---
title: "Watch This Overboosted Triple-Turbo Cummins Diesel Engine Explode on the Dyno"
description: "146 pounds of boost will do that."
date: "2017-12-05"
modified: "2017-12-05"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/16674/watch-this-overboosted-triple-turbo-cummins-diesel-engine-explode-on-the-dyno"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Cummins"
  - "diesel engine"
  - "drag racing"
  - "dyno"
  - "explosion"
  - "failure"
  - "Horsepower"
  - "Turbo"
---

# Watch This Overboosted Triple-Turbo Cummins Diesel Engine Explode on the Dyno

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/12/diesel-3.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

With [extreme engines](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15827/watch-this-extreme-12-3-liter-quad-turbo-5000-hp-v-16-engine-get-dyno-tested>) sporting quadruple-digit horsepower counts more common than ever, it's easy to forget about the incredible forces generated and contained within the block. Luckily, this 2,000-horsepower, triple-turbo Cummins diesel engine exploding during a dyno run serves as a helpful reminder.

Lavon Miller, owner of drag engine shop Firepunk Diesel, posted a video on Facebook last week showing the ill-fated [power test](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/11223/watch-the-dodge-challenger-srt-demons-840-hp-v8-engine-scream-on-the-dyno>) in all its glory. The 6.7-liter, six-cylinder diesel mill was jacked up with 146 pounds of boost and likely making above 2,000 horsepower when the failure occurred, [according to *Road & Track.*](<https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a13999743/watch-a-triple-turbo-cummins-diesel-engine-literally-explode-on-the-dyno/>) Thankfully, the professional testing room at Marlatt Engines & Dyno is sealed off, so no one was injured when the engine quite literally exploded under full load.

https://youtube.com/embed/kqVwHJPV-XE

Forget about throwing a rod through the block—the blast sent basically the entire engine spiraling through the air, showering the room with metal shrapnel as the exposed crankshaft spun angrily to a halt. That kind of [catastrophic failure](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10582/watch-this-500-hp-honda-civic-destroy-itself-on-the-dyno>) can have several causes, but given the hyperbolic forces at work in a drag-built engine, we can only imagine that Miller and company have found the limits of that particular cylinder construction.

![message-editor%2F1512497902453-diesel1.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1512497902453-diesel1.jpg>)
**YouTube | Bruce Wilson**

All that remains of the engine is a smoldering mess. [Miller told *Jalopnik*](<https://jalopnik.com/watch-this-diesel-engine-explode-with-more-boost-than-g-1820919660>) that he planned on getting it up to 2,400 horsepower, so it looks like he'll be starting from scratch. But he seems to have the right attitude, captioning [his video of the blast](<https://www.facebook.com/lavon.d.miller/posts/10154381604227168>) with "If you can't be great, be spectacular!" and [reposting other clips](<https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1602492059789756&id=203862462986063>) from the company Facebook account.

As he points out, it would have been far more disastrous for this to happen out on a racetrack. And really, [that's the nature of testing](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15466/watch-this-open-turbo-setup-destroy-itself-by-sucking-up-a-shop-rag>)—this engine died so others may live.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)