Cat C9 Catastropic Engine failure

[bam565]

Coming back from the West Coast the C9 in my 06 Fleetwood Revolution blew. First indication was a burning oil odor in the cab. Pulled over immediately.At that point the engine died and the dash lit up like a Christmas tree. Result: 1/4 mile oil slick, 12" hole in the upper right corner of the block(Cam Side), ECM port and starter were blown off the engine, 2012 toad covered in Diesel oil. Oil level and pressure were good prior to the incident(8400 miles since last change) There was no warning prior to the incident(no tell lights or buzzers). Any ideas what the cause was? So far the mechanics are baffled. Extended Warranty folksare inspecting now.

[tylerdmoore]

OMG! I hate hearing stories like this. What a shame.

"upper right corner of the block"....sounds like a wrist pin let go and the loose rod found the side of the block. Not sure what else could do that kind of damage that high in the block. Possibly a complete failure of the cylinder sleeve, but that is highly unlikely.

I'll be watching closely to hear the final outcome.

Thank the Lord for extended warranties!

[bam565]

Believe me, I was shocked when I saw all of the oil. One Cat mechanic thought it may be a cam follower that failed. I'm being told that it will be a $25-30 K fix. Will definitely find out how good my Warranty Carrier is.

[tylerdmoore]

I would be VERY surprised to hear that it was the cam...rotational energy, not up and down. Don't see the cam being the root cause at all. Not the hole anyway...

[sdennislee]

REally sorry to hear about your troubles. Please keep us updated. Good luck.

[dean0283]

I had pretty much the same thing happen to me. Only difference was mine is 06 County Coach, with the ISL Cummins.

The wrist pin came loose and hung up on the cylinder wall. Mine had a recall out (CM850). Same big hole in the block, starter blown off and a smaller hole on the other side. Look under the Cummins discussion group for more info.

Cummins replaced the engine.

I know that yours is a Cat, but just wanted to let you know that in the end all came out ok. I really feel for you and hope all comes out as good for you as it did for me.

Dean

[spike45]

Over the years at Fleetguard, we have seen this failure mode on various engine makes. It could be attributed to a crack in the filter seam. Be sure to save the oil filter, intact. If you cut the filter apart you are risking any settlement from the filter company. You can examine the rolled seam at the top to see if you can identify a crack location. Seam cracks are not unheard of but neither are they epidemic. With a seam crack the oil will leak away to the point that there is insufficient lube leading to a 'slow loss of lubrication failure'; see connecting rod bearing failure below.

Another possible cause is the piston cooling nozzle became plugged by a foreign object such as a piece of filter. The failure scenario with this is the piston skirt becomes overheated and expands creating "weld pulling" damage to the skirt and cylinder. Eventually, a matter of minutes actually, the skirt is weakened and breaks.

When the pan is pulled, you should see large chunks of skirt in the pan.

Another cause of this level of failure is a spun rod bearing. When the connecting rod bearing is starved for oil, it will get hot enough that the bearing inserts will 'weld' to the crankshaft throw and spin inside the rod end. The rod becomes so hot that it will begin to glow from the heat and then pulls apart. The broken rod usually exits via the block skirt.

Spike45
retired field service engineer

[bam565]

Thanks for your comments. Don't think oil loss was the issue. I typically stop every few hours to stretch and inspect. During the trip(3500 miles) there was no indication of leaking oil. My toad was clean, no drips or spots under the coach. I should hear more this week. Will let you know the outcome.

[ninos]

Sorry to hear that hopefully the extended warranty company will pay for it. Please keep us posted. Joe

[Dunner]

Good luck and I hope you have a timely approval of the repair.

My Ford V10 broke the #5 piston and will require a new engine. Due to the dollar amount, my claim has to be approved by the CEO of my warranty company. It went in for service on 12/8/2011. I just called them and they said it wouldn't be approved till next week.

This is right in the middle of my camping season and I've already missed 3 dune trips with my friends. We go every two weeks and it looks like it will be at least two more.

[ninos]

any news?

[Vintage]

When the CAT loses oil pressure the engine will quit running.

[bam565]

Cat service center has removed the engine and there is a diagnosis: Failed wrist pin in the #6 cylinder. They were able to get a reading from the ECM: there were no codes that indicated oil or overtemp issues. The ECM was clean. This was a catastrophic failure . The engine was dead before it could shut down or derate. Block/internals(toast):Head(toast):Turbo(Toast):Starter( Toast):ECM(?): Total replacement. Extended Warranty company sending another inspector out. Should know extent of coverage in a few days.

[tylerdmoore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tylerdmoore OMG! I hate hearing stories like this. What a shame. "upper right corner of the block"....sounds like a wrist pin let go and the loose rod found the side of the block. Not sure what else could do that kind of damage that high in the block. Possibly a complete failure of the cylinder sleeve, but that is highly unlikely. I'll be watching closely to hear the final outcome. Thank the Lord for extended warranties!

Sometimes it sucks to be right

How are you making out with your warranty company? I sure hope they step up for you and get it fixed quickly.