Vintage Bentleys aren’t recognized for his or her reliability, however it’s hardly ever the engine itself you hear about going unsuitable. It’s different outdated automotive stuff, just like the hydraulics programs, the electronics, or the notorious Bosch Continuous Injection System (CIS) that malfunctions. This 6.75-liter L-Series V8 is an exception, and an excellent demonstrator of how hydrolocking an engine results in catastrophic failure.

According to the I Do Cars YouTube channel, this 6¾-liter V8 doubtless got here out of a 1987 Bentley Mulsanne S. The host acquired the motor from a salvage yard, the place it beforehand sat for a number of years. Though many of the engine seems to be clear, two holes within the oil pan level to critical harm hiding contained in the block. 

Most of the auxiliary components connected to the V8 come off with out a lot hassle, together with that nasty CIS system talked about earlier. The I Do Cars host runs into hassle once they attain the motive force’s aspect head, although, because it’s fused to the block due to ultra-rusty head bolts. After what looks like an eternity of working with wooden and pry bars, they lastly get the top off to disclose a particularly nasty-looking (however largely intact) gasket.

Things get far worse as soon as the I Do Cars host strikes to the passenger-side head. They uncover it is simpler to take away as a result of in some unspecified time in the future, this aspect of the engine received a brand new head gasket. That did not do a lot good, nonetheless, as a result of whoever carried out the work did a horrible job of resurfacing the block. Adding insult to harm, the substitute gasket has already begun to crumble.

Weirdly, it is an space on the motive force’s aspect that appears to have suffered essentially the most harm. One of the pistons is ready to transfer freely throughout the cylinder, indicating it is now not connected to the crankshaft. Later on within the teardown the host discovers the connecting rod has been ripped aside in spectacular trend, which is probably going what prompted the holes within the oil pan. They hypothesize this cylinder aspirated liquid (what type, they are not positive) in some unspecified time in the future. As a reminder, you’ll be able to’t actually compress liquid. So one thing needed to give. In this case, it was the connecting rod.

Take this engine’s destiny as a lesson to take a bit extra warning once you drive by means of that deep puddle. It may prevent from a giant headache.