CLEETER... BROTHER... This Crank is BROKEN!!

[@gabetessin5837]

I’ll be honest, I’m not at all impressed with the reliability of your engines steve. Nothing but trouble.

[@stevemorrisracing]

Well, when I show people all things and specially show problems MORE than I show success I do it so people can understand what these type engine really go thru and do. A 500 hp engine last very long time 1000 pretty long time if taken care of right. 2500 does not last long at all compared to the 500 hp engine. A 4500 hp engine lasts way less than that 500 hp one. I could be like other builders and only show you the good. But what would you learn?

[@ryancorry8619]

@@stevemorrisracing Thats a straight up goated answer

[@KennethBrackett]

@@stevemorrisracing Cleetus already broke that Pro-Line hemi before it made it through one event.

[@MythUnknown]

Lame comment bud. Absolutely no 4000+hp motor is guaranteed reliable. Take a 1000hp dependable motor like an LSX and try to run it at 2000hp, it will blow up EVERY single time. To run 5000hp you're literally pushing every tolerance to the max, and so you're that much closer to absolute destruction every single pass. The only reason the crank didn't disintegrate is because all of the tolerances across the board were so tight. More power = more break. Anyone in top power cars know this

[@ericfaley9019]

Cletus just hurt his Proline Hemi. Could be the pit crew he has. Cletus couldn’t keep a Texas speed engine together. Cletus couldn’t keep Pete Harold’s engine he built for Cletus together. He couldn’t keep the SMX together. I wouldn’t blame Steve . Cletus has blown up every engine he has had.

[@lockpickinglawyer]

How?!?! Just… how?!? How in the heck does a crank get that many cracks without breaking? You couldn’t do that if you tried. 😂😂😂

[@leftyeh6495]

When are we going to see you build a car? You'll have to only appear in gear with a helmet on though.... 😂

[@NickyP500]

We've got a crack out of one, nothing on two, a crack out of three....

[@cj09beira]

@@NickyP500 🤣

[@stoker20]

Worlds best crankshaft.

[@greenmirror5555]

top fuel cracks em every run

[@RinconPilot]

Funny story, I had one of the first Z51 C6 vettes in 2005. I walked two crank pulleys off of it. A GM powertrain engineer from Pontiac Michigan called and asked me what I was doing when it occurred. I told him it was high throttle angle shifting with the A/C on. The C6 got a new A/C compressor that was good for higher RPM so GM did not release the A/C clutch at higher RPM like they did with the C5. The LS engines do not have keyed cranks so the additional load of the A/C compressor would spin the crank pulley off when power shifting. He called me back with their fix. It was to add a diamond coated washer between the crank pulley and shaft to increase the holding force. Never came loose after that. I thought it was funny to see the diamond disk in use again! Thanks Steve.

[@volvospede]

Diamond disc between crank and pulley became stock in later vehicles. My ls3 camaro had one from factory.

[@burnz3132]

I’m pretty positive cause it’s a race car there’s no AC. Plus 4 bolt cross billet mains keep things pretty steady as far as whipping it. But I agree it was walk front to back. Just what is pressing it back and forth is interesting. My guess would be the transmission or flex plate is hitting it and it comes back afterwards (like a pendulum). Or allowing just enough slop to cause shock loads.

[@justinredman4389]

Steve, when you were talking about making the crank a table, I remember seeing one at a Porsche museum where they had a flexplate on the bottom, the crank, and then the crank was attached to a beautiful Porsche rim with the tabletop glass on top of the rim

[@Pyle81]

Steve, So being a retired Owner Operator ( Diesel Semi Trucks) and mechanic on those Detroit and Cat Engines. I can tell you this, Cranks do some pretty weird things when you add a LOT of Boost to them. And when you're making a Metric Shit Ton of Power with them. We had a C-15 Cat Engine that gave us months and months of ass ache. Now this engine was in a Kenworth that was hauling multiple Steel (45-K loads) 4-6 Days a week. Turns out it had a Broken/Cracked Crank in it. And it was still under a load when the Cat Field Service Tech used a bore camera that showed him some tell tail signs that the crank likey had a crack in it. Even though it was still making all 550 hp like there was nothing wrong with it. Thankfully we had a spare complete rebuilt engine just sitting in the corner for a event like this to take place. So when I watch your videos, I feel like me commenting on things you have designed and built. Is like me trying to tell a Nero Surgeon how to work on or fix a human 🧠. Basically, I'm not worthy to enter into that conversation. Sir,Please keep up the good work. Your content is UNBELIEVABLE and Educational all in the same sentence. Just the knowledge and the vision you have created with your engines is AMAZING. Im really surprised (And maybe they have) that one of the Major Auto Manufacturers hasn't contracted you to create the next High Performance Engine for a EXTREMELY HIGH END PRODUCTION AUTOMOBILE. Keep up the good work Sir... And Thank You for sharing your knowledge with us.

[@bobbywalter5320]

hell yeah

[@waynerohde1036]

He did design and build a 16 cylinder quad turbo 5000hp engine for a crazy supercar the Devel 16. I know they built one car and their website shows you can order one for $2 million

[@davidgroskopf7898]

Not surprised that the crank wasn’t cracked I was surprised that it was in one piece after seeing the broken cap. I could be wrong but my thoughts are with the crank being cracked and broken cap that the flex of the crank is what caused the thrust bearing to be wiped out. I’m interested in your thoughts?

[@Dan_Neely]

@@davidgroskopf7898 I think you should watch the video before commenting next time. Steve clearly explained why it couldn't have been a bent or flexing crank.

[@michaelsclark]

I love hearing stories about Catapillar engines I use to build the c-15 c-18 at the Seguin Texas Catapillar plant . Was some fun times

[@lawrencetaylor5481]

One thing I've learned about Cleetus is his right foot will push AND find the limits of an engine. He goes fast but when he breaks stuff, he breaks it good. It's part of why we love him. LOL

[@jeffrauch2787]

Guys a putz-he breaks shit the way he does because he abuses it

[@johnslawnseasttn4489]

The trail blazer doctor add is pure gold

[@stevemorrisracing]

Thank you Help out and buy merch 🙏

[@lt1nut]

Not quite HALO-worthy..... Bad pun, I've spent too much time in a bed on the Spinal Floor/Ward. 😉

[@gniawd]

Got me to buy a sweatshirt so it worked.

[@anthonyantoine9232]

Licking the valve was hilarious. I lost it.

[@andwisecarter9756]

Doesn't anyone remember this engine had thrust issues from the first run in Mullet? Remember when Steve had to go down there and check it out when they found material in the pre-filter and the thrusts were getting hammered then. He even went to Mr Sam's and lapped them to give it more clearance.

[@lawnmowerman25]

I do, yes. I think the jury is still out whether the torque converter is pushing too hard into the crank or not.

[@thomasdupras5773]

Does anyone remember if Steve had this crank checked when all 8 rods shattered on him? I am assuming he did but I don't remember?

[@teknoaija1762]

@@thomasdupras5773 It was due bad material so why not the main caps??I agree,this looks bad.

[@steveallam]

I agree with all of you boys all good points. Perhaps if the torque converters pushing too hard. Maybe there should be an additional thrust bearing around the torque converer. As for the grenading of all the connected rods that will do it too. If it wasn't related to a previous grenade it would Need more advanced timing st certain rpm, inorder to insure it's completely ignited before BDC.. The stress cracks look like Like they started to crack when it was at bottom dead center on each of The Strokes still going into power explodingForce is pushing down or is it the inertia to 70PSI that's a lot.

[@Glensen]

​@@teknoaija1762 it was due to bad connecting rods. He hade just switched to a different brand, and i think 2 of his builds broke bad. Then he switched back to the previous brand and stuff didn't break like that anymore.

[@1813boo]

Materials engineer here... In my opinion the crank breaking in that way looks like a fatigue failure from vibration. Either a weird rpm range issue like the springs you had a while back, running hard on 7 cylinders, or leftover stress from the original rod failure you had before you sold it to cleetus. Also having the crank unsupported like that it could have started to crack on the drive if it was already close to its fatigue limit.

[@davefroman4700]

engine was designed for 60lbs boost. Cleetus hit 70lbs. That is why the damage is uniform.

[@eriklarson9137]

Isn't it at least a little embarrassing that you feel the need to state your 'profession" and how it makes you an expert, yet you have zero related videos on your channel? Not even a little?

[@indianaslim4971]

​@@eriklarson9137so what you are saying is because he's not a u-tuber he isn't an engineer and doesn't know what he's talking about.....step away from the keyboard son....

[@strykerentllc]

Agreed on fatigue causing stress fractures in the material.

[@jasonperkins1654]

​@eriklarson9137 maybe he's to busy being an actual engineer and doesnt have time to make youtube videos. Seems like his profession is relevant

[@jok3yjesu339]

That skit before the giveaway plug was amazing, we need more Segways like that, turn the cleetus crank into a table

[@MJPilote]

The crank has reached some oscillation frequency that destroyed it, and welded the friction shim to the flange. Same vibration destroyed the main caps. Its a harmonic problem in the system, violent tire shake or converter cavitation / imbalance.

[@ktmr8]

@MJPilote It’s amazing how many just dismiss this (especially drag racers) However harmonics WILL destroy anything and is usually evident by weird component failure “tells” like the welded shim and the separated thrust bearing that has no abnormal wear… No 2 engines are the same and failure points in both occur at different frequencies and sometimes they are brief periods and do little damage and other times it is for an extended period that micro hammers till failure occurs… Anyway you know and I know and maybe thats all that matters?

[@robertveeneman9229]

The shop I work at uses the same company to hard anodize aluminum as Steve Morris Engines! Simple pleasures in life that I think are cool.

[@davidgough1161]

Glad to see you at Edgewater, I had so much fun! Thanks for coming, it was a pleasure to meet you, Val and Dewey. All of you were delightful, Hope to see you guys again soon!

[@teresaharmon4405]

You are correct Steve. Crank did not bend. It was crushed by the converter thrust pressure.

[@jamesplotkin4674]

I agree, as that's the only way the flange will become that evenly dark from heat.

[@andreaudio]

Genuine question: why this converter pressure didn’t affected the BBC? (The Chevy one 😂) or it did?

[@Shademax4273]

Not sure but if the spacing isnt right between Trans and engine it can cause issues.

[@CTT3RR0R]

I am leaning in the same direction.

[@jeremyking5684]

​@@andreaudiosmx and bbc probably not using same converter, bbc probably had more converter spacing for movement! That spacing is the number one thing people forget to check,or think it don't matter.

[@padders1068]

Steve! Great video, I love the way how honest you are, and show the good, the bad and the ugly! Anyone who thinks that any engine no matter well designed and manufactured will be 100% reliable, when pushed to ridiculous horse power levels is incredibly naïve.

[@daneisenmenger4615]

My theory is this. The last few laps he put on mullet it blew the tyres off it multiple times. A lot of the time the engine had so much load on it when it blows the tyres off the rev limiter can’t catch it quick enough and revs to the moon. That hammers the valve train and the bottom end, floats the crank and hammers the bearings. When I was involved in fuel cars if we blew the tyres off it was nearly always engine out, crack test crank and take a few passes of rod life. As for cubic inches. I’d destroke it to the 540ish mark and rev it a little harder. Little less torque down low which suits a radial car and less likely to blow the tyres of it in the first 300ft.

[@MICMARKMAC]

I think multiple breaks and fractures are from a harmonic vibration. Possibly caused by a dead cylinder. I’ve had and racers have had multiple valve springs break at a particular RPM for an extended dwell and not necessarily an extreme RPM just 1 that puts that harmonic through it.

[@michaelshafer2996]

That was my thoughts exactly especially when steve said it happened on the drive

[@Mittencarpentry]

Cleetus drove it from one track to the next on 7 because of a valve train issue with one cylinder. That extended vibration is probably what did it in. I wonder which broke first, the crank or the caps?

[@bobbygetsbanned6049]

Harmonics are a bitch, one of the reasons Jesel timing belts are really nice since they don't transfer harmonics to the valve train the way a chain or gears do.

[@OriginalMomo]

When Garret breaks stuff, he doesn’t skimp lol 🤦🏼‍♂️🤣😂🤣🤦🏼‍♂️

[@rossmagwood1381]

ya well Steve said max of 60 and it hit 70 so ya. but yes people wonder why companies will work with cleetus iti is because when he breaks stuff he is generally at or past the max the part maker specified so really it is a good test for all parts

[@rossmagwood1381]

sometimes when you test stuff and push it past its max well ya you generally get pretty good carnage whe it fails

[@danmyers9372]

Leave it to Garrett to find a way to break a $10000 crank.

[@gullreefclub]

Like Cleetus’s shirt says Right Foot Breaks Shit

[@KE458S]

​@@rossmagwood1381 research and development. Not everything that goes wrong is bad.

[@crazyrat51]

Cracks in the crankshaft.....VIBRATION! Vibration will break ANYTHING We had one run on our A/Fuel dragster that vibratted so bad it broke the air scoop, two mag 44 caps and a bunch of other stuff! Driver did NOT FEEL IT! Love your videos! Keep them coming! Very entertaining and informative! Thank You!

[@79tazman]

I was thinking that's how the main cam loss it's nuts off the studs when he had bad tire shake because the one shake that he had shook most of the oil pan bolts loose an some were even missing when they did a nut and bolt check after that. but he don't run big tire slicks he runs 225 radials

[@Greg1096]

​@@79tazmanim thinking that running it on the 7 cylinders may have been what caused that lethal vibration, only because if had already had all of those cracks in the crank then the crank would have come apart on that final run on the strip. Just thinking it cant have been cracked that severely and survived all of the boost and rpm of a trip down the strip.

[@rockkhound943]

I agree

[@christiansmith8529]

Worst I’ve ever seen was a nitrous top sportsman car that “tried to drive through it” broke all 4 Heims on the wheelie bars, broke the crank and rattled every bolt out of the flex plate. Loaded it up and went home because they had to go through EVERYTHING.

[@Greg1096]

@@christiansmith8529 vibration is a racecar killer.

[@grubb910]

That's really cool how that friction disk was welded on the rear crankshaft flange. I've seen a harmonic balancer do the same thing to the front of a 6.7 Cummins crankshaft. That engine was being turned to 6,100 RPM (a lot for a diesel, back then). It looked almost identical. We weren't running a diamond friction disk (I didn't know that they existed until just now). It had a dowel pin, which was sheared off, but also only has 4 bolts holding it to the crank. That engine also trashed the crankshaft and all the main bearings, but the crank didn't fail, either. It chocked it up to the crankshaft not being able to handle the harmonics at that speed, while under load. I witnessed another 6.7 Cummins crank do the same thing after, and it was being turned to 6,300, for a short time, until it mangled the main bearings as well. I was blaming the RPMs... I wonder if that SMX simply was passing the boundary on RPM?

[@E30_JWB]

Ive always called them friction washers. Quite a few OEM’s use them in timing. For example BMW S55 motor from the F8x uses these washers between the crank gear and oil pump gear in the timing case. It uses these and only these along with the torque of the bolt to stop the timing from slipping….. which if you know anything about them motors, it slips very often 😂. Hence the aftermarket pinned crank hubs.

[@Beardest_Fishing]

This engine looking at Steve saying: "I'm tired, boss. Tired of bein' on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. I'm tired of never having me a buddy to be with, to tell me where we's going to or coming from, or why."

[@douglasmayherjr.5733]

Appreciate the thoughtful diagnosis of the components and pushing people to think logically. The harmonics and forces that are on the crankshaft running down the road and down the track vary. It would be interesting to be able to measure that. It’s hard to think that a big piece of steel in flexing and twisting. Thanks for the Video, Steve.

[@MrMertstube]

Remember Cleatus ran this engine several runs with no second gear just hammering the rev limiter until it went into third gear.

[@98gmc1500]

I could see this being the cause of everything, not loading the engine at these power levels is essentially just spinning it till something flys out.

[@briantruck2284]

That's correct

[@burnz3132]

@@98gmc1500 but if it’s in gear it is loaded. Just at higher gearing. I used to have to launch one of my street cars in 2nd (manual, so different in that regard) cause it would just blow the tires and hit the limiter. I mean it’s not ideal by any means! A 2/3 step is probably harder on it than dropping into a less than optimal higher gear. I do agree that the issue is somewhere in between the converter & crank. Or are you thinking it has to to with the high high revs & then dropping into a less aggressive position overall? So more of a pendulum effect when popped into 3rd, it’s walking & slamming back & forth. Just looking for some clarity, want to be smarter lol.

[@MrMertstube]

@@burnz3132 they are using the computer to air shift the trans. With second gear gone it was like being in neutral until shifted into third gear. Allowing the engine to free rev.

[@burnz3132]

@ makes much more sense! I didn’t realize that he was pneumatically shifting that car. Yeah, I can definitely see that being a liability. Especially if it’s free revving and then slamming into 3rd. Little more likely to be the problem. I swear I saw him pushing the ratchet. Thanks for clarifying that for me!!

[@thomaswhite3037]

Steve, when i worked at JE Piston we had a Laser Optical Comparator that we used to set our single point boring bars used for multiple ops. I used it to get the boring bars super close to size, made it easy when cutting pin bores with almost no error at all. The laser and program would pick up the measured diameter as you spun the tool in the fixturing, awesome piece of tech to help save you time.

[@leonhart2452]

A friend of mine had a GMC version of the S10. It had a v6 engine that broke the crank. It would run but it wouldn't move. The crank broke in the rear most main bearing. Thus disconnecting the engine fron the flywheel. His mechanic just pulled the engine and replaced the crank and main and rod bearings.

[@briantruck2284]

Manual transmission ?

[@DarrinDietzel]

Imagine the crank deflection to destroy the rear main when the front thrust bearing was still intact. Thanks for the lessons professor Steve!

[@grandmasmalibu]

Yeah, something shoved that crank forward with TREMENDOUS force. And not all in one quick hit. Not only was the rear thrust bearing destroyed, the rear crank thrust surface is totally blackened, indicating it got a ton of heat. Plus that "diamond thrust shim" that got basically friction-welded to the back of the crank.

[@jennajones2155]

Very lucky that the crank didn’t break and bust the block. It would be so awesome to have one of those pistons and rods!! Love your videos Steve!!

[@doctordifferentialspeedsho9506]

I wonder if something is pushing the drivetrain of Mullet forward or if his converter is ballooning or something. I think, just a seasoned GM mechanic here, the thrush went out, then the crank broke, then the caps broke on the drive. Just my .02. Something killed the thrust bearing and it killed the crank at 70 psi. Just watched the end of the video of the diamond disk. Makes more sense to me now too. He’s got something going on inside the transmission or something pushing hard as hell forward on that crankshaft.

[@NVMDSTEvil]

I dont think forward thrust caused the caps to break or crank cracks. Sure it might have wiped out the thrust bearing in then back but if the thrust went further forward it would have caused the piston arms to be on an angle giving wear evidence in theomir bearings. Also there would be excessive damage to the sides of the main caps from the crank arms pushing on them. There is no doubt that forward loading happened but it doesnt seem to have gone past the thrust bearing in the back. I kind of think the damage was done when the engine popped the first time before cleet got it.

[@stevenbelue5496]

​​@@NVMDSTEvilpossibly a terrible harmonic frequency from making a full pass on 7 cylinders, i really have no idea but something was violent. Did Steve have the crank magnafluxed after the glass rods incident?

[@patriot2164]

Come On Guys , Show Steve Support ! Let's Move the Needle for Steve !

[@mcbridemotorsports5788]

Perfect example of why a detailed inspection and magnaflux of a crank and block is so important when refreshing a motor. A visual inspection is not enough. Watching engine builders at work with modern machines is always amazing. The blocks, caps..etc..etc are so beautiful. Works of freaking art for sure!

[@NormLenhart-v4l]

Ya think you've lived long enough to have seen it all. Then "Cleetus!" All bets are off ;)

[@taintedsasquatch398]

Clearer will find a way to break Jesus heart given the chance lol.

[@ragingphoenx]

The thrust bearing failure and the crank cracks are the same problem, axial load along the crank. All the cracks were on the inside, which is where you'd see bending from a strong axial/thrust load.

[@okie3297]

Maybe the thrust being in the front and the torque converter compressing the crank ?

[@danhammond8406]

Exactly ​@@okie3297

[@ScoredPiston]

Yep, and the diamond washer being essentially welded to the end of the crank confirms that as well.

[@Stereomoo]

That's what I was thinking, but wouldn't they be compressed on the inside and crack on the outside? Inside would be more from stretching the crank. To me more likely is the main caps failed first, and so ignition near TDC was pushing the crank downward a bit more than it's ready for. Supported well at the ends and free near the middle would crack in the same place.

[@rockkhound943]

High pressure, high heat and high vibrations will destroy anything

[@DACoutBack]

Maybe that lockup converter that was in mullet on the thrust ? The diamond shim welded, the crank cracked everywhere, maybe it is too much lugging on road drives ?

[@donalddarbonne779]

When something is overbuilt like the SMX design, you can have things like journals start to fail without completely coming apart. It just shows the engine has more strength than the amount it's being pushed.

[@n01z3]

i might not roll in the same weight class as far as gas guzzlers go, missing four cylinders and about 5L, but cant ever go wrong learning when some one is willing to teach, so appreciate the in-depth content,

[@elwin_tjustice45]

Steve, i genuinely appreciate what you do. If it wasn't for guys like you, we would have a sad world. Keep innovating and pushing the limits on what's possible! Thank you!

[@donbrutcher4501]

Another crazy htought on the thrust flange failure: The individual cylinder firings are creating a "torque signature" so high the crank is stretching and releasing (like when you torque a rod bolt and measure stretch). Could also be the reason for the crank cracks.

[@purebredamericanmutt]

My El Camino is an 84. I'd say it took as much boost just before the bottom let go. I did something similar to the original 305. I put a new TH350 B&M transmission and going to my brothers place I hit second gear around 4/4200 and broke the crank in two places and cam in three. The first two cylinders broke away from the block itself. I used Mack rods and made a mailbox post with three of them. Happy Halloween everyone

[@Thehouseofboost]

I use a Diamond claw in my K series Honda, the harmonics of high rpm will cause micro welding in the Honda engines too.

[@Jaylay-2390]

Hellyeah brother , he gave it the beans 😂 now the mad scientist has to tear down the block replace the crank and pistons you fried . And you know he’s sending Cletus the extra charge

[@bobroberts2371]

Crank thrust I'd like to see a distance sensor attached to the front of the crank during a run. I'm wondering if releasing the trans brake causes a spike in thrust or even on decell. A more difficult but probably possible is a laser distance sensor looking at the flex plate for movement. Issue there is that the flex plate isn't a finely ground surface and will have some wobble.

[@ritchschut1997]

Looking at that diamond plate, I personally would be VERY curious to see what the flex plate looked like. I have to wonder if something to do with Garretts transmission is funky. Like maybe when the converter locked up it some how slammed that converter body forward. Regardless, there was something unique to Mullet happening that caused a lot of unusual shock to the bottom end of that engine. One suspicion I do have. I don't believe that Mullet is a dual rail car ( therefore less rigid ). I have to wonder if on launches, the chassis flexed in such a way that the driveline crammed the internals of the transmission forward. I know that the converter always pushes forward anyway, just really seems like more than that was at play here.

[@pharris49]

You kinda explained the comment I just posted before finding yours.

[@mikehunt3222]

Cleetus said that’s the reason why he took the SMX out was because it was starting to tear the car apart. It wasn’t built for that much power in the front, it was originally built to have a jet engine in the bed. The whole reason he started with an El Camino. They changed from a jet engine because the company he bought the engine from had one of their female racers crash and die while they were building Mullet.

[@ritchschut1997]

@@mikehunt3222 There was more to that story. That was also right after Jessi Combs was killed and his family begged him to change course. What you said though in my mind just reinforces my thoughts on the matter. Plus I know for a fact that Mullet could never really make use of the power levels that the SMX delivers.

[@Forcefed2002]

Came here to say the same. Could even be as simple as they ordered the driveshaft too long and sent it because....Freedom

[@1981Ryguy]

really enjoying the in depth videos. The liitle tidbits about the diamond infused shim, etc. Ouch on needing new crank!! You need to ignore/delete the small handfull of jerks leaving rude comments. Responding to them in video is just feeding them for more!! The larger majority of us appreciate the time your spending to make these videos!! PS : Would like to see a video on the machining work to install those new replacable lilfter bore inserts!!

[@mikesmith2383]

Super cool to see the tech and learn from these videos! I really think it's in his transmission. Shoving everything forward so hard, even though there's the roller thrust bearing in the front. That pressure combined with the "tickle of the redline" Cleet gets sometimes.

[@uncommonlogic1698]

Steve Looking at the situation, i am thinking the transmission was pumping the crankshaft forward. It would load crank working with stroke load to crack the crank so "gentlely". Or the spacing of torque converter is proud 15 to 20 thou, so the flywheel is bouncing against the crankshaft. Cracks appear to be high frequency cracks versus high deflection distance cracks. Since the crank is trashed, cut the crack at 90° and check depth, i would bet the crack is only as deep as the hardened thickness of parent.

[@johnjesus971]

I know it's weird, but i love seeing local places on youtube. Sending the crank to Marne, where i grew up going to Berlin Raceway, is just awesome to me.

[@michaelmain1990]

For it to have broken on the inner part of each journal wouldnt the crank had to have been compressed end to end? So it possibly pressed against the front thrust from the torque converter?

[@Ole_CornPop]

Remember that Mullet had that problem since they switched from BBC to SMX, I believe it never was really fixed and caused these issues the harder they pushed the car, the harder it pushed on the thrust bearing, main caps and crank. When they drove it on 7 cylinders that day everything compounded and finally broke.

[@colemanbelcher1589]

Man!! 👀Them billet hard anodized caps are like gold!! Great video!!! 👍🏼

[@CS_247]

You guys crack me up... Getting my entries in now!! Speaking of cracks, I used to work in the aircraft engine industry, and saw many a crank on the Magnaflux machine with cracks, but never on EVERY journal!! Can't believe it stayed together!! The old scratch and dent special is getting some dollars spent on it...

[@chrisdragosh8034]

Steve, You are my absolute favorite guy on "The Tube" Hands Down 😁 I learn so much! I believe this is because you are not afraid to post content that includes all the troubleshooting on issues that arise. Thanks for being you! Happy New year!

[@zakksrage]

The diamond plate shim being welded like that and the crank being cracked at every lobe is indicative of to much sitting on the trans brake 2 step checking or being burned down on the line. This would also explain the main cap breaking.

[@blairanderson5925]

I’ve never seen someone able to break so much and have it be so unnoticeable. Cleet really knows how show you your weak points in an engine!!

[@petermcilroy3224]

How long do you reckon eagle will last?

[@Hoaxer51]

It’s not a drag and drive car so it might last longer than Mullets Steve Morris engine.

[@gerrymilidantri6457]

Steve, when you welded that block initially , is it possible that after racing at high boost and temperature cycles, the block moved. Causing the crank main caps to fracture and break the crank. Maybe a good idea to stress relieve the block before completing the machining and assembly. Also if Garrett s converter pushed/ loaded the thrust bearing broke the caps and crank

[@djrisberg]

My uneducated thought is that the long stroke and high thrust pressure, was flexing the crank like a giant spring...compressing it from front to rear like an accordion...and it was flexing horizontally at the corner of the journals...when you clearances the rear main thrust bearing, you made the flex worse and as the hardened crank began to fail and weaken with each pass, the rear main absorbed more and more pressure leading to the burn through failure. A shorter stroke with more journal overlap will not accordion as bad...you may not have the same pressure with Rossler as Garret had with the M&M...a permanent fix would require an exotic splined crank with a removable hub so you can install your roller thrust bearing at the rear main (engine oiled) or on the back of block (sealed/self oiled) that the splined hub rides against. Otherwise, I think less clearancing of the rear main bearing during assembly will ensure distribution of the thrust load from front to back between both thrust bearings, especially as the rear thrust bearing “wears in.” Best of luck.

[@stainlessbrainracingadventures]

Watched your video showing the thrust being destroyed, did you call him and make sure they check converter stuff and transmission stuff so they don't kill another? Keep it real we love watching your stuff 👊

[@ryy597]

If i recall correctly they always had high charge pressure. Its been a long time issue and they did not know how to fix it at that time. I think steve even went to give them a hand and they ended filling down the crank bearings to give them a tad bit more clearence.

[@stainlessbrainracingadventures]

@ryy597 copy that! Them boys are living it up and having a awesome time doing it for sure. Hopefully they got it handled.

[@aaronpreston47]

@@ryy597didn’t Steve have that problem a few years back as well? I remember him blowing trans lines and cooking converters in the wagon.

[@leftyeh6495]

Yeah. They had that fixed. Oddly it was the same trans that was behind the big block with no troubles.

[@jeremyking5684]

​​@@leftyeh6495they never fixed the problem, even after the first time Steve telling them charge pressure to high they kept on ! Bbc,smx probably not using same converter,and bbc could have more converter spacing. Bbc not putting down power like that smx.

[@KennethBrackett]

Cleetus has broken every engine he has ever had, no matter who built it. With out all the data, you'll never know what he did to that engine. I can hardly wait to see what he does to that Pro-Line hemi.

[@NFBartos]

He's already broken that too 🤣

[@itsverygreen532]

The proline was broken 3rd pass ... bent valves ... they sorted that and broke it again 5th pass .. it was 40mph down.

[@michaeljnewton]

@@itsverygreen532not broken, just ran out of gear

[@jeremyedwards7357]

It's not just him everyone breaks them

[@itsverygreen532]

@@michaeljnewton Oh right, that's what it was. When I saw them changing the vlave that had a 20 thou gap under one side I thought that was because the valve was bent ... so they just fit a bigger gear and the valve will straighten itself?

[@ralfcatsnap6897]

Cleetus must have had something really bad going on with his transmission/flywheel/converter. That's the only thing that would cause the damage to that thrust bearing like that. It's like the transmission was trying to push the converter through the engine lol. Your roller bearing in the front cover stopped it.

[@MrShakotan]

He had thrust issues previously. They milled extra off of the main bearing as it was touching even with plenty of static clearance.

[@tysonrichards1819]

I see a lot of main bearings do that with high line pressure in the trans. The converter swells and pushes in on the crank real hard and wipes them out

[@someusername121]

That diamond coated deal is basically a friction washer. They exist as a subset of lock washers for normal fasteners too. You use them when you have hardened surfaces that are harder than normal lock washers.

[@veto8792]

I literally just sat down to watch the new Cleetus video and this one pops up. Sorry Cleet, I’ll see yours in about 35 minutes.

[@caleblevasseur2657]

As a mechanic and wicked fear head who loves going fast (which I have been watching you for a couple years now) I am still confused on how you machine the water and oil passages in the blocks and heads. I’ve always wanted to know how you get all the angles and everything on how you do it, heck even possibly see it in person

[@2qwik2nv]

Garrett is the best, hands down, pants down, Hell Yeah Brother!!!!! QA tester on Earth!!!!

[@jeremyking5684]

Best at breaking everything!!

[@toddroos2461]

Steve. Great channel! First visit here, love all the machine shop equipment you show us. Wish I'd kept up and advanced more of my skills from high school auto shop. Have done a few low dollar engine builds in the shop or garage that were a lot of fun. This crank has me wondering...Isn't the thrust bearing holding crank from pressures the flywheel/clutch pushes forward? What if a clutch or trans problem put undue pressure on crank? Would it shear off back part of thrust bearing as you've shown? Thanks!

[@cajunroadwarrior]

This sounds like a harmonic issue with high frequency vibration and the stress from that concentrating in those sharp corners of the crank journals. . You can do a lot of damage with a high frequency oscillation if the part isn't designed for it.. When I was doing R&D for John Deere we had an extractor fan mount for a hydraulic motor that was 1-1/2" thick 50ksi steel that broke. We also had a 6 inch axle break. The break started at a corner and grew from there until the part failed. Add a larger radius in the journals to ease the stress concentration and that will solve your problem.

[@dustinhunter8537]

I’m mean the rad you got of ole cleeter putting America’s foot in the floorboard all bs aside you make one hell of a engine to run on 7 cylinders with broke main caps and a broke crank was still running 😮wow

[@tacoterminator-d8l]

vibration and harmonics can do some crazy stuff

[@billybobthorton784]

Your magnaflux guy said it best! That's what 70 lbs of boost gets ya!

[@Greg1096]

Are you going to check the block for cracking, i know magnaflux can test aluminum with their dye stuff. Just makes me wonder if whatever lethal vibration it developed hurt anything else. I also would love to see if that crank blows apart if you just dropped it on the floor.

[@chrisstavro4698]

you'd be right about the crank bending if it were static. it's spinning almost 150 times per second. I just found this paper on axial vibration in crankshafts. "The torsional vibration has little contribution to the axial vibration at high speeds, but has a contribution to it at low speeds, it can couple and excite several vibration peaks at low frequencies." So it seems your crank is twisting too much, especially at low rpm.

[@billfrev]

22:06 think the last hit on this engine when cleetus lost a gear in the launch it reved insanely high ... would love to see the data haaha way over 10k RPM

[@NickEllett]

So with the crankshaft being broken, the thrust bearing being broken, AND main caps being broken, I would think something hard hit the crank in a way to shock the whole dang thing.

[@danhammond8406]

End thrust from the torque converter

[@Anna-s7k4v]

You're a creative genius, no joke!

[@graemeeyre8933]

Thanks for the great insight into engine development. Wow that many cracks in a crankshaft. The r and d you do is incredible.

[@pettertaillon6402]

I think the crank failed due to thrust from the trans. The roller thrust bearing at the front of the crank stopped all forward motion, and the crankshaft was compressed forward by hydraulic pressure. This might explain the damage to the original thrust bearing at the rear of the crank.The cracks seemed to be on opposite sides of the rod throws, indicating compression forces. Was there any indication of thrust on the rod bearings?

[@kxhonda]

Good to see you put in radius’s in the corners where the original ones broke!

[@54raceman]

They never should’ve had hard corners in the first place

[@kxhonda]

@@54racemanI agree. That’s why I said that. Stress risers are no good.

[@leftsoul5716]

put in a crome molly girdle on the caps to help that crank to stop flexing during launches. no block is totaly rigid

[@jasonhall5101]

Surely the crank cracks are from being unsupported by the broken caps

[@Andrewmichaud14]

But the crank cracked even at the unbroken cap points. Probably the entire block somehow is flexing.

[@recoilrob324]

The rear thrust bearing is destroyed...likely from excessive pressure from the torque converter and remember Mullet was having lots of tire shake problems which sends very high shock loads through the drivetrain. Because the actual thrust bearing is in the front of the block...any movement as the rear thrust is being destroyed means the crank is getting compressed linearly. Being steel it'll bend and I'm thinking this bending is what broke the main caps and along the way cracked the crank in so many places.

[@donmathias1705]

Is it worth putting your damaged crank up in a centre lathe and try and load laterally to see how much deflection is going on. The crank is retained at the snout end by your needle bearing and also controlled by rear thrust. I machined the snout on a digger crankshaft and had to offset the flywheel end quite a lot because as I compressed crank with centre it bent and I had to throw it offer to correct so the snout would machine true. I suspect your crank is a lot more flexible than you imagine, not rotational but laterally. I can't help think a proximaty sensor to indicate if crank at flange end had moved might be a useful development tool. I have seen bronze rubbing blocks used it older truck differentials to control the deflection of the crownwheel. Only rubbed under extreme load. Maybe a modern "plastic" might achieve outcome to protect crank. Something like HY 54, very expensive but wears amazingly dry. I could imagine a disc of material around the crank seal on outside of engine and back flex plate or some similar disc would rub against it. The basic flaw is crank thrust is just too small and thrust load overpowers the hydraulic load provided by the oil. The other consideration is this. You have a double sided rear thrust. As the clearance is taken up on the load side the unloaded side then has oil pressure bleeding out and it potentially will load the crank even more. In other words as the crank pushes against the thrust it gives preferential oil supply to the non thrust side. Double whammy. Limited oil to carry thrust and coping with thrust generated by unbalanced flow of oil exiting the rear main bearing. I know you go to a lot of trouble to set end float when you install your front thrust races. Maybe you have to feed oil into the rear thrust directly instead of it getting what's left over from the rear main? Just a few "what ifs" Good luck.

[@Patricks_Projects]

Youre looking at vibrations due to harmonics. Overrev and such things might do things like this. Just rattle the eff out of it. And every mercedes amg 156/159 engines have diamond washers, but at the camshafts. Use one time only.

[@jeremy31326]

STEVE. A tech tip! Back in the 90’s I worked part time in a race shop. My full time job had led me into being NDT Level 2 certified with lots of experience in radiography, ultrasound, eddy current, dye penitent and mag particle testing. Before long due to my part time job I found myself doing numerous inspections on cranks, valves, rods, suspension parts, etc etc. I was doing NDT inspections for ARCA, Busch GN, NHRA teams, and numerous race shops. Before you dispose that crank, pick it up off the floor and slightly hit it with a wrench. It will ring totally different from one that’s not crack/broke. This is for anyone for that matter. A crank with no crack will ring a tone for a good bit. Ya don’t gotta hit it, just a good tap. Pick any throw. It should vertebrate for a good bit, 15-30 seconds depending on how you do it. Point being is it should ring. A cracked crank….. not so much. That frequency will get to that crack and start canceling out real quick. Note. If you’re afraid to tap a crank by lightly tapping one of the throws with an open end / box wrench, then maybe you shouldn’t use it.

[@jamesyoung2241]

@@jeremy31326 Very good info Having built a few hundred small blocks I know the tone of a good crank. A cracked one will make more of a thud sound.

[@wobblysauce]

Yep just like pottery... a good fired piece has a nice ting.

[@foreverendeavors6210]

I remember one of the competitions cleetus was in they set the limiter around 9500 rpm, can't remember what engine, ill double check, the video was playing in the background earlier today.

[@theunhingedgamer3762]

@@dwight8269 this video wasn't made to blame him at all it's racing things happen like this all the time

[@garrettk04]

​@@dwight8269 You do realize that Garrett is currently running a Steve Morris big block in mullet? There's no hate or blame going either direction. They've both said this, quite a few times. When you're making that kind of horsepower, stuff breaks. It's part of racing. Hence Garrett only can run eagle 25 times before having to rebuild the motor.

[@xtr3m3fLx]

@@dwight8269 lol this isn't an airport there's no need to announce your departure, cry baby

[@leftyeh6495]

​@@dwight8269pretty sure Cletus knew what he was getting into. He was saying in the video earlier this week with eagle that they will actually have to do the maintenance. He fully admits to not being great to the smx. The new proline hemi needs rods every 20-30 runs. Horsepower just flat out kills parts. (And pretty sure he went Proline only because they're the latest, greatest no radiator methanol only race motor right now. Not what the smx is designed for.)

[@foreverendeavors6210]

People ofcourse want to know what happened to the engine, this video was just informative..

[@robertjohnson4784]

Like I said before that boy is hard on everything Cleetus how did you crack every main on that beautiful crank oh 70 PSI BOOSTED 😢😢😢

[@NCCoder]

I can see the broken main cap allowing just the perfect harmonics to set them up to crack during the drive, like you've found with the valve springs. As far as the thrust, I remember you talking with Cleetus about line pressure absolutely shoving the crank forward. The only other thing i can think of is some weird situation where his bell housing has been trimmed just a few thousandths, or some other stacking error.

[@ruikazane5123]

The bald eagles told the crank to stay together! Shock loads on hardened steel, the reason why it is still in one piece is probably the hardening process (hardening/temper depth into the metal - for example, a through hardened bearing ring will shatter entirely but a carburized gear may only chip the edges) with the sheer thickness of the material. Might be worth adding a little more relief on those journal edges, like the added radius on the main caps. Regardless, the block lives to see more power!

[@ablejohnson]

I blame Trump! He sent a mean tweet to that old crank and blew out its gizzard.

[@teknoaija1762]

Trump is too much of a limp noodle to blow out anything.

[@brianalbrecht4423]

LMAO LMAO LMAO....thats it...!...priceless...lololololololololol....!

[@yourfavoritelawnguy2722]

i heard we are gonna get Mexico to pay for this new crank!

[@jeremyking5684]

​@@teknoaija1762don't worry Trump will make cranks great again and affordable!

[@rockkhound943]

So you're saying Harris will fix everything. Yea they have a great track record, don't they 🙄.. Shut up when you decide to say or type something.

[@dieseldog20]

Didn't cleet have converter or trans pump issues during that race event?

[@TonyKing-si2ns]

MY THORS AS WELL . THAT MAKES SENCE

[@harrybott6836]

is this crank from Callie's Performance? If it is why don't you send it back to Callies to have the crank checked out. Callies might be able to figure out why this crank failed. I retired from Callies and it could be a flaw in the Steel Billet material, anyway it just might be worth a call to find out if they would like to investigate this crank.

[@ch3no2killz]

That would be my choice, you paid for it, might as well get their take on the issue. Something for them to put in their notebook.

[@carls01ws6]

Amazing you guys edited this and put this out same day. Love watching these vids. Very informative and it's definitely cool you are adding the broken parts and pistons and rods to people's orders. Keep up the great vids!

[@ash_whole5442]

i suspect that while the engine was misfiring, driven a very long time, the lugging in overdrive acted like an impact gun. the thrust from the converter going forward and back hammered out the thrust bearing. once that bearing was broken off, the extra thrust and impact action then caused the crank to crack

[@paulwaggle1697]

Well clet testing is pretty hard lol

[@SubaruLove]

First start up oil optional.

[@ryanhale8013]

More like cleetus was negligent and purposely destroyed for views

[@theunhingedgamer3762]

@@ryanhale8013 negligent yes but purposely destroying an engine for views that's false info don't go creating narratives that aren't legit because it's clear you didn't watch the video from the other day

[@jasonbickford4283]

Broken parts are memorabilia! Who wouldn't want a broken cleet/Morris smx broken part?

[@ryanlamfers8692]

He's not quite there yet but I can see a day broken Cleetus parts have the same value as broken John Force parts.

[@79tazman]

No kidding I would not call that junk but some people don't like Cleetus and others really don't care so more for us I like to say.

[@proud2bss]

Way to go 'Doc Morris'!

[@CColtTolbert]

Hey y'all, and Steve and family!! I've been following the channel since before Bailey ran his 5 sec pass with one of the OG SMX'S!!! I'VE LEARNED AND ENJOYED EVERY SINGLE VIDEO SINCE THEN!!! THANKS FOR THE AMAZING KNOWLEDGE AND CONTENT TO ENJOY!!!!

[@miceinoz1181]

If your spacer plate has welded at a few points, it means there HAS been movement however minimal, between the crank flange and drive plate.....why do I know this? In my past life as an aircraft engineer, we had thrust reverser cowl abutment plates welded together. Initially we thought it was a lightning strike that welded them together, but Rolls Royce did some testing (these were RR Trent 700 engines fitted to the aircraft), and as these cowls in modern engines are "load sharing" they also are part of the structural support of the engine. RR found that if the engine had a surge event (for example) the cowls actually move with the engine and this superheats where the abutment plates touch and rub, despite the cowl latches being correctly tensioned. Put a dowel pin in the crank!

[@leftyo9589]

doesnt matter who made the parts, or who built the engine, if cleetrus runs it, it will end up broken. guy is just destructive.

[@petert3355]

Ok....ok.....ok....... What the HELL was Cleetus doing to that Crank? That has got to be more than just 70 pounds.

[@cj09beira]

missing a cylinder probably has to do with it

[@sirtaylor2569]

I see the problem... the crank hasn't been forged out of floridium. Typical non-floridian mistake

[@cajunroadwarrior]

If you scanned the crank into Creo or Solidworks and ran an FEA analysis on that crank you will see the corners of those journals light up. increase your radios.

[@oldchev2850]

I wonder if the cracks are from twisting, not bending? There'd be incredible forces on acceleration and deceleration. Its critical to have the correct size radius on every journal and super smooth. The slightest line or insufficient radius could cause cracking in these areas.There has to be enough wall thickness where the journals meet the webbing as well.