Broken Crankshaft

I came across a TDI in need of some TLC. The owner bought it with engine noise. Well, the engine noise turned out to be a broken crankshaft just next to the connecting rod bearing. You can still turn the engine over (he did this as I was standing there) without any binding. What are the chances that the head isn't trashed? Is the broken crank a common thing? Did some searching on here, and found one other instance of it. Car has 180K on it and the timing belt is still intact, so not 100% sure what caused it. Looked at the turbo and there is minimal play (was thinking maybe blown seals and sucked oil into the engine. Can buy it for a reasonable price. Any thoughts?

Tear it down, build it up, drive on.

Broken cranks on diesels are rare, but they happen. If lucky, the damage may only be to the crank itself. Head should be ok, but valves might have made contact with pistons as some pistons may have gotten a bit out of time.

Check block carefully around main bearing saddles as they can get beat. Rod next to the fracture can be beat too.

I have a used crank if you need one.

Good info so far. The guy also has a complete timing belt kit from the dealer, so might snag it as part of the deal.

The guy told me the engine still ran, so wouldn't that be a good thing (minimal engine damage)? He said he didn't run it much without not knowing what was going on.

PM sent Whitedog

I don't have the crank anymore. I sent it away a long time ago.

Signed,
Ima Loser

There is no way the engine could run if the crankshaft is broken.

Powder Hound said:

There is no way the engine could run if the crankshaft is broken.

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Not true. Many engines have been known to run with broken cranks. The forces get transmitted through the fracture surfaces and both ends spin together. With some slop, of course. Noisy as all hell.

Sometimes a broken crank will stop an engine dead. Just not always.

Didjettarun has a used crankshaft

Powder Hound said:

There is no way the engine could run if the crankshaft is broken.

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LOL, wanna bet? I've seen several engines running that way... did not sound good, but they ran. Chevy small blocks can break right behind the chain sprocket, but in a crooked, jagged way that still allows the crank to turn the cam.

Seen several boxers break cranks completely in half, and still be able to pull the car along...the carnage afterwards is incredible.

He said it sounded terrible, but ran. I plan on going to take another look tonight and remove the main bearing caps and see if there is any damage. If not, I might have a new project. Thanks for the input gang. Dieselfueler, thanks for the heads up.

Pulled the valve cover and found carnage. Broken lifters...ugh. Thought that would be the case.

..........Hmmmmm, broken crankshaft! Did I miss it? I never saw where someone had dropped the oil pan to confirm that the crankshaft is in fact broken.

Yes, I've personally seen an engine run with a broken crankshaft......1200cc 40hp VW Beetle. Happened on the Interstate at about 65 mph. I drove it close to 20 miles not knowing what was wrong other than lost power!..........non interference engine of course! It sounded awful at idle and the oil idiot light was flickering!

I seriously doubt that the TDI engine is running with a broken crankshaft at a rod journal.

Inspecting the main bearings ..........what good would that info be? If the crankshaft is broken, it's no good and would anyone want to re-use those bearings?

Head trashed......... I bet it jumped time for some reason or another!

Show us the pics of the broken crankshaft!

You must have missed it. I said it was a broken crank and that it broke next to the connecting rod. How would I possibly know that if I didn't pull the pan? Thought that would be obvious that the pan was pulled to determine the source of the noise.

I would assume at this point the guy wasn't being honest with me. Is it possible to have running TDI with damaged lifters (a result of valve collision with pistons). Doubt it.

I wanted to inspect the main bearings to see if the block was usable. Was hoping I could replace the crank and having a usable engine. The head being trashed spoils the deal.

I don't have pics of the broken crank, well have one on my cell phone, but is totally crappy.

This is the first time I've heard of a broken TDI crank. Those things are bullet-proof. That thing must have been really abused.

My guess is that the crankshaft, beyond the broken point, got out of time with the Cam enough to allow the valves to hit the piston(s).........most likely just Exhaust Valves.

Well, sometimes when hearing a story that is sort of second hand, one can assume that the original source of the story could be merely speculating! My bad for assumming......

Yeah, the TDI Crankshaft is a tough one, but any of them can break if that was something went wrong in the manufacturing process. Who would have thought a little ol' 1200cc 40hp Beetle Engine crankshaft would break. I had driven that old Beetle all over the Northeast about two months before the crank broke!

SLVVR6 said:

I came across a TDI in need of some TLC. The owner bought it with engine noise. Well, the engine noise turned out to be a broken crankshaft just next to the connecting rod bearing.......Car has 180K on it and the timing belt is still intact, so not 100% sure what caused it.........Any thoughts?

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Does the car still have a DMF? Or single mass and/or lightweight flywheel? Aftermarket SMFs do break crankshafts on other vehicles due to torsional resonance. The prevailing wisdom is that it's not a problem for TDIs, but I wonder.

Car has an auto tranny. Would probably have bought it had it had a manual. There was so many unknowns with the car. So, if anyone is interested in some engine parts and pieces (can make a great deal on a crank), I can direct you to this guy or buy them and ship them out.