POLICE ENGINE BRUTALITY! '21 Explorer Cop Car 3.3L V6 Engine Destroyed By "Pursuit Mode" TEARDOWN! 

75k miles and probably 10,000 idle hours lol

I work for a medium-sized city in Southern California, and I am a police fleet mechanic ("technician" nowadays, LOL) there for 18 years now. "Pursuit Mode" is built into the PCM in Interceptor models from the factory and basically holds the automatic transmission gears longer to keep the engine in optimal power/torque RPM, and also to provide some engine braking. The trans basically holds lower gears longer, and downshifts sooner when decelerating. Pursuit Mode is automatically activated when the unit is driven hard, and should not exceed the redline of the engine (unless it's by maybe a few hundred RPM, and within "safe" parameters). During test drives, I have had units go into Pursuit Mode while braking hard, and a few times I swear it's been activated even under hard cornering. Pursuit Mode became a thing in 2011, I believe, with the introduction of the Interceptor Sedan (basically the Taurus and SHO) and Interceptor Utility (Explorer with and without SHO twin-turbo engines). The earlier Crown Victoria Police Interceptors did not have this Pursuit Mode feature. Take care, Eric, and I hope you continue having a blast tearing down victims of rapid unscheduled disassembly! I know we have a blast watching your vids. Stay cool, brother!

Apparently pursuit mode is when various bits of the engine go off in pursuit of greener pastures.

Eric, there's that piece of the baseplate/windage tray that has the Ford logo and part number, take it to a local Ford parts department, and say, "I think I might need a new one of these, how much?" And see the reaction. 😂

That type of failure is most definitely due to sustained high rpms causing oil starvation. The rod that spun the bearing is the one furthest from the oil pump. It might have been a little low on oil, or using too thick of an oil, or taching it out while still cold, and the oil gets pumped up into the head and doesn’t have time to return to the sump. At that point, oil pressure drops causing the rod furthest from the oil pump to spin a bearing. The knocking noise was ignored, he kept his foot in it, which circulated the bearing material through the whole oil system, damaging all the other bearings. Eventually piston #6 hit the valves or head, which caused the rod to break, and then all the chunks of broken stuff flying around caused the collateral damage to rod and piston #5. The reason the top end wasn’t damaged is because the cams are under less of a load than the rods, combined with all the splash oil from the oil being pumped up to the heads and not able to get back down into the sump.

In the old days, (70. 80's, 90's) pursuit mode was only just how far into the floor board you mashed the throttle.

To the person who provided the engine: Thank you! This damage was quite impressive. Some of the worst devastation I’ve ever seen. A real treat!

Former South FL LEO... The pursuit mode keeps the RPMs up when it detects spirited driving. It's main purpose is to keep them up when you are hitting brakes for turns. When you get back on the throttle, it is already in a lower gear ready to go instead of having to downshift. I was driving in highway traffic the first time it happened to me: I slammed on the brakes and the engine downshifted. Kind of freaked me out. I bet this engine was low on oil.

Pursuit mode is basically just “sport mode” in normal vehicles. It holds gears longer instead of trying to go into overdrive every time you take your foot off the gas. It only gets activated when the ECU detects “spirited driving” as if you were in a pursuit. Regardless, these engines are pretty reliable

What I love is that the water pump bit is getting to be like the part of The Simpsons opening about the couch - new and different each episode. Keep it going!

Thanks for a great tear-down! This is not meant as a diagnosis for this Police Pursuit engine failure. It's just a true story about a Police car engine that blew up. I'm 78 years old. My grandfather was a County Sherriff in the late 40's up to the early 60's. He was issued a new DeSoto, "Police Special" probably in the mid to late 50's. After a few weeks in service he was approaching 100 mph for the first time and the engine dumped everything in every direction, with internal engine parts making exits where there previously were none. The drivetrain immediately locked up. This was long before seatbelts were in use. My grandfather's face went into the steering wheel where he got a very close look at it, a bloody nose and some loose teeth. Engine parts were all over the highway. Several days later he took receipt of a new replacement DeSoto "Police Special". A month later, the same thing happened at just over 95 mph, only this time he was braced, just in case! He was eventually told that the cause of both destroyed engines was a harmonic vibration and that the transmission would downshift into first gear and over-rev the engine until it detonated.

In a previous job as a mechanic with the state motor pool, I was “the guy” who worked on all the state (and state-owned, i.e. small town PD) police vehicles that came in. What I can tell you with absolute certainty is that you will _never_ get the real story when an officer destroys their cruiser. Ever. I did that job when CVPIs were still the primary cruisers with Tahoes and Chargers just getting phased in. The CVPI was basically indestructible, so when they came in with a catastrophic failure, I’d always ask questions. I never got a straight answer, only BS. It was a running joke between myself and the OSP vehicle maintenance manager, who was my main contact. He would relay to me what the officer said happened just before the vehicle blew up, then we would both have a hearty laugh. I miss the blurring of the phallic water pumps.

"I swear, it went into pursuit mode by itself!" - The cop said with his union rep present.

Before I discovered your channel a little while ago I'd never thought of engine disassembly as being entertaining. Yet, you are able to consistently make it so. Even more amazing is that I have learned from your videos. Thank you!

“Next we will remove all the engine from the pickup tube” that made me laugh probably more than it should have.

The no. 5 rod was the initial failure point. That's why there was no damage to the rod bearing. The big end of the rod was just hanging around with no load on it while the rest of the engine consumed itself. The rest of the damage was caused by what had once been the no.5 rod and piston bouncing around inside of the block at somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 million rpm until the pieces decided they'd had enough fun, and left the party. I never knew that Ford actually put their new "Offset Valve Technology" into production.

Don't fat-shame Blue, by calling it thick. It was born that way.

Hey, Carl! This dang ol' engine wont start... "It aint got no rods in it, mm hmm.."

If that water pump was domesticated rather than feral, it probably wouldn’t survive long in the wild. 😅

I'm sure it's been said before but this is the best engine forensics channel on RU-vid.

Ford Exploder Police Interceptor

Those spark plugs suffered from serious pucker factor when they saw the pistons coming at them.

That carnage was impressive. Stop police pursuit mode, save the engines! Wrist pin lives matter!

"It's fine. It'll be....Fine" You know that I have started using that when I talk to people right? That's catchy....

Safety tote 2.0 is a direct clone of the old one! Thanks to the donor of the engine. Nice choice. Combustion palace nightmares are the best to watch

Im a mechanic for a local government and I've seen the 3.7 interceptor hydrolock with stuck injectors and damage the motors. I've had one fill the entire crankcase with fuel all the way to the heads. Never have I seen the 3.3 do this on the interceptor.

Cylinder deactivation mode, "look how I can deactivate pistons to increase fuel economy!" Police interceptor pursuit mode, "hold my beer!"

I'm old enough to remember our Santa Clara, CA. PD had big Mercury's with 429 cu. in. and some PDs had Dodge with 440 cu. in V-8's. That's when police cars were "a real PD cruiser."

I've only just recently started watching your channel. Got here due to your collaboration with Rainman Ray on the Pentastar motor build, and looking forward to the completed project. I'm hooked on your channel. Love not only the tear down vids, but your sense of humor. You make me grin thru the whole video. Thanx!

If you had titled the video "TWO BROKEN WRIST PINS", Id have clicked on that link faster than that pursuit ended XD

"Puruit mode" is the cop holding it WOT till the engine blows

*Opens oil filter* : " Ooh, look, bass boat paint!" ...I simply cannot 😂😂😂

So wholesome to see you return that water pump back to its natural habitat

Everyone loves a good story time! 🍿🍿🍿

Thanks to the viewer for donating this beautiful piece of art...Good job on the tear down Eric!

Eric, everything about your commentary during these teardowns is absolute gold!

The black bearings could only mean one thing -oil starvation. Surprised to see the Police Interceptor didn't have the twin turbo 3.5L. I'll bet most police garages wish the 4.6L was still the primary police power plant.

In pursuit mode the spark plug gap tightens up for a stronger spark.

Eric, you should put total teardown time in the description so we are able to fully appreciate what you do here. My entire childhood since post kindergarten I tore apart my toys to see how they work and eventually modified them to my liking. Thanks for continuing to feed that need!

Elwood: Oh no. Jake: What the f**k was that? Elwood: The motor. We've thrown a rod. Jake: Is that serious? Elwood: Yup.

"There's a lot of gifts in this party basket!" LMAO!

At 1:20 I lost it. 😂 I ALSO have had every vehicle ever owned in "Pursuit Mode". Love it

I asked MetaAI in Messenger, and this is what came up.... Pursuit mode: In a Ford Explorer Interceptor (a police vehicle), "Pursuit Mode" is a special engine calibration mode designed for high-speed driving during police pursuits. When activated, it modifies the engine's performance characteristics to optimize power and responsiveness. In Pursuit Mode, the engine computer (ECU) makes adjustments to: 1. *Fuel injection*: Provides a more aggressive fuel curve, delivering more power and torque. 2. *Transmission shifting*: Locks out overdrive gears, keeping the engine in a more aggressive gear range for quicker acceleration. 3. *Throttle response*: Sharpens throttle response, allowing for faster acceleration and more precise control. 4. *Exhaust system*: Opens a bypass valve, allowing for a more free-flowing exhaust system, which enhances performance. 5. *Cooling system*: Increases cooling fan speed to keep the engine at a safe operating temperature during prolonged high-speed driving. Pursuit Mode is typically activated through a switch or button installed in the police vehicle, allowing officers to engage the mode when necessary. This mode is designed to provide the best possible performance during high-speed pursuits, while also ensuring the safety of the officers and the public.

Never heard the bass boat paint comment from the oil filter before, nicely done.👍👍👍👍

Haven't seen piston gravel like that in a long time! Love it!

That cop watched too many fast and furious movies..... Because that's, a new meaning to redlining it 😂😂😂

Thanks for my Saturday night entertainment Eric. And thanks to the donor of the engine. 1.) Thank you for practicing catch and release on that used water pump! There aren't enough used water pumps in the wild! 2.) Pursuit mode is a new feature, it turns a 6 cylinder into a 4 cylinder to save fuel at high speeds. :D

I'm sure someone has said this already, The oil is gravity drained back to the oil pan so in an over rev the pump will outrun the oil that is returning to the pan and that will drain the pan and push all the oil to the top of the engine. The pickup will be not submerged and will draw air with the little oil that is returning to the pan. It will foam the oil and drop pressure through the system and the components furthest away from the pump will fail first. With the engine over reving this will happen extremely fast and when the pistons that are furthest away from the pump fail it will stop the engine in seconds so there will not be a lot of fragments throughout the engine.

At the end of my day I go to my study and I pour myself a Benedictine, fill my pipe with Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening and watch you disassemble a motor. Joy.

The fun that comes with watching Eric

Steel is light straw color at about 400F and blue is around 500F. That is in the tempering (annealing) range.

My favorite part of every video is when he carps the crap crams loose. The water pump toss and timing chain guide bits are always great too.

That's some serious "misplacement-on-demand".

The M12 milwaukee 2.5 and 5.0HO batteries use a different blend of plastic with higher glass. They arent as susceptible to vibration as typical packs

Pursuit mode straight to the scrapyard

I really hope every cop in that station is watching this

Props to the camchains ! Those were the curlyest valve stems😮

You know, it's episodes like this that make me so happy that I discovered your channel back in the early days when you had about 2500 subs.

I have zero mechanical background but I sure enjoyed watching how you investigated that blown engine and your specialized parlance. Thank you for the education and entertainment.

I was a Oklahoma Trooper - drove a 1970 Plymouth 440 ; topped 145MPH. I knew when to back off I when saw see the pavement thru door jams

SAFETY TOTE IS BACK!

"One ring-dingy, two ringy-dingy". You owe Lilly Tomlin royalties 😂

44:03 That bearing is saying "Part of the crank, part of the crew" 🤣🤣

As a former sheriff deputy, I can affirm, that we never turned the cars (Crown Vic's, then later Explorers) off. They would be in park and idling even when we were at the station for hours writing reports. At all calls, we would have two keys; one in the ignition and lock the doors, (while on calls or at breaks) and second key to get back into the car. They were ALWAYS running.

Thank for zooming in so fare. It shows the frustration on your behalf, but I also how detailed the damage was.

Missing valves are stuck in the catalytic converter

As you were lowering that oil pan I thought... "oh wow, a party platter!" 😂

22:42 I'm impressed. You found not 1 mosh pit, but 2!

Eric, I’ve had to do six of these engines in the past year. No carnage like this one, but multiple misfires and internal engine noise. This with 3,000 mile oil changes and a “no pursuit” policy in place. The 2020 and later Police Interceptors (and their engines) are ridiculously fragile and unreliable.

Christmas in May! Presents for everyone! "Im not a quitter. Unlike this engine." If you had been as badly beat up as this engine, you'd be in the E.R. on life support. 40:30 Vice Grips - when bolts absolutely, positively have to be either loosened or destroyed. (Former is possible. Latter is a certainty.) I suspect the missing rod parts were involved in the "Abandon Ship exercise ("This is not a drill") when the oil-tight integrity of the engine was breached. Made my Saturday Night! Thanks for the video!

In the old days of overhead valves and automatic transmissions that could be manually shifted, we called it “valve float”. The hydraulic lifters can’t overcome the lack of spring pressure allowing the valves to suspend “open”. With an “interference” engine, it’s the equivalent of a timing belt breaking. At 8-10,000 rpm, lots of parts disintegrate, and lack of oil due to passage blocking causing tremendous rapid heat buildup. As a retired peace officer who was responsible for maintaining a fleet of vehicles (and boats), I’ve witnessed unintentional abuse by adrenaline soaked officers. I had a supervisor I was working a stakeout with high center our patrol vehicle (late ‘80’s Chev Caprice) on a rock. He attempted to rock the vehicle and and BADLY over reved the engine attempting to free us (a night hunter had just shot a deer in front of us… he got away! That night…) A new crate engine and a new oil and transmission pan put him back in commission! The officer was usually the coolest head you’d ever meet. A possible contributing factor could be that the vehicle had been treated to a “performance tune”! I know personally of numerous instances of officers getting relatives or “buddies” at the dealership shops to put “tunes” on the ECU’s. Some can interfere with the factory settings doing bad things. I know of one Sheriff in S.Georgia along I-75 that has a transmission and engine from a wrecked Dodge Hellcat under the hood of his Dodge Charger patrol car purchased from a surplus state auction… Bubba can do some amazing things with wrecks…

Safety Tote 2.0 has entered the chat! Finally! Thank you Eric! And love the Snack Packs!

Pursuit mode is a temporary driving enhancement that can be used in vehicles like the Ford Police Interceptor to optimize performance for aggressive driving. In this mode, the transmission is optimized for upshifting and downshifting, and the software can perform reverse J-turns. The vehicle returns to fuel-save mode after aggressive driving is complete. The 2025 Ford Police Interceptor Utility (PIU) will have a Manual Police Pursuit Mode in addition to the Automatic Pursuit Mode found in previous models. This new feature is intended to improve power delivery and drivability in critical situations, such as when maneuvering through heavy traffic.

Guestimate, that missing part of the rod is likely what let go first. Then the short end of uncle Rodney beat the crap out of its neighbor and then hammer forging turned the rest into gravel 😂

Eric, thanks for this one. My wife caught me laughing out loud from the other room as you checked those deleted exhaust valves.

Eric, thanks for all the videos you share with us. Many of us look forward to your videos. Your videos help people escape life for a few minutes. Thanks and take care.

I have this engine in my 2018 F-150 XL. 31K miles, no problems so far. I have three modes, Normal, Tow and Sport. All it does is keep the transmission in a lower gear. So, Pursuit mode is probably an enhanced Sport mode. Keeps engine spinning for performance. I just started watching this video so, don't know outcome.

Pvc needed a little bit more breathing holes. Mission accomplished.

A humble guy, very good technical skills & knowledge too! 😊

The case of the missing pistons. "Like I told everyone else, I was blocking traffic for the fire department to get that cat out of the tree and then it started making a weird noise when i pulled in at the end of my shift."

I have never seen any of these newer Explorer Motors not be a turbo 3.3 l or a turbo 2.3 l this is interesting because I see these all the time every day

Eric - you just set a new bar for your next teardown. Next Saturday's engine will have 4 holes ???????

Absolutely spectacular!! One of the best teardowns I've seen so far. That had to be seriously violent. I've thrown some rods in my time, especially out of Ford flatheads but never seen carnage like this. Absolutely enjoyed this one.

Pursuit mode just keeps the engine revs higher and 'in the powerband', in my experience. It will downshift as you're on the brakes to keep the revs above 3K so it will get out of corners faster. I think it just blew up independent of the pursuit mode.

"I had no idea what pursuit mode is I just assumed it is driving your car aggressively which in that case all of my vehicles have been in pursuit mode" Guilty as charged😆 That's why I had 5 speeding tickets in my younger days. It also didn't help as 2 of my vehicles were Firebirds😜 Have a great evening Eric😁

Thanks for sharing this V6 Ford Police interceptor motor! I hope you have a great day today.

I didn't realize Ford embraced Knight Rider's K.I.T.T. Super Pursuit Mode into their PPV's! One button push and it gains a super powered engine, and transforms it into the ultimate high speed super car! LOL Great tear down, and thanks to the person that donated the engine! Thanks for the great tear down, as always! I love your video's, and can't wait to see them! Thanks! Frank from Kansas

If that is a police engine I would like to see a none police cam comparison

"Pursuit mode all by itself" Kinda like the old story, "The hatch just blew"(and the capsule sank). We may never know for sure. 😊

The water pump saga continues...could be a stand alone mini series like Shogun! Great job Eric.

I cheered when I saw that tiny crack appear as you were turning the big end bolt worrying about breaking it. This was a wonderful teardown, thanks.

Pursuit Mode-Sounds like something Tony Stark would program into a Marvel character suit 😅

I'm a officer of the law. In pursuit mode, when you step the throttle pedal all the way to the floor. There is a kick down mode, activates pursuit mode. Engine mode blows up. It's a Ford piece of gold

This engine did not disappoint thank you Eric for sharing.

Good update keep it up the good work 👍👍

8:33 it's one of those new Bluetooth exhaust valves 🤔

26:22 ,the oil pan is now a parts bin

Thats crazy how engine HP has come a long way,. My family had a Dodge Caravan with a 3.3 V6 in 1992 and it only had 150HP. Now the same displacement and NA put out almost double the HP!! Love the videos Eric, keep up the awesome work1!!

I bought a new Impala that the police backed out on with the extra goodies in the tune. Yes, they are fun. Engine shifted at 7k at WOT and could be held there indefinitely using the manual gear selector (a bit scary) and it did rolling burnouts despite it being only a 3.6L. That was short lived since they flashed it back when I brought it in for its first service, making it boring again. But for only $24k I couldn’t complain.

Fun Saturday!