This Screw Went Through My SMX Engine AND It’s All Good! (2024)

Do not change showing us the detail and truth. I learn so much. It changes how you think about things. Nothing like reality, not fantasy. In racing you cannot lie. The lights tell all without prejudice of any kind.

I for one appreciate your transparency and willingness to share the good and bad. Bravo!

You had me worried waving that remnant around. I was thinking, "Steve, put that shrapnel on the bench, far away from the engine."

4.20’s on a 3600 lb car, on any car for that matter, is flying period. Especially one you can drive to lunch or the store or 1000 miles. Amazing numbers and an awesome car. Keep up the amazing work.

I suggest checking the other valve body for signs of the shaft starting to crack. (You probably have checked it)

Back in 1991 I had a cat-ass-trophic failure of #3 piston in my 440 Mopar at right around redline (6,200 rpm), and it was AMAZING the places the bits of aluminum made it into..the guy I was running stopped on the return road while I was waiting for a tow and yells "Dude, I think your whole engine just ejected out the left header!"
Not the WHOLE engine..I spent a couple hours with a dental pick removing aluminum that was packed into my carburetor base plate...
Ain't NUTHIN' an infernal combustion does that surprises me after that episode..
Glad your junk ain't hurt seriously...give 'em Hell at Race Week!

33:10 is one of several reasons I enjoy watching Steve Morris. Earlier he explained the piston/valve overlapping as the piston is coming up and valve is still open. Then shows it actually happenin with the scope. I’m not gunna lie, I’ve learned a thing or few watchin his vidjas!

As a field service engineer for GM I have had a piston break, put in a complete new engine, when parts of the piston downstream in the exhaust, come back up on restart and hurt the new engine.

Steve, you may want to clip a mirror on the end of the borescope. A piece could be imbedded in the cylinder head. Waiting to drop.
Edit. Sorry, I made this suggestion without fully watching the video. I know you are more thorough than I was giving you credit for. My apologies.

Dewey's like a ferret sneaking through that tiny opening. LOL As far as borescopes go, take a peek at the VEVOR articulating scope/camera. They're like 85 smackers and you can actually rotate the lens 180 so you can check valve faces when you don't have the time to pull a head..

Steve is like a teacher I had when I was studying mechanical engineering: a man with practical experience, in for a joke at a timebut still very serious, never afraid to be humble, and always asks the question “why is it that way” at the right time, and wanting to teach everyone what he has learned to those who are interested.
This teacher gave material science, construction calculations, and a heck of a lot of other subjects, and restored harley davidson gearboxes as a hobby. In those years he had done more than 150 gearboxes. Steve, Kyle and crew, you guys are amazing, and please never quit teaching us on things you learn along the way of failure or success!

Back in the 70’s I worked at a truck repair yard. A big GMC dump truck was in for a brake job and while we were working on it, the owner of the truck decide to do a tune up on the 478 CID v6. An hour later he asked if we had a junk box of small screws. Later when he started it there was a horrible clatter. So he gave it the full Italian tuneup and it suddenly got quiet. So the guy smiles to him self and declares victory. We had to wait a additional day for parts so we stayed late and pulled the head , which led us to drop the pan . Turns out the piston was broken all the way to the skirt. It probably would have lasted 5 minutes on the freeway.

I really appreciate all the explanation it's awesome to see. Thanks for watching us all through it

I use to work on a top alcohol team. We killed 2 engine with 1 broken valve in the same way. It broke, pieces bounced around, then went up into the supercharger (we didn't look up in there). Take the blower off put it on another engine. Go do another run, have another boom. Find the broken valve from engine 1 in engine 2. Not fun.

We love hearing the honesty of you, we all make mistakes! Your "CLASSES" on here are amazing, STEVE!

The threaded portion that broke off from the head of the screw may be still imbedded in the head . Amazon has a scope that you can control the camera remotely and look up at the head . It's a deptech brand (~100 bucks) and is about the cost of the tax on the snap on and way ahead of the snap on in tech .

Many years ago I worked for the Chevrolet dealer in Middleville and I was working on a 6.5 Diesel truck. The end of the glow plug had broken off while I was trying to remove it. I told my service manager that the engine would need to come apart to remove the offending piece. We argued about the damage that could result by running the motor with that big of a piece in there. I gave in and put new glow plugs in it. Imagine my surprise after it ran for a bit that I would find the glow plug tip laying on the floor right under the tail pipe.

We won severalraces with our SC1 (or C3, I don’t remember) Yates Ford NASCAR head, Fontana block, 18:1, mechanical methanol injected midget, AFTER an air cleaner screw came loose and passed in, and out, and back in, and eventually out of our motor. The top of thx #3 piston and combustion chamber looked like someone when after after it with a hammer and punch, but it didn’t care. The ring lands were solid, everything sealed, and it still made 350 N/A horsepower out of a 166cid 4 banger that also throttled really well, like a real wheel to wheel racecar should.

Great to see she not badly hurt. Send it 😊

No need to split the housing on the TB. Slide shaft in, install throttle blade and tig into place. No screws. Sorry if it seems like im just running my mouth. Not my intention. Just seems like a stronger method. Would add rigidity to the shaft as well. Just an old man thinking out loud. I can take criticism, in fact, I'm looking forward to it! Have a great day y'all.

Steve don’t let the internet trolls bother you !! Love your informational videos always!
You can tell they get to you sometimes , your a smart successful man , there will always be haters

Just for a chuckle, Steve. When I first came across your channel last year, you were talking about "Drag and Drive" without any real context. For weeks I was trying to figure out what was a Dragon drive, was it some kind of transmission or fancy differential. I finally figured it out and boy did I feel stupid.

I know a guy that runs a 454 Chevy, it dropped an exhaust valve, the majority ended up in the header, and pieces went to all the cylinders and made dents in every piston top.

Just a plug for Snappy,that camera looks a lot better than the Snap On one I have,but I’m also looking at diesel pistons that are lookin in a black hole. Yes please don’t quit explaining what you are doing and seeing,it is very helpful,educational and I feel it helps me as an mechanic,take my time,look closely and feel good about my work,Thank You Steve 😊

Your editing are on point, appreciated it!

I appreciate your transparency and you take time to explain in so much depth that even someone that's not a gear head understand and show everything it takes to have a streetable 5 second ride or wagon

40:38 that smirk you get when you know what you've done

That title made me think about the screw that hurt my engine from a throttle body a few years ago... I really like how motion welds their little screws so they can't back out that's what I've been running since

keep up the great videos and don’t stop showing everything going on. Helps all of us that are trying to learn. Also it’s awesome to give a company a compliment when there product works. Too many only mention the bad things never the success of products. I’ve had no problem with motion raceworks products as well.

Nick from Nick's Garage had a valve break off a customer's motor and it bounced in and out and destroy 5 or 6 cylinders. Crazy stuff.

I had a shop rag make it's way through an engine. The rag was in the intake to prevent junk from falling in but was not removed before the carb was installed.

Don't change, Steve. I really appreciate you showing us how everything works and what happens when it doesn't, that's one of the big reasons I follow you. Not many guys out there do what you do. I've learned a hell of a lot from watching you.

Steve,you take it to a whole different level,don't change your approach and manner of solving a problem and explaining thr how,what and why of it.
Your wagon is super bad,top notch,I love it,and I do hope to shake your hand again someday.
I really enjoy your videos,your shop is a dream palace,keep up the great videos.
You were so gentle Dr. Procto with the turbo exam.

Was thinking maybe the thread portion is embedded into the head, but would think you could hear it. Amazed it didn't break a piston in half. That is my luck.

Thanks Steve for bringing us along on your adventure!

I can remember being about 16 years old and trying to figure out where the razor blade went.. if you rev it up hard enough it will actually just burn up whatever's in there. If you get lucky

My mom used to have a 1974 jaguar v12. The engine is setup with 4 side draft carbs, 2 for each bank. The two banks are completely separate from eachother except for what they call a balance tube or something like that which basically a piece of roughly 3/4 steel tubing that balances the 2 sides as the name implies. One day the car dropped a valve seat in one cylinder. It got beat to pieces and some of those pieces migrated to another cylinder on that side as well as some pieces passed through that balance tube and took out 2 cylinders on the other side as well. Upon tear down only 1 valve seat was missing but 4 cylinders were absolutely beat to crap.

Learn something new on this channel every time. I had no idea the valves opened up that far. Sounds like you need to be careful when you have the top off the intake, Duey might slip down in there as he did with Tom's engine in the back of that van.

I like the raw real footage. It’s nice to see all the stuff that happens not just the good.

Steve is a genius. I am very thankful he is humble and shares what he knows and experiences.

They make bore scopes where the camera can turn and look back at the cylinder head. Depstech DS630DL

Some of the shrapnel transfer in Detroit Diesel two cycle engines I worked on just amazed me. Pieces migrated everywhere. Pretty cool that you avoided major damage.

years ago i dropped the 1/4 inch nut some place, thought it hit the ground someplace,, motor sounds fine.
it went down the carb and was sitting on the bottom of the intake and didnt know it,
Made a run and it ate it, sbc, piston grabed it and slamed it in to the head, burried it in the piston and beat the hell out of the head and cracked it.
that was the end of that weekend.......

My buddy lost a 1/4 cab nut down a stock 289. It moved from bank to bank without even driving it. Pulled both heads to inspect. You guys rock. Thanks for the video.

Steve. If you ever need to scope something again there are ones that the head can tilt around using a control so you can see better. Tons of options on endoscopes.

Back in the late 80's I built a 68 Olds w30 rocket motor for my 77 cutlass supreme. I was fairly new to building as this was my 3rd ever. One of the main bearing clearances was at the edge of the spec but still good. Broke the motor in good n proper and had run it for about 3 months as a daily driver. That one bearing had moved just the slightest and the piston started touching the head so lightly the machine ring marks on the top of the piston were showing on the head but not hitting hard enough to flatten them out of existence on the piston. I probably would have never known there was an issue if the oil hole had not covered about half of the journal hole and spiked oil pressure enough to blow the fill cap off the motor and spew oil all over the windshield at 70 mph on the Jersey turnpike. It is amazing what something spinning that fast with constant air pressure changes inside can handle or even do to parts flying around in it.
Glad your motor lives to run another day.

Keep sharing
Love the fact that you are transparent

Im from the south and watched Tommy Boy again the other night and he sounds like Ray Zallinski..."I make car parts for the American working man because that's what I am, and that's who I care about".

Steve Morris Engines.... SO Bad Ass, they eat and chew up screws then spits them out... and continues to breaks records.

Steve, your honesty, integrity and humbleness are never forgotten. I believe you have helped Motion raceworks to make their product that much better. Keep pushing the limits!

Lucky…. Awesome Information AS Always!!

Your integrity and knowledge is why most of us watch. Keep on being you we appreciate it. Bravo sir nice work.

I'm sure you have heard of them. But the boroscopes we use at work are super cool. The tips can spin and move all around by button on the controller. It's really awesome. Definitely aren't cheap though!

I love your channel. I was a mechanic for 45 years, 30 at a bmw dealer. I dont miss the business but I do miss being around the cars. You are really fun to watch

On my end the clack clack clack sounded exactly like a solenoid not motor noise.

these detailed videos of what you are doing are great. I'm sitting here totally invested to see if the motor will be ok!

Amazon has a fabulous endoscope that plugs into a smart phone for under $50 that is unbelievable. Way better than my old one from the tool guy.

Really amazing the tech that is involved in the "wagon". To be able to explain it so that most people can understand is even more amazing. To put it out there for all to see (even your competitors) is a breathe of fresh air.

Steve they make a scope that you can turn the camera in any direction. Even 180 degrees to look back up at the head. Eric at SMA uses one once in a while . Might be a good investment.

Steve I have to say, you're a extremely humble man. I don't know how you are always so calm about literally everything. Your car is killing it, from your continual grinding and keeping after it! I can't imagine your front side can get much better. I honestly wonder if there is any data on the fastest 60' on a 3600# car?

The Astrodome was the original 8th wonder of the world back in 1961.

It's been 40 plus yrs since I've built a motor..... it's crazy how far you are from there !! awesome video sir !

My old snap-on bore scope came with little mirrors you clipped on the end so you could get a good look around. It was always a little sketchy just because they could fall off but they were a nice tight fit. The camera was terrible though, mind you it was used when I got it probably 12 years ago give or take. Things have come a long way since then.

thanks steve for the attention to detail on everything you do. i dont think that there is another person out there that explains & shows the public real diagnostic finds & fixes. keep up the GREAT WORK.
GOD BLESS

That snap on scope is amazing..

I live for how it works! Where the rubber hits the road, (so to speak). You are one of the few that I watch. THANK YOU.

Love your style this is how racing really is I actually love the tinkering and problem solving better than the racing.

Back in 1990 was involved in a 10 day rally around NZ. We built a classic 1260cc 3k toyota. Side drafts etc etc. In a 1972 corolla coupe. This little baby could go hard and driver didnt spare the rod. First day destroyed crownwheel and pinion. Swapped it out to stronger unit but not as low geared now. Anyway day two. Car was angry all day. Night stage, passed five cars in the stage. We could hear it from miles away. Very cool. Car came in to service running like a top. Tried to start the car after service, and it went clonk. Didn't do one revolution. Locked up. Put it on the tow road and towed 100 miles back to base and pulled head off. A valve guide had broken radially the lower part was rattling on valve. When we stopped half of it fell off and dropped thru valve and got thumped between head and piston. Sadly it damaged ring land and at 2am we had to abandon the event. That little car would do 125mph on gravel. Was a lot of fun, learning but sad.

Man if I lost a bolt in my motor I’d have rods and pistons on the hood of the car with inspection windows everywhere.

Sir you’re showing me what I want to see, Great job. Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to make videos for us. I’m a SBF guy so I’m really digging Kyle’s videos too. Thanks fellas nice work ! Be safe.🏁

The mark in #7 was still the complete screw.

Everyone loves your honesty! Don't change a thing!! BTW, Amazon has horoscopes that can swivel 180 degrees so you can go through the spark plug hole and look at the valves and head

From the video when you showed the spark plugs number six looked a little different even in video so I wasnt surprised when it was low on compression

Better check the other throttle body for the same stress fracture or breakage, cause it would get a similar shock wave as the one that broke. I think your quite right about that middle screw being unnecessary and it also creates a weak spot right at the most flexible point. That shaft needs to be bigger and with only two fasteners . Then there's the issue of the shock wave itself !

The heads off with intake still on comment was priceless. 😂

I really enjoy you showing us all your trials and tribulations Steve. Great video. Thanks for sharing it with us.

FYI, I'm an old gear head, and I don't reace. However, I'm an engineer, and I watch your channel because your videos are interesting from an engineering point of view.. What is my area of expertice? I design industrial desalination plants throughout the caribbean. I also like watching you guys go fast.. Unbelievable how things have evolved in racing.

There is NO other high end engine builder that shows as much detail and failure analysis as you. Everything is secret squirrel stuff. That's why so many people love your channel.

No
Freakin
Way!!
So glad it didn't nuke your bullet!!

Thanks for taking the time for the show and tell. I don’t have a race car but love to learn about these things. Thanks Steve.

That screw is still in the turbo housing. It hasn't left the chat just yet.

I once bought a Mach 1 mustang and within the first week of ownership I found myself in this exact scenario with debris in my engine only going way differently (serious internal damage in my case) I later found out it was the dealership I purchased the car from that sabotaged my engine 😢 best of luck to you Steve your a living legend and I’ve learned so much from watching your content definitely a huge role model in my world thank you!

THE BLOW OFF VALVE EXPERIMENT IS WHAT BROKE THE THROTTLE BODY

I know a guy who borrowed a big block mopar for some demo races, in between runs he lost the wing nut for the air filter. We knew where it was when he fired it up! 😁

Anodizing is not a heat treatment, it changes the metallurgy of the surface it's used on. Through electricity.

Good t shirt opportunity. Front "eat screws for breakfast and shoots out threads" back "and still makes record passes"

What are the chances the screw is still embedded in the head?

I love how you show everything!!!! Also the whole intake issue with debris everywhere is so common, most people don't understand. As a technician I see this with catalytic converters failing and taking out rings and killing engines because of this.

I learn so much from you, Kevin (KSR), and Tuning Fork (Haltech).
Thanks man.

Exactly Steve, From your previous education on the new valves and your explanation at the track I could tell that the shaft breaking due to the high pressure forces is what caused the loose screw. All the haters who don’t really pay attention just wanted to blame someone. And Cleetus just poured gas on the fire when he much too quickly jumped to comment on the older recall issue. Thanks once again for teaching us something and for doing a thorough analysis.

Steve, in another life, as a Cadillac tech, a 1981 6.0l l intake manifold 'pin' came out and entered the engine when an intake manifold gasket was changed. That 3/16 x 1/2" pin traveled through the engine breaking three pistons in less than a minute. WHAT A MESS!

Unfortunately I've had experience with this type of issue, but it still amazes me how foreign objects manage to travel as far as they do inside a running engine! It's awesome to see it didn't do any major damage!

19:37 , you could make barrel valves, or slide throttles ! They made barrel valves 100+ years ago on racing carbs, nothing to restrict air flow. A couple big 102mm slide throttles would be awesome. Use a bell crank to slide it open using a couple small linear actuators the walls can then have swirl patterns to induce swirl possibly increasing flow. (If that's possible!)

I enjoy the way you have shown us. What went wrong and why. If people aren't enjoying your channel. The can just keep quiet. So the rest of us can enjoy. Thanks Steve

Thank you Steve for sharing the good and the bad. Even though I am 72 and retired, if I could stand long enough I would be trying to build a car lol.

Steve, you are incredible and I have ultimate respect for you. As soon as you saw that broken shaft and screw missing, you should have started taking the heads off immediately to find it. Borrowing another butterfly valve and taking off to make another run was sketchy. I was yelling at my computer screen when you pulled into the burnout box. It is a $150.000 plus dollar engine combination. If you cannot find the threaded part of the screw, then take the SMX apart now and know for sure where it is. It still could be lurking somewhere. Very much appreciate how transparent you are and take criticism like a gentleman, I love that about you.

People are so damn quick to pass judgement and jump on someone without knowing what's going on. I'm glad it wasn't near as bad as what it could've been. Thank you for the up close and personal Steve.

Steve, thank you for the amazing journey.

Thank you for showing what happened, some things that can happen inside an engine are almost unbelievable

Steve that is one BAD hotrod!
A friend of mine dropped a nut down his stock 350. He called me to look at it,.
It also would move cylinders, beat up 3 pistons. When you think about it it’s crazy how it will do that even on a srock low lift engine.
Great video Steve!