How long should an engine last?

[CHARLIEBRONSON21]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
Originally Posted By: GenSan
My barometer is a fella who has more than 650,000 original miles on his 3.4L V6 5VZ-FE. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/new-members/96662-1999-limited-4-runner.html

I'm halfway there.


Holy [censored] that's a LOT of gasoline burned!


Cheaper than a 2002 f250 power stroke with 850k+ on the dash.

 

[Mystic]

Thanks Clevy. Anybody can read this post and see who took the post off topic. All that requires is reading comprehension.

It should be obvious to anybody who can read that nobody was trying to promote MMO here. Donald came in with a statement about MMO cutting engine life in half.

Like demarpaint says, maybe now we can get this post back on topic. The post is about how long should an engine last.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Hey there, Mystic. "You and yours" better just hush up and listen!

J/K!

Someone needs to turn down the AC in here.

For the average car buyer who does the spec maintenance almost any car today should far outlast your resolve to keep it.

Absolutely remarkable to someone like me who used to think 100k miles was a piece of junk...

 

[Mystic]

Does it make any difference if a person uses synthetic motor oil like Mobil 1 or conventional motor oil in terms of how long an engine lasts? This is one thing I have often wondered about. Of course some vehicles may require synthetic oil and semi-synthetic oil is actually being used by GM and Ford. And there is probably less difference all the time between what used to be considered synthetic oils and conventional oils.

What I am wondering is there any data that proves or strongly indicates that an engine will last longer using synthetic oil?

I am not trying to take this post off topic but motor oil is very important.

Aside from that people used to expect an engine to last about 100,000 miles. But now the expectations seem to be a lot more than that-200,000 or more miles. I would assume all of this is due to superior metal technology and quite possibly better motor oil.

 

[Vikas]

How many seventies car were able to make it to 100K? If my Pinto was any example, not that many. Mind you, I knew pretty much nothing as far as how to take care of the vehicle.

Absent glaring design faults, a relatively newer vehicle should easily make 200K+ intact on engine and transmission. Of course, you won't know about the design faults when you buy it new.

 

[FetchFar]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Hey there, Mystic. "You and yours" better just hush up and listen!
Take your own advice.

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8

For the average car buyer who does the spec maintenance almost any car today should far outlast your resolve to keep it.
And you speak for who? Pretending you know people's resolve is your delusion.

 

[FetchFar]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
Does it make any difference if a person uses synthetic motor oil like Mobil 1 or conventional motor oil in terms of how long an engine lasts? This is one thing I have often wondered about. Of course some vehicles may require synthetic oil and semi-synthetic oil is actually being used by GM and Ford. And there is probably less difference all the time between what used to be considered synthetic oils and conventional oils.

What I am wondering is there any data that proves or strongly indicates that an engine will last longer using synthetic oil?

I am not trying to take this post off topic but motor oil is very important.

Aside from that people used to expect an engine to last about 100,000 miles. But now the expectations seem to be a lot more than that-200,000 or more miles. I would assume all of this is due to superior metal technology and quite possibly better motor oil.


Certainly it all depends on the engine and usage, also oil change intervals, dust getting through the air cleaner. One taxi engine teardown study done recently, where Kendall GT1 Semi-Synthetic was put up against an unnamed SN/GF-5 5w-20 conventional, they noted the Kendall semi-syn produced less wear in some parts, although much of that you can attribute to the additive package. The inside of the semi-syn had less deposits at 100,000 miles anyway, one known benefit seen a lot with synthetics anyway. Thing is, some deposits don't really harm anything.

 

[gaijinnv]

Click and Clack have said that a modern passenger car in normal use should last 30 years or 300,000 miles with routine maintenance and maybe some minor repairs.

Sounds like a good rule of thumb to me.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Of course, you won't know about the design faults when you buy it new.

No but you sure can get a good idea that its not going 200K without some serious $$$ being spent on engine work.
Just look at the makes history and you have a good idea.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: gaijinnv
Click and Clack have said that a modern passenger car in normal use should last 30 years or 300,000 miles with routine maintenance and maybe some minor repairs.

Sounds like a good rule of thumb to me.

That sounds reasonable.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
Does it make any difference if a person uses synthetic motor oil like Mobil 1 or conventional motor oil in terms of how long an engine lasts? This is one thing I have often wondered about.

Assuming the vehicle doesn't have a specification requiring synthetic oil or have a design flaw (or silly OCI) that would be "helped" by a synthetic, I'd say no. The taxis were running on 6,000 mile OCIs on conventional back in the 1980s and into the 1990s. They went many, many miles, with the longest lived example going to 600,000 miles.

 

[jimbrewer]

The truth is, the cars look like old ned and we get embarrassed to drive them long before they wear out.

I can remember my Dad telling me in all seriousness in the late 60's maybe early 70's that a car would last 50K but a truck might go 75K. A car going 100K was a topic of conversation around the neighborhood.

Click and Clack may be right that a car can last 300K miles and 30 years. But very few maintain the cosmetic appearance of their cars to go that distance.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
The truth is, the cars look like old ned and we get embarrassed to drive them long before they wear out.

I can remember my Dad telling me in all seriousness in the late 60's maybe early 70's that a car would last 50K but a truck might go 75K. A car going 100K was a topic of conversation around the neighborhood.

Click and Clack may be right that a car can last 300K miles and 30 years. But very few maintain the cosmetic appearance of their cars to go that distance.

Who wants to spend a few thousand to make a vehicle look relatively pristine if the resale value of the car is barely more than that even once cleaned up? Of course that kind of expense can be justified if it's a collectors' car. I see what were top of the line muscle cars that have been maintained/repainted to look almost new, while at the same time there are lower end models of the same car that are worth little and have primer-colored fenders/hoods or paint in various states of rust and/or fading paint. What's under the hood would have to be maintained fairly well to keep running, but the appearance could be where one really spends a lot.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: gaijinnv
Click and Clack have said that a modern passenger car in normal use should last 30 years or 300,000 miles with routine maintenance and maybe some minor repairs.

They didn't say anything about the body having to stay intact, did they? >

But if you live in Cali, then yes.

 

[19jacobob93]

Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Too many variable to answer the question, but next time you're in a Crown Vic Cab have a look at the odometer

I was looking up the San Francisco taxi regulations (kind of random I know) and I saw their requirements for vehicles put into taxi service there. A newly registered vehicle can't have more than 70K miles, and vehicles must be retired after 300K miles. They're kind of running out of Crown Vics, although I see a lot of Toyota Prius and Ford Escapes used now. I think many of the drivers would probably love to keep the Crown Vics, but they're getting up in age.

I'm not sure if that Mobil 1 commercial showing Crown Vic Police Interceptors being converted to taxis would fly with such rules. How much would police typically put on a cab before they sell it?


Similar is happening here in Aus with the Ford Falcon. 5-10 years ago every single taxi on the road was a Falcon with a 4.0 I6 and a few v8s.
Here they have to be retired after 6 years, by which time they have racked up from 750,000 to over 1,000,000 kms on the original head without any internal work. They are normally on their 2nd trans.
These are then sold on cheap and mainly bought by poorer families/students/backpackers where they carry on trooping.

The highest I've seen is 1.6 million kms (1million miles) on the original unopened engine and on it's 3rd trans.
This is why I bought a falcon! And because a friend had one that didn't have a service in 150,000 kms and still ran great on ZERO oil haha

Now taxis are about 20% Falcons 40% Camrys and 40% Priuses. The latter of which will be interesting to see how well they hold up with the hybrid systems.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
How many seventies car were able to make it to 100K? If my Pinto was any example, not that many.


Every single one that passed through our family. The record holder was the 73 Satellite Custom (318/904) that my folks bought new, I got in '80 and drove through HS, college, grad school, on my honeymoon, through 20 years of marriage... gave it away last fall to a friend. Still running at over 435,000 miles. Engine was refreshed at 190k, never opened again except for a third timing chain at around 300,000. 2 transmission overhauls- woulda just been one if a bad radiator trans cooler hadn't pumped it full of high silicate antifreeze. :-/

There was a 74 Mercury Comet that made it to about 210k, although the 250 straight six was having a hard time maintaining oil pressure. Then there was a 74 Dart 318/904 that made it to about 190k, sold still running great. Come to think of it, the WORST of the lot was a '78 Plymouth Horizon that we ran off the property at 140,000 miles, but it was an absolute nightmare to get there. All the others didn't even break a sweat seeing at least 150k. Several 60s cars also did that- the best being the Polara in my .sig that kept its original 383 and transmission until 260,000 miles.