Took my '03 out to Harris Hill Raceway today to get some seat time. Halfway through an off camber sweeping right hand corner, BOOM !!! The smoke, the smell, the sound of metal pouring onto the metal undershroud. I already knew. Get towed back to the pit, lift her up, and stare through 4-inch window on the side of the block with a valve rod sticking out

Unfortunately she's been my daily driver since 2004 and my only vehicle presently. I knew the risks, but thought the VQ35 engine was bulletproof. Guy at the track who has a Z told me about this problem with the PCV valve sucking up oil on hard right hand turns and detonating engines. Why have I never known this???

She's been good over these past 9 1/2 years. Sebring, Daytona, COTA, and many other track days never caused her to pause. I guess this is the most fitting way to end it instead of rotting in a junk yard.

Now comes the hard part of figuring out what to do . Just registered with NASA so I think I may get a truck, a trailer, replace the motor, and start building her into a Spec Z . Maybe this is was a good thing after-all...

 

Everybody knows cars are only meant to take left turns:/ maybe your piston just wanted to say hi!
Okay I'm sorry:/ that's shitty. But good luck on the rebuild!

 

Right hand, I would say fuel starvation, was you low on gas?

 

pics?

not to be overly faces-of-death morbid with your girl, but, you know, kind of wanna see.....

 

You just want a peak inside the block! It's okay everyone likes looking at someone else's girls internals ! :0

 

Block....valve rod...?? We really need to see pics of that.

 

Sorry to hear. It's nice that your not jumping ship to another platform and instead sticking with the Z. Good luck on the rebuild. It will be interesting to see what route you decide on taking. Keep us posted.

 

+1

 

 

Ask and you shall receive. Sorry for the angle on a couple, but here's the window and the guts that fell out. I am loading the GoPro video right now. Kind of a great tragedy story so far...

Storyline goes: Buzzed by mustang on warm-up lap, pissed off Z digs R888's into track, scared mustang gives pass signal (nemisis!!!), mustang fires red turtle shell at Z, Z dies on side of track, end scene.

 

Jesus.

I'm very sorry this happened to you, sir

I hope you do swap the engine out and get into Spec Z

Good luck

 

Lord have mercy. You didn't exaggerate lol.

 

Sorry to hear about your VQ, looking at those pics it was clearly some type of rod or bearing failure. Regarding what you were told, hard right hand turns are not the Z's nemesis. After racing the Z in SCCA and NASA competition for many years, I've never had a PCV related engine problem on any track in the country.

 

Not sure if trolling...

 

Well at least it wasn't a blue shell!

 

That's good to hear actually. After I was told PCV, it made me hesitant to consider reviving her from the dead. It was just strange that it was 5 quarts out, 5 quarts in and no noise concerns before going out there.

 

I thought the z took 5.5, I know if I ever take some tight like a tiger turns my oil light will come on. I've reserved tight turns till I get a baffled oil pans.

 

daaaaaaaammmmmmnn.

Looks like a bullet hole.

 

Miles?
And a little jb weld should fix that...

 

That looks just like the head of an intake(?) valve. I'd say that's what broke first, followed by the piston and connecting rod.