VTX1800N1

This looks like either improper casting- as in the casting for the cylinder didn't extend far enough down into the block, or part of the block cracked and fell off. I wouldn't worry so much about it, but when I pass my finger over it, I can feel how rough it is on the cylinder wall. The piston extends below this at BDC, so it definitely came into contact with the defect. This was on cylinder 6, which was the piston that was scuffed the worst. I think this might have been there for quite a long time and may have been the source of metal that went through the engine. Look at the 6 - 7 o'clock position at the bottom of the cylinder bore:

VTX1800N1

#2 Main bearing, looks like a lateral crack:





#6 cylinder from the top:



#8 cylinder from the top:



#5 Main/Thrust bearing:



Timing cover shows no signs of timing chain contact:



The block is on the way to the machine shop:

VTX1800N1

VTX1800N1

OUCH!!! Not good. Passenger side head. This is what happens when the cam retainer bridge gets loose. The cam eats the bridge and the head.





Lots of metal from the head and bridge.


Cam boss/bridge. Camshaft ate it after the retainer bolts came loose and the bridge cracked.


Not pretty. Not pretty at all.


Notice the oil feed hole on the journal at the far left is completely closed off by metal.


More oil feeds wiped out.


Far left, journal #1, is what they should look like.


Passenger cam showing bad wear at the cam journals and evidence of contact with the cam bridge.

VTX1800N1

So much for those who told me that it was unlikely anything mechanical was wrong with this engine.....

ESABATM

Well look at it this way...You get a whole bunch of new parts and can build it your way. Nothing like good carnage posts.

I would deburr all areas in that block it looks a mess especially under #6. I agree that looks like a casting issue on the block. I don't think it went thru the engine as it would have shown up with it's destruction much earlier than now.

Good luck with the build.

VTX1800N1

Machine shop is going to chamfer the bottom of 6 to eliminate that issue. He is buying brand new heads, so these will get recycled at the junk yard. Crank is going to get polished. Not sure yet if we'll need under size main/rod bearings.

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WJL

Wow great pictures, so the cam retainer or whats left of it clogged the oil passages causing the bearing failure. Good luck with the rebuild.

VTX1800N1

Not quite. The bolts for the camshafts were loose. I'm not sure why; if they loosened over time or if someone had been into the engine and didn't torque them properly. The result was that the retainer bridges got loose and the cam started to eat them and the journals in the head. This galling closed off the oil feed holes at the journals, causing even more galling. It eventually got so bad that aluminum bits from the head went through the entire engine, destroying all the bearings in the short block and causing extreme scuffing on cylinder 6 and minor scuffing on 3 and 8. I checked the driver side head and found similar, though not as bad, galling. All but the rear most oil feed hole in the journals was closed off by galling in the driver side head. I'm really surprised the engine didn't seize.

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VTX1800N1

Looks like LMR has a SPEC lightweight aluminum flywheel and Stage I clutch on sale. More parts soon to be on the way....

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