or PCA types near you who can help.