Setting a record could be dangerous or even deadly. Well, that is what happened when a Cummins diesel truck attempted to reach run a 3,000 horsepower and ended up in a fireball.

Photos and videos of the incident were circulating in social media on September 20 as a custom Cummins truck blows up in front of spectators during a dyno test even in Ogden, Utah.

The truck as created by Salt Lake City, Utah-based truck builder Industrial Injection led by owner Shawn Baca. The company specializes in Duramax, Cummins, and Power Stroke tech. 

A video of the incident was shared on Subreddit r/nextfuckinglevel. u/Uhtred_of said on the post: "This was a Dodge Cummins on a Dyno. Its first attempt was successful putting down just over 2900 hp. Setting a record for a diesel truck. This was its 2nd attempt, thankfully all involved are okay!"

This was a Dodge Cummins on a Dyno. Its first attempt was successful putting down just over 2900 hp. Setting a record for a diesel truck. This was its 2nd attempt, thankfully all involved are okay! from r/nextfuckinglevel

The truck hit 2,920 horsepower as it was running on additional 100 lbs of power from two massive turbos when the truck started to blow thick black smoke, suggesting a huge engine failure. A full three-minute video shows that truck's performance before if exploded.

The chargers are seen going through the hood, then a strong whistling noise is heard right before the truck ended in a massive explosion. Good thing, there were no serious impacts on both the driver and passenger as they only suffered some scratches and burns. 

Perhaps, event organizers would put the drivers on fire suits if they intend to go for these crazy numbers to avoid any untoward event. They may also opt to use some fans to cool the engine and prevent such a fiery incident. More importantly, they should push back the crowd in case hot metals burst in the air.

So what went wrong? This could indicate the runaway diesel phenomenon.

This Cummins truck is called the Master Shredder II, which has gone through more a few catastrophic engine failures. Autoevolution believes that the truck experienced a diesel runaway, which led to the explosion.

What is a diesel runaway?

A diesel runaway means the motor will rev uncontrollably towards the red-zone on the rev-counter, spewing black smoke and producing roaring noise.

Unlike the gas engine in which speed is controlled by the throttle body to let more air to enter the cylinders, there are no airflow restrictions in a diesel engine, which is only controlled by the amount of fuel injected into the cylinders. This means, as long as air and something is ignited inside the cylinders, the diesel engine will keep working.

The lubricating oil is the most common cause of a diesel engine failure and it can be consumed in two ways - via the turbocharger or a crankcase breather pipe. Since the turbocharger spins at thousands times per minute to pump more air for the engine, oil is used to lubricate its rotating system and keep its temperature at a normal level.

However, if seals are old and busted, air will mix in oil and makes the engine goes faster until the rig runs out of oil or ultimately gets destructed.

Aside from oil, a bad accelerator pedal may also cause a diesel runaway. While a stationary runaway will basically destroy the engine, there are also instances that the engine might rip itself open if not stopped immediately. If you encounter a runaway while driving, the car will start accelerate uncontrollably, resulting in a crash, depending on the driving skill and ability to keep it calm or not.

In case the engine experiences a mild runaway, do not start the engine again. if the vehicle does not interfere with traffic, leave the vehicle with hazard lights on and call for road assistance to have it towed to the nearest service shop. Otherwise, the vehicle should be pushed to the road side with hazard lights on.

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Written by CJ Robles