Broken Crankshaft Count?

Please pick the one that you had break


  • Total voters
    185

Burn Down

Hotrodder
Sep 14, 2008
7,092
28
48
Boise Idaho
No just don't drive it like a high school kids with a brand new license and things last. Don't exceed it's intentions and problems will be greatly lowered. Even then stock breaks....

I just popped the heads off this motor and both front pistons are clean. All the rest have the usual black coating. The front 2 pistons are so clean you can see the intake valve circles on the piston surface still.

Then WTF are you worried about? You got the this all figured out:thumb:
 

x MadMAX DIESEL

<<<< No Horsepower
Dec 30, 2008
7,535
1
38
34
Lexington, Ky
I'm highly doubting that intake balance is the problem with breaking cranks. Banks probably said this to sound smarter than the rest of us after we figured it out with the help of socal and finfers. I wouldn't stress over it..



Figured it out huh? So what's the problem?
The early duramax had 17.2:1 also then went down to 16.8:1.

While idk if that intake balance is the cause, that sure is a great idea. Good catch. While your on that, have you noticed the left side exhaust manifold? It's also pinched to "clear the steering shaft"

And the cylinder balance cancels after 1000rpm
 

S Phinney

Active member
Aug 15, 2008
4,008
18
28
Quncy, Fl
The cranks breaking comes down to engine design and overall rotating weight. If GM had made the engine 1 to 1.5 inches longer they cold have designed the crank with more meat in the radius filets. There is not enough there to handle the overall stress placed on it. Nothing is indestructible but design in itself is where the problem falls.

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TheBac

Why do I keep doing this?
Staff member
Apr 19, 2008
15,610
1,865
113
Mid Michigan
The cranks breaking comes down to engine design and overall rotating weight. If GM had made the engine 1 to 1.5 inches longer they cold have designed the crank with more meat in the radius filets. There is not enough there to handle the overall stress placed on it. Nothing is indestructible but design in itself is where the problem falls.

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Finally.....a sane post.
 

Bustedknuckles

Honey Badger
Sep 25, 2010
1,308
2
38
33
Hagerstown MD
The cranks breaking comes down to engine design and overall rotating weight. If GM had made the engine 1 to 1.5 inches longer they cold have designed the crank with more meat in the radius filets. There is not enough there to handle the overall stress placed on it. Nothing is indestructible but design in itself is where the problem falls.

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So the question remains, why do some stock trucks break them at 150k, some stocks trucks last 400k+, some guys make 800+hp for years and never break one and the next guy does a build and breaks a crank in 6 months?
 

S Phinney

Active member
Aug 15, 2008
4,008
18
28
Quncy, Fl
So the question remains, why do some stock trucks break them at 150k, some stocks trucks last 400k+, some guys make 800+hp for years and never break one and the next guy does a build and breaks a crank in 6 months?
Because each crankshaft is not created equal. I have had each extreme myself. I have had two cranks break and have had a truck go 450k and still going strong.

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minerigger

Active member
Dec 24, 2013
2,660
1
38
Casper, WY
I would agree with Shane and say that goes for everything made on this planet. There are no 2 identical parts, everything is slightly different. Yes standards and testing is in place but it always will be ever so slightly different...part of the human factor that will never be overcome. But that's my opinion obviously

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M.A.M.

Member
Jan 9, 2016
429
7
18
Ohio
Throw my crank into the count. 2011 LML, 420k miles, towing heavy GN all its life... Finally gave it up yesterday while loaded around 20-21k gross. In the process of teardown now...
 

SmokeShow

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2006
6,818
34
48
43
Lawrenceburg, KY
That's not too terrible of an expectation is it? Hard life to nearly half a million miles before it had a catastrophic failure? I think I could be ok with that - "I ain't mad at it" :D
 

FROGMAN524

Member
Jul 17, 2010
613
4
18
At the rate I drive, about 12,000 miles, by the time I'm 80 years old, I'll have 650,000 miles. Hardly tow and truck is stock. Should never need another vehicle, ever. If the crank brakes, I'll rebuild the engine and keep the truck.


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kidturbo

Piston Tester
Jul 21, 2010
2,537
1,362
113
Somewhere On The Ohio
www.marinemods.us
Mark down the first one known to break in a boat...

Buddy Dave verified his LMM crank is broken today. I swore he had an electrical misfire issue by the way it just started missing. Nope, it's broke near the damper somewhere. Is a compound motor with under 10hrs since build. Probably was making 650 flywheel HP when it let go under 4000R's.. :rolleyes:
 

dirtydmax

<---up shit creek
Sep 1, 2013
1,091
4
38
46
muskoka,Ont Canada
Mark down the first one known to break in a boat...

Buddy Dave verified his LMM crank is broken today. I swore he had an electrical misfire issue by the way it just started missing. Nope, it's broke near the damper somewhere. Is a compound motor with under 10hrs since build. Probably was making 650 flywheel HP when it let go under 4000R's.. :rolleyes:

Stock cam i presume?And only 10 hrs on a fresh build is scary.If my fresh motor breaks one im done.Sorry to hear and hope its not too bad.
 

quadracer37

New member
Mar 31, 2009
547
0
0
northern, IL
Mark down the first one known to break in a boat...

Buddy Dave verified his LMM crank is broken today. I swore he had an electrical misfire issue by the way it just started missing. Nope, it's broke near the damper somewhere. Is a compound motor with under 10hrs since build. Probably was making 650 flywheel HP when it let go under 4000R's.. :rolleyes:

Where is Dave from? We did a twin kit for an LMm in a boat about 6 months ago... Sorry to to hear..
 

kidturbo

Piston Tester
Jul 21, 2010
2,537
1,362
113
Somewhere On The Ohio
www.marinemods.us
Yeah it was a stock cam engine. Rods, 15.5:1cr pistons, and ATI damper for those keeping track.

Boat has a Arneson surface drive connected to a 6sp Allison without a converter. Been working out some bugs with the shifting speeds, but nothing strange to speak of happened. Have plenty of video and data logs from this new engine over that 10hr period. Bumped high RPM timing up to +30 couple weekends back to lower EGT's, that's about it.

He was just getting on plane around 60% throttle when noticed a slight miss. Got worse quick and set bunch of codes. Should also be noted that when it shifts 4-5 the prop would cut loose and you could see that in the output shaft speed in data logs. So not like being hooked to sled or anything heavy loaded. I had actually commented that his engine load readings were too low, like 45% at 70% throttle. Max RPM I have seen logged is 3900.


Where is Dave from? We did a twin kit for an LMm in a boat about 6 months ago... Sorry to to hear..

Central CA. Probably same boat. He switch the stock VNT to a 4094R with this new build and she had been running great.