The Cummins diesel engine is a popular choice among workhorses like the Ram 2500. According to the automaker, 70% of its customer base prefer the oil-burner, prompting the company to continue offering the engine type in the current refreshed version of the American heavy-duty truck. And rightfully so – the diesel mill is tough, reliable, and provides loads of torque. But even the toughest things on the planet have an end.
Our favorite engine coroner, YouTube’s I Do Cars, recently got its hands on a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine from a 2104 Ram 2500 that exploded for unknown reasons, leaving a massive hole in the block about the size of a human head. What should’ve been a reliable, heavy-duty workhorse turned itself into scrap metal, and the teardown shows just how bad it got.
From A Reliable Workhorse To An Expensive Paper Weight
From the start, the engine showed signs of being modified. It was studded, had its EGR system deleted, and likely tuned for more power. That’s common with Cummins-powered trucks, but things went sideways when the element of neglect came in. When the valve cover came off, one push rod was completely missing, and part of the valve gear was just lying inside the head. It only got worse from there.
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Under the head, one piston had rotated and smashed into the valves, leaving deep dents. That cylinder matched the hole in the side of the engine. The coolant passages were caked in rust, likely from using tap water instead of proper coolant. The oil looked more like axle grease – thick, dark, and full of metal shavings. Clearly, maintenance wasn’t high on the owner’s list.
A Neglected Engine Turned Into A Catastrophic Failure
The camshaft was broken, the bolts holding it bent. The oil pan was full of piston bits, broken tappets, and a completely separated rod cap. One piston and rod were missing entirely, possibly launched through the block when it let go. The crankshaft was badly scored and heat-damaged, while the bearings were either destroyed or fused into glittery sludge.
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The likely cause? A rod bearing failed, probably on cylinder five, causing the rod to break free from the crank. That rod then smashed around inside the engine until everything else gave up. It didn’t happen instantly, either. There would’ve been loud knocking, maybe smoke, plenty of warning signs. Without a history of what really happened to this engine, I Do Cars concluded that whoever was driving just didn’t care.
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