TransAm578

iTrader: (2)

Well, I am sad to say the motor in the T/A blew a couple weeks ago. Today, myself and two friends took apart the top end and were surprised at what we saw. Can anyone explain what might have happened? Either way, here are some pics. It will be interesting when we take off the oil pan.



Intake manifold...stock with metal chunks...




It looks like the heads should be salvagable...










This is where I stand now. I guess I am looking at a new block and bottom end.

H82BU

A couple that I got...




Must be a factory flaw or something. How is it possible that one piston just blows to pieces like that?!?!?!

LS1Silverado05

iTrader: (41)

The piston is just gone?!?!

H82BU

Blown to pieces and found everywhere in the motor that it isn't suppose to be...lol.

I think when we pull the oil pan we will find the main chunks in there.

TransAm578

iTrader: (2)

Pretty crazy isn't it? That is the reaction I have gotten from everyone so far...

heavy6.0

iTrader: (69)

I had that happen on start up once. just started the car and bang clankity clank!! time for some cubes!!!!

TransAm578

iTrader: (2)

Did you ever figure out what caused it?

RoDan

what were you doing when it blew?

TransAm578

iTrader: (2)

Driving...about 3/4 throttle accelerating in 3rd...nothing that should have caused this.

Ling_650vette

iTrader: (1)

The almighty LS1 - even it cant contain its greatness! Sorry, cheap joke at your expense.

Man, that is horrible. Have you done any engine work to it lately? I mean, maybe something got inside there and caused excessive heat in/around the pin causing the piston to fail and then grenade. I dunno, Ill leave the speculation to the experts but that is crazy.

TransAm578

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, if I don't laugh a little, I will cry. It is a heads/cam car, but it was running well until this.

ls1408cp

iTrader: (37)

West County F T W

Sharpe

iTrader: (7)

Sucks big time, dude. That is, unless you were looking for an excuse to go LS2 402 w/L98-L76 top end.

Good luck.

NemeSS

iTrader: (127)

similiar thing happened to friend, turns out the ring broke and broke
ring land, rest of the piston follwed, ende up in the oil pan, but since it was iron block, it was rebuildable, caught it in time, .030 over bore cleaned up the cylinder, was a4 trans.
same thing may have happened to yours, his car was maybe like 360rwhp
if at all , nothing fancy, just badjuju i guess.

sr71bbjr

iTrader: (52)

LMFAO!! I've never seen one just completely be gone like that..Looks kinda weird..What are you gunna build now?

JohnnyC

Wow - I have never seen a piston explode like that! Did you recently do a tune, or change anything on the car? Any other symptoms before the explosion( SES, oil pressure, water temp, noises, ect)? If no, then I guess it would have to be ring-related.

TransAm578

iTrader: (2)

I am not sure what I am going to build. I don't have any money to throw at it now, so it will probably be next season before it runs again.

This might be a dumb question, but could I do a 408 block and reuse the trick flow heads and top end that I have now? Would the heads even line up to fit? I know they wouldn't flow as well, but it would be better than another 346.

TransAm578

iTrader: (2)

The horrible thing about this whole situation is that I haven't been running on my heads/cam combo for very long and it already blew to ****. She got her final tune recently and was running strong. Before this happened, there was some valvetrain noise, but nothing that I thought was going to cause anything like this. Live and learn I suppose...

pist0lpete

iTrader: (3)

You didn't post pics of both heads. Were the valves still in the head on the cylinder that was missing a piston?

TransAm578

iTrader: (2)

Sorry I didn't post a pic of the other head. By the time we got that one off, we were dead tired. The valves were still in the heads and looked pretty much the same as the one in the picture.