LS2-Powered S10 Shatters a Transmission on the Dyno

Bell housing of the LS2-powered S10 failed, leading the owner to wonder if the engine might be damaged.

LS1Tech member “Elkwagon” has a sweet Chevy S10 pickup that has been fitted with a built LS2. He recently took that powerful little pickup to the dyno to see what kind of power it was making at the wheels and everything looked good at first, with nearly 400 wheel horsepower. However, during that pull, the front universal joint failed, allowing the driveshaft to wail away on the underside of the truck, but worst of all, the sudden vibration caused the bell housing to fracture along the top-line where it bolts to the block.

After seeing the damage to the transmission and before getting a chance to examine the built LS2, the OP posted to the forum, asking the community whether or not they think that the engine might be damaged as well. Fortunately, this thread has a happy ending.

LS2 S10 Introduction

When the OP first shared his dyno day carnage with the forum, he proved the picture below, showing the broken bell housing of his LS2-powered Chevy S10 pickup. He also explained exactly what happened.

Long story short I have been working on my first LS swap for a few months now, and finally finished it. 6.0 with H/C/I, long tube headers, 4l80, Quick Performance disc 9″ all stuffed in a 91 S10. Truck sounds amazing, but on the first pull the front U-joint came apart and carnage insued. Driveshaft did damage to various things, but worst of all when it unloaded the trans it completely broke the bell housing from the block. My question is did this cause damage to the engine? As in force the crank forward??? Is there a way to check for this? I have lifted the body from the chassis, just as I did for the install, so access would be easy.”

He would go later provide a bit more additional information on the failure.

“5K ish. Was on a nice pull, curve looked great and was pushing 400 already.

The Community Responds

The first person to offer insight on the health of the LS2 engine was “Ls7Colorado”.

Doubt it hurt the engine, I would be more worried about the front pump in the transmission

“Che70velle” agreed that the engine was likely fine.

Kinda doubt it hurt the engine. Only way to know without a tear down is simply start the engine and observe/listen. Can you support the engine under the oil pan, and do a startup with tranny off?

While “kott0n” asked more about the mounting situation in the S10.

Is the motor and trans solid mounted? Or is one solid mounted and the other isn’t?

What a bummer. Hopefully you get up and running soon.

To which the OP replied with the following.

Both on standard rubber mounts actually. Should be on the road this weekend!

The Engine is Good

The OP posted about the transmission failure on August 8 and on August 20, he posted some good news.

It’s alive! Buttoned everything up and took it for a drive last night. Traction is non existent in first gear anywhere, second is marginal…..I have never driven anything that is a bigger handful when spinning, the short wheelbase is sketchy!!
Hoosier DR2’s going on it Thursday, and hitting the track Friday God willing!!!!

He would follow that post up with information on a more successful dyno run.

Hit the Dyno last night, with the TH400 and a loose 3800 converter it made 424whp and 485ftlbs with a nice flat curve. I was happy enough, tuner mentioned with a lockup converter it would have been as much as 50hp more, and its common knowledge that this Dyno reads lower that most. He has had vehicles that had been done on other Dyno’s that showed 80whp more than this one. Tonight we race!

Unfortunately, there is no update on track times, but it is clear that the  dramatic transmission failure didn’t damage the OP’s built LS2.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com