Dyno Day Disaster
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From: Cave Creek, AZ
Dyno Day Disaster
A not so funny thing happened at the dyno the other day...
A friend (who is also on this board but will remain nameless unless he chooses not to) and I went to the dyno on Saturday to do a few pulls. I have approximately 30 pulls on my '01 and this was his first time with his '99. I strapped down my truck and let it cool for a while before doing my first pull (I had three new mods I wanted to test on the same day in order to get comparison numbers). My first pull was uneventful and my numbers were actually better than I expected considering my truck was now running almost three full points leaner on the A/F. So we unstrap mine and throw his on and let it cool for a few minutes. I'm doing the run so off I go...all goes well until about 5200 rpm when all hell breaks loose and smoke starts pouring out of the engine bay. My first thought is I had blown his motor...then I smell coolant and figure we just tossed a hose somehow. He was standing off to the front of the truck during the pull so he got to see the fireworks as they happened which I wasn't privvy to from my vantage point. He said he saw chucks of plastic shooting from the engine bay just as the steam started coming out. As it turns out one of the three bolts in the crank dampener (behind the blower pulley) had backed out and got tossed around...all at about 5500 rpm (he found it in the dyno area after we backed his truck out). He now has three good-sized gouges on his power steering pump pulley, it took out four fan blades and then got launched into the radiator which "holed" it. We manged to yank off the fan and get his truck home (30 miles away but luckily all via a freeway) only stopping once to add water.
Most importantly, no one was injured by the flying pieces Also fortunate was that it happened at a shop that a friend of mine owns so we had access to every tool we could ever possibly need, the damage could have been much worse all things considered and, least of all, his numbers were pretty strong (381 rwhp and 480 rwtq). The worst things about it were the fact that I had convinced him to dyno his truck, I was driving at the time, it was a $350 dollar day at the dyno, we each only got one run in and now my friend who owns the shop has a story about a Lightning to go along with all of his stories about Supras grenading on the dyno (one of which we got to witness while working on his truck - although according to the owner it's perfectly normal for a 736 rwhp Supra running 28 lbs. of boost to burn a quart of oil on each dyno run...engine vacuum you know and as he so eloquently put it, "This isn't a Honda Del Sol." Yeah, they don't smoke like that last I saw). We also got to see a 2002 Z06 with 1100 miles on it do a run which netted 355 rwhp and 350 rwtq...not too bad for something that weighs considerably less than our L's
The moral of this little gem...those three little tiny bolts holding the crank dampener on can do a butt-load of damage when they back out at high speed. My advice (and I'm sure I can think of at least one other person who will second this) is to check and re-check those bolts when doing a pulley swap and if you've already swapped your pulley and didn't check those bolts...go out and do it now and don't skimp on the Loctite or lockwashers or both.
Dan
A friend (who is also on this board but will remain nameless unless he chooses not to) and I went to the dyno on Saturday to do a few pulls. I have approximately 30 pulls on my '01 and this was his first time with his '99. I strapped down my truck and let it cool for a while before doing my first pull (I had three new mods I wanted to test on the same day in order to get comparison numbers). My first pull was uneventful and my numbers were actually better than I expected considering my truck was now running almost three full points leaner on the A/F. So we unstrap mine and throw his on and let it cool for a few minutes. I'm doing the run so off I go...all goes well until about 5200 rpm when all hell breaks loose and smoke starts pouring out of the engine bay. My first thought is I had blown his motor...then I smell coolant and figure we just tossed a hose somehow. He was standing off to the front of the truck during the pull so he got to see the fireworks as they happened which I wasn't privvy to from my vantage point. He said he saw chucks of plastic shooting from the engine bay just as the steam started coming out. As it turns out one of the three bolts in the crank dampener (behind the blower pulley) had backed out and got tossed around...all at about 5500 rpm (he found it in the dyno area after we backed his truck out). He now has three good-sized gouges on his power steering pump pulley, it took out four fan blades and then got launched into the radiator which "holed" it. We manged to yank off the fan and get his truck home (30 miles away but luckily all via a freeway) only stopping once to add water.
Most importantly, no one was injured by the flying pieces Also fortunate was that it happened at a shop that a friend of mine owns so we had access to every tool we could ever possibly need, the damage could have been much worse all things considered and, least of all, his numbers were pretty strong (381 rwhp and 480 rwtq). The worst things about it were the fact that I had convinced him to dyno his truck, I was driving at the time, it was a $350 dollar day at the dyno, we each only got one run in and now my friend who owns the shop has a story about a Lightning to go along with all of his stories about Supras grenading on the dyno (one of which we got to witness while working on his truck - although according to the owner it's perfectly normal for a 736 rwhp Supra running 28 lbs. of boost to burn a quart of oil on each dyno run...engine vacuum you know and as he so eloquently put it, "This isn't a Honda Del Sol." Yeah, they don't smoke like that last I saw). We also got to see a 2002 Z06 with 1100 miles on it do a run which netted 355 rwhp and 350 rwtq...not too bad for something that weighs considerably less than our L's
The moral of this little gem...those three little tiny bolts holding the crank dampener on can do a butt-load of damage when they back out at high speed. My advice (and I'm sure I can think of at least one other person who will second this) is to check and re-check those bolts when doing a pulley swap and if you've already swapped your pulley and didn't check those bolts...go out and do it now and don't skimp on the Loctite or lockwashers or both.
Dan
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From: Cave Creek, AZ
Vinnie...not a bad plan. It sucks that it happened (and sucks even more that I was driving my friend's truck at the time) but if we can keep it from happening to anyone else than at least some good will come from it.
Dan
Dan
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From: Cave Creek, AZ
Chuck,
He said the same thing but there's still that degree of responsibility...he did say it could have just as easily happened on the way there or when he was at the track a week ago. One other positive thing is that it's now a perfect time for him to do the electric fan...most of the things have already been removed!
He said the same thing but there's still that degree of responsibility...he did say it could have just as easily happened on the way there or when he was at the track a week ago. One other positive thing is that it's now a perfect time for him to do the electric fan...most of the things have already been removed!
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From: On the side of the Road attempting to explain 135 miles per hour
what a bummer
There has been more than one Lightning owner finding this issue on the OEM parts. It is too bad you have to remove the Stock lower pulley to tighten them. I learned of it here and found the dampner bolts on my 99 were barely hand tight... 
We'll see how the 01's look in a week or so when I do the pulley swap.
Bob
We'll see how the 01's look in a week or so when I do the pulley swap.
Bob
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From: Norman, OK. USA
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Joined: Aug 1999
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From: Palm Coast, FL
Ford did away with the bolt on adapter in 01. The 01-up Lightning balancer has the threads cast into it as one piece. Only 99-00 owners have to worry about the bolts loosening. There is an easy way to solve that as well. Just install one of our PSP 2, 4, or 6 pound pulleys!! 
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From: Warner Robins, Ga, CSA
Sal:
What you doin' at work on a Sun. night? You suppose to be watchin' them yankees play futball or whatever they doin' chasin' that funny lookin' ball up-n-down that fancy cow pasture
.
Dan
.Dan
