Had the LMP at Bruntingthorpe last weekend.

After 4 laps the engine expired.

In a big way.

Details & pics at: www.turner-auto-design.com/news.htm



[Edited on 22/2/05 by tadltd]

ahhgh comiserations steve, must've been a well stressful day.

all the best on working out the cause etc.

Really sorry to hear about that Steve, these things always seem to happen at just the wrong time.
It's all about how you handle the fallout, and by being up front and open about it i'm sure there will be no lasting consequences to you or the business.

Good luck with the next one.

Al.

Unlucky Steve, all the best with the new one.

I was just wondering would you have any reservations about using a ZX12 in the future or are you confident it was just a one off oil blockage?

Cheers

Ali

links not working for me

Yes, being up front, not hidding anything, and dealing with it immediately is the sign of a good company.

Sadly the exception rather then the rule these days.

Ouch
Was it dry sumped Steve, not that it would seem that would have made a difference if your predictions on the cause are correct?

Chris

Thanks for the commiserations guys.

The engine was dry-sumped, had been from the start. It was a total and immediate failure - no pressure loss or warning. The engine didn't even show any signs of oil leaks, coolant loss, nothing that you could point a finger at. Click on the link above to read the initial report.

The strip down will reveal more and I'll publish the results of that on our site. If nothing else, it'll be good info for the BEC guys on here.

I would have no qualms about putting another ZX12 in - and the track-sense car is retaining its engine. The blown engine has covered over 10,000 miles of HARD, track use in 1.5 years, with all sorts of people driving it. An immediate failure such as this is unusual, so I'm more than confident in the abilities of the ZX12.

SH!T - you didn't have to do that before my go in it? You were some of the inspiration for us to go Kwakas especially the ZX12R. Good to hear about the confidence regarding the engine and the doubt placed in the debris aspect...

I bet you feel gutted - but a new engine in will make it all worth while... good to hear it's another of the same...

ATB

PS Did it go on a high lateral G or otherwise?

[Edited on 23-2-05 by Hellfire]

Turner, that sucks.

I am very to happy to hear that it was an engine component that failed and not some other item on the car. Without stripping engines down for rebuilds it's almost impossible to tell when they are going to let loose.

It's certainly not something than anyone can hold against you or the car.

Bad luck Steve

I can vouch for the fact that to have a problem and deal with it in the public eye is better than trying to hush it up.

In later years it enhances your name, rather than being a detriment

Cheers

Fred WB

OK, now we've racked our brains and investigated all possible scenarios, it looks like a loose oil scavenge pipe has caused the engine failure.

Basically, there are two 6mm bolts that hold the flange of the scavenge pipe to the sump 'pan' of the dry-sump system. One of these worked loose and was missing. Why did it come loose?

Well, the rubber o-ring that sealed the flange had been constantly leaking and was replaced by a thicker o-ring. However, this did not allow the flange to close completely against the sump (otherwise the rubber would have been damaged). So there was constant tension on the bolts in the wrong direction and coupled with the vibration it's clear why one of them worked loose to the extent it fell out. The other one was also loose.

We can therefore only deduce that the oil was not being scavenged back into the oil-tank from this pipe as it was leaking quicker than it could be scavenged, and what oil remained in the tank only lasted 4 laps before the engine expired.

So we live and learn...

Well done, a sign of a good company to be up front about it. Time to move forward.