The Top DSM Community on the Web

For 1990-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Galant VR-4 Owners. Log in to remove most ads.

Please Support Morrison Fabrications
Please Support Fuel Injector Clinic

Exploding flywheel

This site may earn a commission from merchant
affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

AuSpec Vr4

Probationary Member
11
0
Feb 25, 2011
Brisbane, Australia
Hey guys, please tell me this happens to other people...

I don't know how many of you know about my vr4 and its progress but it has been off the road for a year getting much needed upgrades to turbo/intake side of things. Yesterday was my first time driving the car in over a year, fresh rego and all was going well. At 12am in the morning when heading home from work i wanted to see what the power was like after fitting a new exhaust with 3 mufflers in it to make it road worthy, from 2nd gear 2000rpm i was WOT till 7,000rpm just about to change to 3rd and the pictures explain what happened next. Years of work have gone into this car and had only been registered less then 12 hours ago. The flywheel exploded instantly killing the car, the flywheel separated into three chunks, 1 almost going threw the radiator but also taking out the water pipe/turbo/turbo feed/radiator hose/intake/radiator fan/condenser and has bent the whole front of the radiator support panel forward, bent the lower cross member and the gearbox bell housing was scattered for hundreds of meters down the road along with coolant and oil. bolts snapped in the block, starter motor output shaft snapped from its housing, cut the steel clutch slave line and found the slave on the road. i can't describe how much of a mess it has made and the noise was horrendous. I am speechless, i thought i was at fault with something i had done but i would never expect a flywheel to give way like that. the 6 bolts are still holding whats left of the flywheel on along with the clutch, i hope for my sake the engine is still fine.


You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.
 
The same thing happened to Bruce Kwartler’s Galant back in ’01 or ’02… as in, 10+ years ago!

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=410151285707734

(he did hit the wall with his rear bumper... but not very hard)

He was “only” running mid to low 12’s at the time. So he was NOT required to have a scatter shield by the NHRA/IHRA rules! BTW, I was supposed to drive the car on THAT pass...

I am sorry if I sound rude, but it is time for some tough love… Anyone who is racing on a cast OEM flywheel is ASKING FOR THIS to happen!!! This is common knowledge! Yet people overlook this all the time!

This is completely unnecessary! You can pick up used ACT or Fidenza FW for under $100! Last time I had a Fidenza FW (in great condition) for sale, it took me forever to sell it for just $60!!!

I think that it is a bit more common than you think... There have been many guys, over the years, who had it happen to them. Bruce's incident really hits close to home because he is a friend and it was supposed to be ME in that car on that run!

One of the reasons why you do not see more of this, is because people ARE getting the message and using aftermarket FW's! Most guys in New England DSM are using those, of course, we are more aware of this problem since it happen to one of “our own” at our home track.

Tym Swytzer also had his explosion on tape around ‘98/’99.

If you ever have a chance to closely inspect a stock used FW, BEFORE it is machined, you can actually see the cracks on many of them! NEVER use a stock FW with such cracks, which means that you shouldn’t buy a used FW after it was machined because machining can hide cracking!

The flywheel i had was the original and was inspected for cracks while out then machined, we did not notice or think anything about it 4 years ago because it looked fine and it has lasted this long but it must of worn down quick because when inspecting the flywheel now... there is small hairline cracks everywhere. But yes, for the $200 max you should spend on a new flywheel, you should get one.

First off GRNDSM glad to see you on the forums and glad you posted up that link. Its exactly the one I was going to mention but couldnt remember what it was hosted on back then (probably angelfire).

But you guys also gotta think about the XTD clutch kits. Are they REALLY balanced from china? Or do they just drill holes in them because that is what was copied?

The Fidanza flywheels also split apart, but not in the same explosive way. They separate at the center where the mounting pad meets the outer part of the crank. This is more due to repeated clutch engagement and disengagement. The ACT chromoly flywheels are awesome for the dollar.

History repeats itself here kids. :ohdamn:
 
OP, this really sucks to see, glad nobody was hurt!!

However, I think this was just a freak accident. If one flywheel comes apart out of thousands in many years of use than thats just shitty luck. Id say these flywheels are pretty good quality. Im using a stock flywheel and it doesnt bother me. Now, if a bunch of cars from the same manufacturer kept having flywheels come apart in the first couple years of production I would most definitely be worried about this happening.

I agree. The flywheel was either highly stressed to begin with, or the clutch came apart and took out the flywheel as a result.

Flywheel failure is a serious event, but don't think for a second that it's isolated to stock flywheels. ALL flywheels/clutches have the potential to grenade which is why the NHRA requires scatter shields on ALL cars over a certain speed/ET. There's nothing wrong with using a stock flywheel so long as it's properly inspected, machined, and balanced. I'd honestly trust a properly refurbished stocker over an out-of-the-box ACT.
 
^^That's actually a really good question...^^ I know A/T guys don't have to worry about an exploding flywheel, but the torque converter still spins just as fast.


Glad to hear you're ok, but sad for your lost time and engine. Guess this makes me a little more happy that I bought a new Fidanza flywheel for my car when I replaced the engine last year. I had wanted an OEM flywheel to keep the engine harmonics in balance, but opted for the Fidanza due to it being cheaper new than a new OEM. Guess it wasn't a bad trade off after all. Hope you get your VR4 back on it's feet and running strong again.
 
Might be a silly question, but does this apply to us Automatic Guys?

Not so much, your automatic doesnt use a flywheel, it has a flex plate. Convertors can come apart but the damage is usually limited and they dont usually grenade the way a flywheel will, not saying it hasnt ever happened (before someone posts some internet link) but its no where near as likely.
 
So what about a 420a Manuel trans? If I understand it right we have a flywheel and flex plate? I bought a new clutch with flywheel but used the stock flex plate and had everything balanced. Anything I should worry about since I'm going turbo?
 
Wow haha changed my thoughts on running a stock flywheel
 
Well I never gave this situation any serious thought because I thought it was more rare than what is actually happening; but after this thread, I'm definitely investing in a scatter shield and possible moving to an ACT aluminum flywheel as well before the track opens up. I remember seeing a couple of hairline cracks in the flywheel when I bought it used but I had it machined down and I assumed all the cracks were taken care of.

What was said earlier is so true...Lives and limbs aren't replaceable.

Thanks for the thread man!
 
Wow sorry about the damage man, I had a flywheel sheer the bolts but luckily it was in the driveway free reving it but it stayed in the bell housing, damn ford junk LOL.

I know it's not dsm but the Chrysler 727 auto trans can explode and has caused a few totaled cars and trucks.

I also saw an old jeep that had a v8 swap that tossed the flywheel through the floor and tunnel and just missed cutting the guys feet off.
 
Wow sorry about the damage man, I had a flywheel sheer the bolts but luckily it was in the driveway free reving it but it stayed in the bell housing, damn ford junk LOL..

same thing just happened to me (flywheel bolts snapped) and mine also stayed in the bellhousing, well kind of, blew a couple of holes out of it and cracked it almost all the way in half. But looking at the damage from the OP I got lucky it could have been a lot worse.

OP: that is horrible I never would have guessed a flywheel could do all of that, i mean sure they weigh like 40 pounds so logically it makes sense but wow I need a new flywheel in my talon, was gonna get oem but not now thanks for posting this and sorry about your luck :pray: to the dsm gods for you
 
My 2g automatic spyder gst broke the flexplate in half and all it did was sound like a knocking rod (because the flexplate's are bolted together on the inside and outside part of the flexplate, where a flywheel is just bolted in the center) and when it happened the car had absolutely no power and felt like it was going to shake itself apart.... definitely did not come flying apart like that flywheel though, geez that was sure destructive on the rest of the car.

Glad you are alright man!
 
Well after glancing over this thread I ordered a NEW ACT chromoly steel flywheel for my new Southbend HD TZ/B clutch setup to be safe since my car is 24 years old. Don't want to get in there and find cracks or have any new problems so a new FW it is and ARP bolts to hold her on (along with new PP bolts too). Thanks Black97Spyder for sending me this thread. I value my life and car and it is worth the 300 extra to have peace of mind. :thumb:
 
Well after glancing over this thread I ordered a NEW ACT chromoly steel flywheel for my new Southbend HD TZ/B clutch setup to be safe since my car is 24 years old. Don't want to get in there and find cracks or have any new problems so a new FW it is and ARP bolts to hold her on (along with new PP bolts too). Thanks Black97Spyder for sending me this thread. I value my life and car and it is worth the 300 extra to have peace of mind. :thumb:

Good idea!!!

I think if anyone is going to change their clutch at least an ACT Chromoly is a must while they are in there. No sense in leaving the stock one in at that point.
 
Support Vendors who Support the DSM Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Innovation Products Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications MyMitsubishiStore.com RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Latest posts

Build Thread Updates

Vendor Updates

Latest Classifieds

Back
Top