which V6 is best..Ford 3.7, GM 3.6 or FCA 3.6

pbm

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I know the Ford 3.7 has a poorly designed (problem causing) water pump location in FWD applications but in RWD apps like the Mustang it seems pretty good. How does it compare to the other 2 domestic V6's for durability, power, fuel economy etc...?
 
I would put my hat in the Ford 3.7 (Cyclone V6) when it comes to durability and longevity department. The later, Ti-VCT models have decent power levels up to part with the others.

Yes the water pump on the transverse ones stinks, but, it is what it is. RWD, no concern there.
 
Originally Posted by redhat
I would put my hat in the Ford 3.7 (Cyclone V6) when it comes to durability and longevity department. The later, Ti-VCT models have decent power levels up to part with the others.

Yes the water pump on the transverse ones stinks, but, it is what it is. RWD, no concern there.


Yes, I've seen some of these 3.7's in Lincoln livery vehicles with well over 300K....they definitely seem durable.
 
This is one of those questions where you ask three different people you'll get three different answers. I've driven all three in rental vehicles and I prefer the Pentastar. Seemed more refined to me, but neither of them really had any bad qualities as far as driveability goes. Hadn't had them long enough to form an opinion on fuel economy, but power is going to be dependent on the vehicle its installed in-- they're all in the same ballpark.
 
Don't have any experience with ford or GM, but I do like the 3.6 Pentastar. Some issues with the Pentastar is the oil filter housing that is known to crack and leak (usually due to being over tightened), and the upper intake manifold has to come off to replace 3 of the spark plugs.
 
Did the GM 3.6 having timing chain issues?...and if so has it been fixed?
 
How about VQ 3.5 motor ??

lol.gif


309k miles on mine.
 
Pentastar 3.6l. Would be my pick, other than the filter housing leak and the head issue in the early years, they're reliable. The Ford 3.7l is actually fairly reliable, but it has that ticking time bomb of a water pump that may destroy the engine before you notice it. GM 3.6l, well I've seen a lot of high mileage ones as well, but they have the timing chain issue that's a pain to fix. Eric O has apparently done a lot of those because he says in a video that he will be able to put his kids through college from the work he's done on GM 3.6l's.
I'm sure that many of these problems are a very small percentage of these engines that are put out. I would bet that whichever you choose would probably serve you well with routine maintenance. From a "cost to repair if any of these reported problems occured" standpoint, the Pentastar is the best option. This is my opinion, you asked and you recieved.
 
We have a BUNCH of the TIVCT 3.7 engines in Transt 250 vans and a couple F-150s, they seem to range from durable to rod bearing issues, we actually had a couple throw rods at under 100K. The one in my sig has been OK at around 67K now, but it has had rod chatter at high RPMs since almost day one, good luck getting Ford to fix anything on them under warranty if they still run at all!
 
Thanks HemiBenny.....I'm interested in the 3.7 Mustang which is RWD so the water pump issue doesn't apply....I do wonder how such poor
engineering ever gets to production (the WP design in the FWD 3.7)...but then again the timing chain issue in the GM and oil filter mount
problem in the FCA shouldn't be happening either.

As far as the Nissan VQ 3.5...it's a great engine (a Wards 10 best at one point).....my dad had a 3.0 version in his 99' Maxima...I'd be leery
of buying any new Nissan because of their CVT issues....why take a chance.
 
The 3.6 in our Acadia had to have all coil packs replaced at 70k. Expensive and I understand common. We gave it to my stepson and he had to replace them again at about 120k. By the way, the Acadia struggled to get 21mpg on the road. The V6 Highlander that replaced it gets 27-28.
 
3.7 Ford's have shown to be very reliable in F150's and Mustangs. My dad's 3.6 in his Wrangler has had multiple issues but that is about the limit of my experience with them. So one example doesn't tell much.

I wouldn't touch GM's 3.6 with a ten foot pole. After dealing with timing chain, oil consumption and vct issues on those previously I'd pass, even though those issues may be resolved now.
 
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A Dodge Charger rental I had in Florida a few year ago was stunning with the Pentastar V6

I had to open the hood a couple days in, as I could not believe it was a 6. Very torquey and powerful. I think It was a "ringer".

One of the best rentals I've had in a decade other than Grand Marquis and Buick LeSabre and a 2012 Kia Forte 4 door.

I like the LeSabre and the GM interior better than the Dodge though. And either the GM or LeSabre helm response was better than the Dodge. But I'm sure the Dodge front end could be made more responsive with a few parts and adjustments.
 
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I have had all 3 of them and they all have their good and bad points:

-- 3.6L GM in a 2008 Acadia with 275 HP@6600RPM and 251 LB-FT@3200RPM
-- 3.5L Ford in a 2014 Ford Explorer (First Gen of the 3.7L) with 290 HP@6500RPM and 255 LB-FT@4000RPM
-- 3.6L Pentastar in a 2019 Jeep with 285 HP@6400RPM and 260 LB-FT@4800RPM

The GM required a water pump change at 76,000 miles, but otherwise had no issues with it. It was not very powerful and gas mileage in the Acadia barely cracked 20MPG, I put 100K miles on it before selling and perhaps just prior to the timing chain issues rearing its head as so many have experienced. I ran Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30 and AC filters in it the whole time I had it.

The Ford required the secondary throttle body to be changed twice and there were a few sensors and emissions components that had to be changed, but otherwise no issues. It typically sees 23-24MPG on the highway and is satisfactory in the power department. The sparkplugs and COP boots were changed at about 80K and it was time as the engine ran decidedly smoother afterwards. It has had Mobil 1 AFE 0W-20 and FRAM Ultra filters for the majority of its nearly 100K miles. I did use a few Motorcraft FL-500s filters and couple of runs of Kendall GT-1 0W-20 in its early days.

The FCA is still quite new with only 12K miles on it and no issues to date. It has enough power and runs quite smoothly and manages 21-23MPG on the highway at speeds up to 70MPH (MPG drops off after that).There are some pitfalls in the first generation engines with head and valvetrain issues, but that has been resolved in the Gen II series. However, the oil filter housing/oil cooler is still prone to cracking by over zealous wrench turners. FCA should have taken a lesson from MB and made the entire housing from aluminum instead of 50/50 plastic and aluminum. It has had Castrol Edge 0W-20 and Mopar/Mahle/Hastings/FRAM Ultra (the Ultra is the choice going forward) filters in it.

From my experience thus far, I give the "win" to the Pentastar for its smoothness, power range, and economy. It has the start/stop system that so many despise, but it does save on MPG while in the city. Time will tell how it fares, but I would surmise that it will do well when compared to the millions of other Gen 2 and Gen 1 engines on the road.
 
Originally Posted by Ram02
GM 3.6 Hands down the timing chain issues has been addressed already.


this...

IMHexperience, with rental cars the GM always returns the best fuel mileage, and best passing power.
 
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
A Dodge Charger rental I had in Florida a few year ago was stunning with the Pentastar V6

I had to open the hood a couple days in, as I could not believe it was a 6. Very torquey and powerful. I think It was a "ringer".

One of the best rentals I've had in a decade other than Grand Marquis and Buick LeSabre and a 2012 Kia Forte 4 door.

I like the LeSabre and the GM interior better than the Dodge though. And either the GM or LeSabre helm response was better than the Dodge. But I'm sure the Dodge front end could be made more responsive with a few parts and adjustments.

The "power" sensation you felt was due to the ZF-8.
 
Don't have any Ford V6 experience but have a Cadillac CTS with the 3.6DI and a Grand Cherokee with the 3.6L. 178k on CTS (timing chains done at 44k) and 117k on JGC no issues except the oil cooler/filter housing leak just recently. I also have a lot of other GM 3.6 experience.

Short answer is the FCA is the better engine.
 
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Having driven both a newer Taurus and a newer Charger I preferred the power of the Charger but I think the 6F35 is to blame when it comes to the Ford, not the engine. All three of the engines you mentioned are very solid, although as a whole the FCA vehicle is probably going to have issues first. Cars are more than the engine.
 
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