Pictured is a typical VM CRD 2.5 London Taxi TX4 engine, awaiting strip down and examination to assess the reason for crankshaft seizure. Failure of the main bearings and surface cracking (fissures) of the crankshaft journals are common.
After dismantling it, we discovered that the crankshaft had been starved of oil causing bearing failure and server wear to the main bearing journals. The crankshaft was replaced with a new one as the wear was more than the permissible amount allowed by VM Motori. This engine went through the normal reconditioning process.
Modern synthetic oils very often allow high mileages to be covered with minimal wear, this being testament to modern lubricating oil engineering and proves the longevity of VM diesel engines, the key being, that the correct amount of oil is present in the sump at all times and if the oil is changed on time and the correct specification oil is used, it is not unusual for engines to cover several hundreds of thousands of miles with no detectable wear in the main components.
