THE most reliable engine ever built?

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
Terry - flat-top Ford V8s were great - but adjusting the valves and changing the distributer points was always a challenge!

Regards

 

[TallPaul]

I am biased having had three pickups with Ford 300 I6 engines. It is a pretty tough engine. But I would expect the Jeep 4.0 inline is great too. I will go along with just about any inline engine, but my qualification is make it a pushrod engine. None of that fancy dancy overhead cam stuff for me. In fact, I am a man of simplicity: give me a flathead inline six.

I'll even take a 4 banger--just give me enough cubes, like the old half-a-V8 International 200 cubic inch inline four in the Scouts. My dream mini-beast is a late 80s Ford Ranger pickup with a half-a-460-V8 for a slant 230 cubic inch four banger!

[ February 19, 2004, 12:06 PM: Message edited by: TallPaul ]

 

[greasezerk]

Dodge 318-360, ford 300, chevy 350

 

[sprintman]

Doug wouldn't Gardner diesel beat all the rest combined? I thought it was the 'last for ever engine?'

 

[Terry]

Doug, I loved that thing ! No oil filter either !!!


Sprint, Gardner ?? Britt or Aussie ?

 

[sprintman]

Brit. I'm surprised you don't know them but then they go for ever in all parts of the world.

 

[ALS]

I'm with Pablo, the Volvo I4 2.1 - 2.3 liter Red Blocks non turbo's. My second choice would be the MOPAR slant 6 225ci.

 

[T-Keith]

The Buick 3.8 in various versions has been known for 300k+ miles with no major engine work.

The 2.5 "Iron Duke" deserves mention too. They are good for 200K+ and they require almost no maintenance. There's something to be said for an engine that doesn't require timing belts and cam adjustments all the time.

-T

 

[Terry]

In vehicles or stationary engines ? I'm not much of a industrial apps kind of fellow.

Terry

 

[sprintman]

Stationary. Hoping Doug will chime in with more info?

 

[GSV]

How about a midtopic adjustment?

What are the most reliable engines and WHY? What traits make them last so long?

I'll suggest that low stress (i.e. not cranking out maximum power for its displacement) is a benefit when you want an engine to last.

How about sump capacity? This can vary but more = better to my way of thinking.

PS - 200,000 miles is nothing!

 

[Pablo]

I was thinking 200K was zippo, too.

Diesels count, I guess it ain't cheating, but we was talking gas.

Heck there have been diesels that that have gone over 400,000 miles....ON THE SAME OIL. (Sure Amsoil cheated, they used a bypass filter and the sump is large)

 

[TallPaul]

Guess I better throw in my wife's Ford 3.0 V6 (1992). It is one of the best running engines around. Don't know about how long it lasts. Only has 100,000 miles, but runs like new. Think it is referred to as the Vulcan V6. High winder too. Her Aerostar is an automatic. I flat-footed it off the line on a freeway ramp and it did the 1-2 shift at 5700 rpm. I'm not a V engine guy, but I do enjoy driving that thing.

Hey, anybody remember GMC pickups in the 1960s had a 305 cubic inch V6? I heard it was a brute and very durable. Anybody have first hand experience?

 

[shortyb]

Older engine: 225 Dodge slant six. Couldn't kill the one we had, though I tried

.

Newer engine: Nissan VQ30/35 DE. I'm biased a bit but being a Ward's 10 best for 10 years ain't too bad. And I won't be trying to kill this one

.

 

[JohnnyO]

Ford 3.0 V6. Look at all the battered old Tauruses still running around with (obviously) little or no maintenance for 15 years or so.

 

[Oldswagon]

quote:

---

Originally posted by mikep:

Motorbike....I'll cast my vote for the Caddy 4-6-8 as the biggest POS engine ever made.

Mikep

---

The 4-6-8 Cadillac engine itself wasn't all that bad, it was just the variable displacement controls. The engine was simply a 368ci Caddy V8, which shared it's block design with the 425, 472 and 500 Caddy engines. The 368 was a debored 425, which was the engine offered in the 1977-79 models. The way the engine worked was the pivot points on the rockers could change, allowing the rocker to open and close the valves, or slide up and down on the rocker stud. The system that controlled the valves was the problem with the engine. If the owner of the car was smart enough to disable the system, the 368 was just as reliable as any other Caddy V8.

I worked on a '81 Caddy series 75 (factory limo) four or five years ago now. The car had the infamous 4-6-8 engine, but the owner had disabled the system. The engine in that car was just as reliable as any other V8 of that era.

The 4.1L V8 that replaced the old big Caddy V8 engines, now that was a POS!

 

[Motorbike]

quote:

---

Originally posted by GSV:
How about a midtopic adjustment?

What are the most reliable engines and WHY? What traits make them last so long?

I'll suggest that low stress (i.e. not cranking out maximum power for its displacement) is a benefit when you want an engine to last.

How about sump capacity? This can vary but more = better to my way of thinking.

PS - 200,000 miles is nothing!

---

Well then.... the domestic inline sixes all had gear driven camshafts which negated need for repair of the timing chains that usually let go when one merely shuts the motor down from a bit of dieseling . The Ford 300 was dang near square in design leaving responsible owners to shift early cause more rpm did not mean more power for the most part so they last well . Mine was running well at 250k when sold. GM had a comparable 292ci six but quality of the valve train components used then keeps it out of the running . If the 427 Chevy Tall Deck engine with it's gear driven cam had been used in PU's other than the 2ton and larger it would be a contender as far as V-8's are concerned .

Typically engines with rod ratios of 1.6 or above go longer before excessive oil burning all else equal . There were some early Mazda engines with astronomical piston speeds that were smokers at 80k and less .

There are 400k mile Miata's running around already " should be reserved for another topic in it'self due to engine design " and I'm sure some very hi-mile large sump capacity Beemers of fairly late vintage. The first VW Rabbits went well , design was one thing..the quality of components used the larger of the two .

Coolant system failure is probably the single most thing leading to the early demise of most engines these days . If overheating don't kill the motor on the spot some are never the same because of the piston rings not being resilant or able to spring back once contracted .Valve springs also can take a set if grossly overheated not to forget what happens when the oil pump pushes glycol through the lower end bearings .

I would still rather talk about junk engines

... I'll make me a short list

[ February 20, 2004, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: Motorbike ]

 

[ikeepmychevytoo]

I love my '84 Chevrolet and its little 2.8 (173)V6. As I regularly hear, Buick's 3.8 should be top performer of this brew but I'm also very happy with this litle one.

Originally bougth it at the university as a cheap car for practising. My drivers licence was new back then. I overhated it twice due to those "little" neglects of inexperienced, like having the oil cahnged by amateurs who could manage to disconnect a rad. fan socket during the process. I wasn't wise enough then to check the temp. occasionally. Finally I discovered it when the engine stopped due to overheating at the garage ramp. At least it didn't leave me on the roadside. It's my fifth year after graduation and I still keep it. This engine still refuses to use any oil, or behave underpowered. Only rad. fan and the starter's gear (due to a start whilist engine was running) needed to be replaced. My problem list shorter than many of my relative's new cars and their warranty buerocracies.

I never baby this engine, I'm only careful with the oil... On long climbs at ~75mph once a new 2lt supercharged Mercedes gave up (he started to chase me, appearantly for fun) but this V6 never overheats while performing. Well, I think this cool running under any conition is given to the vee block creatures. But now I hear two inline sixes. One other might be the BMW's L6 which has a large oil sump capacity. On the era of carburettors, inline sixes used to take more fuel at the center cylinders and less on the first and sixth resulting in a relatively rougher running. And that slant 225 has 1bbl (or 2bbl?) carburettor.

So, anybody have an answer what could make two of the best mentioned ones the "inline" sixes, despite their carburation, and probably the thermal disadvantage over the vees? Slant Six used to have forged everything but Chrysler's newer 4 lt. also gets the high marks.

 

[cousincletus]

Jeep 4.0 I-6
Chrysler 225 slant six

 

[GSV]

Coolant system failure is probably the single most thing leading to the early demise of most engines these days . If overheating don't kill the motor on the spot some are never the same because of the piston rings not being resilant or able to spring back once contracted .Valve springs also can take a set if grossly overheated not to forget what happens when the oil pump pushes glycol through the lower end bearings .

FWIW I see a lot of cars (fewer trucks) pulled over on the side of the road that have overheated. {Parleys Canyon going from SLC to Park City on I-80, climbs from 4300 feet to 7000 feet at highway speeds) The 2 most common types, by far, pulled over with steam blasting out are Hyundais and Ford Tauruses. I suspect their cooling system is inadequate for climbing like this at 65+ mph with the AC running.