Engine grenaded...

[wheatonFJR]

Any new updates on this?

...Damn. I've turned into a cynical, grouchy, asshole-y, old man.

First time I've agreed with you! Mark down the date.

[Intech]

I have the bike in my garage now. Haven't had a lot of time to spend on it. I did take the fuel rail with injectors off and pressurized it with injector cleaner. No leaks from #2 (or the others for that matter). Opened each up for a few seconds to see the spray pattern. Everything looked good. I will be looking closer at the engine and then put it back together and see what happens. The engine rotates freely with no abnormal noise or feel. With all the fuel that was in #2 I believe it hydro-locked, but my brother pulled in the clutch soon enough to disengage the rear tire from the transmission, so it didn't lock up. That way there was no extra force on the tie rods than the inertia of the engine itself. Still not sure about what was in the oil. I never saw it or the filter. It still concerns me as to how that much fuel got into the #2 cylinder. I will be checking to see if there is a false signal going to the #2 injector. Unless it was dirty and stuck and just freed itself and then my cleaning helped. It cycled properly on and off and no leaks present. Still a lot of work to do.

[raYzerman]

Did perhaps #2 lose spark (it would have been a noticeable miss I'd think), and not burn the fuel? Check plug wire, maybe needs a refreshing at the spark plug adapter? BTW, I think you can cycle the injectors from the DiaG menu.....

[Uncle Hud]

<snip> Opened each up for a few seconds to see the spray pattern. Everything looked good.

Damn. Are you an engine surgeon? Looking at each fuel injector's spray pattern?

I will be looking closer at the engine ...

Is there any possible way to "look closer" at an engine than examining the fuel injector spray pattern?

I'm sort of impressed here. Bob always seemed like an easygoing shutterbug and a NAFO emcee, and now I'm catching hints he's an ENGINE WHISPERER? I'm gonna have to think on this for a while. Adjust my understanding of the world ....

[Intech]

He said he didn't notice any odd symptoms other than some kind of hiccup quite a bit earlier in the day. It never repeated, but it may have been a sign of things to come.

Did perhaps #2 lose spark (it would have been a noticeable miss I'd think), and not burn the fuel? Check plug wire, maybe needs a refreshing at the spark plug adapter? BTW, I think you can cycle the injectors from the DiaG menu.....

[Intech]

I do it all!

<snip> Opened each up for a few seconds to see the spray pattern. Everything looked good.

Damn. Are you an engine surgeon? Looking at each fuel injector's spray pattern?

I will be looking closer at the engine ...

Is there any possible way to "look closer" at an engine than examining the fuel injector spray pattern?

I'm sort of impressed here. Bob always seemed like an easygoing shutterbug and a NAFO emcee, and now I'm catching hints he's an ENGINE WHISPERER? I'm gonna have to think on this for a while. Adjust my understanding of the world ....

[Intech]

Got everything put back together on the engine today and performed a valve clearance check prior to a cylinder leak down. I have done all three of the previous clearance checks on this bike and have never made an adjustment. There was a major drift from September of last year. I adjust all four shims for cylinders 1 & 2. 1-2 was out of spec at .270 and the other three were right at the top end of the tolerance at .220. 3 & 4 were .190 to .200.
All of them were on the tight side at .152 last year. Of the eight exhaust clearances 5 were out of tolerance at .290-.300 with the remaining 3 right at the high end of tolerance of .250. All of these measured right at ideal of .229. I reinstalled and rechecked and still have one of #3 cylinder right at the high end of tolerance, so I will adjust that one again.

So, something definitely happened to this engine. The question is what and where to look?

[raYzerman]

Sent you a luv note via email.... the only thing that makes sense is carbon build-up on all the valve seats.... otherwise I don't know how shims all shrink, or all valve stems get shorter or cam lobes wear all at once. Compression test and leakdown might be helpful. Betcha any money the previous owner screwed it all up.

[philharmonic]

Yes, it sounds like an injector failed and filled the cylinder. I'm curious about how that created metal shavings in the oil. My SWAG would be that the extreme pressure caused by liquid in the cylinder of a running engine stressed the crankshaft and/or connecting rod bearings causing them to fail. If that is true then it is a testimonial to the durability of the head gasket and bolts since I would have expected the gasket to pop.

It looks like Ionbeam had the same idea and beat me to it.

Just an odd note here about a problem I had many years ago.

I had a 1980 Moto Guzzi Eldorado and I always left the petcock on when not using the bike.

One night one of the carb fuel shutoffs got a spec of something in it and the whole tank of fuel drained down into the crankcase.

I drained all the oil and fuel out of the crankcase and dang if a BUNCH of aluminum shavings did not come out with the oil.

Refilled with oil twice and the second time, no more shavings.

Ran the bike for another year and sold it, running fine.

I assumed at the time, that during the manufacturing process some of the metal shavings became lodged in some crevices in the upper crankcase and stayed there till the crankcase was full of oil and gas and got "sloshed" out of the crevices they were in.

Just a thought. Phil