Engine Failure at speed... Options

[Cracker]

Well, it is not "if an issue will occur on a race track" but rather just a matter of when! Sunday morning was gorgeous at roughly 65 degrees and cloud cover. The grip was surprisingly good and the dense, cool-ish air enabled the engine to run really strong.

The night before, a few of us "walked the track", taking in the nuances that really can only be seen on foot, kneeling down and taking our time. More drivers should take advantage of this to become more familiar with details that are completely missed behind the wheel of a car. Anywho...

We were discussing an asphalt patch that is on entry into the downhill section to turn 10a...specifically, how the patch had an elevated center with ramps on either side. A friend mentioned, "hitting that at speed would cause quite the jolt to the car and driver". Also of concern was the potential loss of grip and the unsettling of the chassis at such a critical point. He was correct as I bore out witness the next morning.

We have still not found the smoking gun and only hope it is not internal; the top-end is fully functional with each of the valves operation correctly. The engine does not turn over quickly and that obviously is a cause of rather great concern. I have been doing track events for some time now, over 15-years, and have never encountered such a failure.

I guess I can say...enjoy the failure at my expense.

PS: Talk about cutting it close...lose an engine down the hill; try to jump start the engine at turn 10a and just BARELY make it up the hill over T11 to glide back to the hot pits. Whew - that was close! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Cheers!

Tony


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRvMJeXJxTQ




My son came in from college - great memories at the track with him!

[jd74914]

If your battery is 10.5V is your alternator charging? If voltage dips too low, typically in the 10.5VDC, many ECUs (high-end aftermarket ones at least) will start cutting as a self-protection method to avoid over current faults on the coil drivers.

[Cracker]

Hmm? Solid observation Sir...now that you say that, I noticed a slightly "jumpy" water temp gauge the day before that was unusual - it eventually settled down. I bled the cooling system thinking it might have been air in the line - took a little water. I recall, however, seeing my volt meter show just under 14 on Saturday. Definitely something to look at for sure. Thank you!

OK: I can definitely see my volt meter over 12 at the time of shut-down...it is to the far left of the dash. Hard to see..

Tony

If your battery is 10.5V is your alternator charging? If voltage dips too low, typically in the 10.5VDC, many ECUs (high-end aftermarket ones at least) will start cutting as a self-protection method to avoid over current faults on the coil drivers.