Most Reliable Engine(s) Ever Made - Poll

[SLCraig]

There are lots of amazing engines that no doubt will outlast the cars they are in.

Nissan VQ, SR, KA series
Honda B, D, K series
Toyota 22R, 2JZ
GM 3800, 4.3, 5.7, Ecotec
Dodge 318,360,225

ETC ETC!

 

[MetalSlug]

gm 350 5.7L

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: hypervish
1UZ-FE, 1MZ-FE (if maintained)

Agreed.
My LS400 engine is so reliable, after 350+k miles the valve cover and head gaskets are original without any leak. Very little maintenance had been done: changed spark plugs and timing belts 3 times, water pump once few months ago, distributors once(around 100-120k miles), PCV once, dino OCI at 6-7k/6m or 12-15k/12mo with syn, generic coolant (Peak LL or Preston AM-AM) with tap water every 3-5 years.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I think it's easier and more accurate to list unreliable engines.

 

[nwjones18]

Another vote for the Ford 300 I6. Mine has 240k on it and isn't using a drop of oil in 4k changes.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: salv
Originally Posted By: Chris142
The northstar head gasket is very common here. Common enough that shops don't need to look up the labor as they remember it from the last 10 they did that month! 200k on one is almost unheard of here.

I have a couple GM certified master techs that worked for Cadillac and swear that the motor was a solid platform.
23 hrs. labor that can be done in 7 hrs.


There were a few that made it to very high miles, especially if they got the diet of GM sealant tabs, but I'd say there are a lot more that did not.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last I heard, you could not buy a reman Northstar from GM. If that is true, it says a little something about what GM thought of their reliability.
FWIW, I had several co-workers who had early Northstar failures. I don't know of anybody locally who has a Northstar with high mileage.
I also fully agreed with your original list...until you mentioned the Northstar.

 

[expat]

CS (cold Start) Lister

Never seen one in a car though.

 

[salv]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
Originally Posted By: salv
Originally Posted By: Chris142
The northstar head gasket is very common here. Common enough that shops don't need to look up the labor as they remember it from the last 10 they did that month! 200k on one is almost unheard of here.

I have a couple GM certified master techs that worked for Cadillac and swear that the motor was a solid platform.
23 hrs. labor that can be done in 7 hrs.


There were a few that made it to very high miles, especially if they got the diet of GM sealant tabs, but I'd say there are a lot more that did not.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last I heard, you could not buy a reman Northstar from GM. If that is true, it says a little something about what GM thought of their reliability.
FWIW, I had several co-workers who had early Northstar failures. I don't know of anybody locally who has a Northstar with high mileage.
I also fully agreed with your original list...until you mentioned the Northstar.

I know of many Northstars above 200k locally that have never had much more than routine oil changes, that is why it landed on my list.
I still cannot believe that I am the only one to mention the Nissan KA24. That is 1st on my list. The KA24DE in my 97 Altima was a favorite. It met its end at 195k because some old bat t-boned her. The motor never skipped a beat. I miss that car/motor.

 

[JR]

Ford 300, ford 1.9l sohc, gm 3.8, ford 460, mopar 360, ford 302/351, mopar 318, gm 4.3vortec, gm 5.0, gm 5.7.
In that order.

ken

p.s. a close friend of mine is part owner in third generation auto salvage parts yard. they got tons of good and bad during. "Cash for clunkers" the government required them to put some death in a can in motors and transmissions. five minutes if that tops motor siezed tighter then a virgin on her honeymoon. that a ford 300 powered used and abused half ton 450k on clock, dealer tried to kill it no death. my friend dumped the coolant, ran 15minutes, drained oil out restarted and ran over 15minutes before bang. that's nuts. hands down the "300" is bullet proof.

 

[jeepman3071]

I would say the Jeep 4.0 but not because of mileage numbers. Sure some reach the 300k and 400k mile range, but I'm sure many engines could reach that with the correct maintenance.

I'd vote the 4.0L because it is the most abused engine in the world, here is why...

-Commonly leaks oil, many have been run low on oil for thousands of miles
-I've seen a number of them run upside down when a jeep rolls, then start back up after being put on its wheels.
-Water fording and hydro locking. Many have been hydro locked only to have the spark plugs removed, the water pushed out, and they start back up.
-Cherokees have marginal cooling systems, and many of them run hot and overheat, yet the engines still go for 200k+ miles.
-A guy with a Wrangler broke a piston skirt, then drove 200 miles home.
-It was one of the hardest engines to kill during the cash for clunker program. Some would start back up after letting them cool down.
-There is a video of a WJ Grand Cherokee that ran for like 5 minutes with liquid glass in the engine, even after spitting out 2 cylinders.

Other great engines:
-Ford 4.6L
-Ford (Navistar) 7.3L Diesel
-GM 350
-GM 5.3

 

[dareo]

ALH tdi engine. cummins 12 valve with p7100 pump. For gasoline, toyota 5vzfe and 1uzfe.

 

[Nick1994]

A neighbor-mechanic of mine worked on a guy's beaten trail XJ that the guy knew there was an oil leak, he never checked it and added a quart of oil every few days, it didn't get driven a lot of miles which probably explains why he brought it in because it was running weird and leaked too much oil. It had about 180k miles and they drained 4.5 gallons of oil out. yes, 4.5 gallons, almost totally filled a 5 gallon bucket, the thing still runs great.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Where was all the oil hiding?

You'd think he would have figured something was wrong before he got that much in.

 

[MetalSlug]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
I would say the Jeep 4.0 but not because of mileage numbers. Sure some reach the 300k and 400k mile range, but I'm sure many engines could reach that with the correct maintenance.

I'd vote the 4.0L because it is the most abused engine in the world, here is why...

-Commonly leaks oil, many have been run low on oil for thousands of miles
-I've seen a number of them run upside down when a jeep rolls, then start back up after being put on its wheels.
-Water fording and hydro locking. Many have been hydro locked only to have the spark plugs removed, the water pushed out, and they start back up.
-Cherokees have marginal cooling systems, and many of them run hot and overheat, yet the engines still go for 200k+ miles.
-A guy with a Wrangler broke a piston skirt, then drove 200 miles home.
-It was one of the hardest engines to kill during the cash for clunker program. Some would start back up after letting them cool down.
-There is a video of a WJ Grand Cherokee that ran for like 5 minutes with liquid glass in the engine, even after spitting out 2 cylinders.

Other great engines:
-Ford 4.6L
-Ford (Navistar) 7.3L Diesel
-GM 350
-GM 5.3


Never in my life want another 4.0l. I still heard the sound of the engine even 2 year after get rid of it.

 

[SteveSRT8]

In our world of pickups and vans we must mention the Ford 300 six. It truly was a great engine, just really dull in stock form.

The oldest engine EVER in our fleet experience was recently sold, a 6.0 gas GM V8 that ran perfectly with 500k miles on it. No smoke, no drips, no consumption ever in its life here.

It's in Michigan making money for its new owner now...

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: MuzzleFlash40
2V Modular ford.


This engine is well known for it's long life. Especially in it's truck and van form.

The delivery couriers choose Ford vans, as they are known for lasting 900,000 miles on the original engine. Same goes for "town cars". They see massive miles, reliably.

We can speculate about other engines all we want, but even the famed Toyota 4 cylinders don't outlast the Modular Ford.

 

[Nick1994]

His estimation was it lost a quart every few days from the leak, but didn't realize how oil spreads on cement.

 

[fdcg27]

Any four cylinder Honda we've ever owned (out of eight, although the '12 is really too new to us to count) has been tough and durable.
The Ford 3.0 Vulcan seems about as tough as any engine, although it has no power.
Pre 2.5 Subaru flat fours were always very long-lived and trouble free, although they did require attention to the timing belt like any older Honda engine.
Finally, any flat head one lung Briggs or Tecumseh will run for a very long time with no more attention than making sure it has some oil in it, and maybe a new plug or two over the years.
I just retired a Tecumseh powered el cheapo mower (Bought new on clearance from Target in 1997 for $70.00). This sucker must have hit 400 hours, based upon the size of my lawn and the number of years I used it. Pretty amazing when you consider how little must have been spent in building the thing.

 

[artificialist]

There are so many great Nissan engines, I have a simple explanation:
Anything made before 1995 was good, and certain engines made afterward were good too. After 1995, the Nissan Sentra had various problem engines, and the Nissan VG33 variants was often a problem. The fact that the VG33 was often a problem bothers me because the VG30 variants were rock solid as long as the timing belt was replaced when due. The QR25 engine burned far too much oil.

 

[FXjohn]

GM Vortec 4.3 truck motor. indestructable