Attention car enthusiasts and fans of GM's small-block V-8 engines! In a recent video, the heartbreaking scene of a 6.2-liter Cadillac V-8 engine being ripped apart has been revealed. Pressing play reveals a large hole in the side of the block, which is just the beginning of the massive damage happening inside the engine. When the cylinder heads are pulled apart, we see that the first piston on the left-hand cylinder bank is completely missing.
Technically, the piston is still there, but in tiny pieces. Three large broken pieces and dozens of smaller fragments are scattered in the oil pan, making it hard to recognize that it was ever a piston. The mayhem also includes bent piston rings and a broken connecting rod, but most interestingly, the thick metal piece that connects the piston and the rod, the wrist pin, is nowhere to be found. Maybe it fell out of the hole in the block.
This ruined piston is the highlight of a recent video from I Do Cars. This engine is an L86 V-8 from GM's LT family, pulled from a 2015 Cadillac Escalade. Its mileage and the circumstances of the failure are unknown, but the video suggests the mileage was not very high due to the low varnish on the engine's internal parts. This engine appears to have been well-maintained, which makes its failure even more mysterious.
However, some clues have emerged. The rod and main cap bearings showed moderate to extreme wear, with a pair missing entirely. This is an indication of how the piston was damaged so badly - without the bearings the extra play allowed the piston to hit the cylinder head. But what happened to the bearings? There was likely some sort of oil shortage problem, but whatever happened, it likely started with the low oil pressure warning and knocking sound.
If these warnings had been heeded, the engine could have been saved. But, alas, nearly every component of this 6.2-liter LT V-8 is now junk.
This is a warning to car lovers - be sure to regularly maintain your engine and check the oil to avoid an epic failure like this one.
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