The worst automotive engines of all time

[Flicktitty]

kind of interesting.

CLICK ME (http://www.popularhotrodding.com/features/0408phr_worst_automobile_engines/index.html)

[nismodave]

Looks like someones car.:rolf:rolf:rolf

http://images.popularhotrodding.com/features/0408phr_worst_08_z.jpg

[UnderPSI]

I had a 2.2 Turbo in one of my cars. It ran for 275,000 miles with no problems, until the cam bearings became so worn the cam would rattle around and the engine would pick it up as knock and retard the timing and it ran like poo. A big chrysler guy bought it from me to rebuild it and use it for his daily driver. He said he had never seen one of these engines last so long.

[lilws6]

i think the queen should diesel the cutlass next

[juicedimpss]

how did they leave out the ford FE??

[Z28Roxy]

How about chevy's 305 and ford's late 80s / early 90s 3.8 V6?

And honda's 1.5L?

[juicedimpss]

How about chevy's 305 and ford's late 80s / early 90s 3.8 V6?

And honda's 1.5L?

how were chev 305 a bad engine? some of the late 70s had soft cams,but for the most part they ran well(underpowered) for a LONG time.

[Z28Roxy]

how were chev 305 a bad engine? some of the late 70s had soft cams,but for the most part they ran well(underpowered) for a LONG time.

Just kind of laughably underpowered. Nothing mechanical.

I know ford's 3.8 and honda's 1.5 were known for popping head gaskets, though so surprised they didn't make the list.

[BAD LS1]

they picked the pushrod 2.2 LN2 engine over the quad 4? LOL

[Karps TA]

3.4 DOHC motor from the early 90's W-bodies needs to be on that list.

[juicedimpss]

lol,the old 6.2 chevy NON turbo diesel was a real gem too.
i remember many cracked cyl heads and blocks with the main webs cracked out of them

[USMARINE1108]

3.4 DOHC motor from the early 90's W-bodies needs to be on that list.

Thats what I was thinking.

[Waver]

I never had a problem with the 2.2 eninges that were in a few of the cavaliers that I have owned...Sure they were known for head gasket failure, however they lasted forever. As far as the Chrysler 2.2 Tough little motor too, however yeah, damn thing knocked after 75k but my parents were told that it was nothing to be concerned with, as they all do that. lol

[Waver]

they picked the pushrod 2.2 LN2 engine over the quad 4? LOL
Yeah that is what I was thinking....that or the 3.4 "twin double over head cam" engine that was in the lumina z-34 and the gtp....blow by here I come

[Cutlass Queen]

Outta all the possibility of pics in that article, it has to be a red 79 cutty :rolf

The Quad 4 def. blows...I've had so many spark plugs foul out, injectors go crap, headgasket go, and the list goes on. But the same motor still is ticking with over 175K on it :D *knocks on wood*

[Waver]

Outta all the possibility of pics in that article, it has to be a red 79 cutty :rolf

The Quad 4 def. blows...I've had so many spark plugs foul out, injectors go crap, headgasket go, and the list goes on. But the same motor still is ticking with over 175K on it :D *knocks on wood*


When the head gasket on the beretta gtz that I had with the 180 hp version of that engine went out for the 2nd time, that is when I had enough...Yeah, I loved the power it made for that car (180 out of a 4 cyl was great for its time), and sure the 2nd time was probably cause because I decided to boost it, but still.....My friend has a black one that has been sitting for a few years because of the same problem.....he bought it with a blown head gasket, spent 3k to fix it, bore it over, and what not, and then it went again 6 months later, go figure

[Moparjim]

I always thought the Chrysler 2.2L was a great motor too - it was noisy lol but they lasted great - the rest of the cars was what usually rusted and fell apart - everything from the body to the electrical system to the trans, etc.

[That_Guy]

they picked the pushrod 2.2 LN2 engine over the quad 4? LOL

its funny you should say that..i was thinking something along that line my self.

[LIZMO]

no imports are on that list :thumbsup

haha jk. i don't care really. lol.

[Flight_740]

I knew before I opened it caddy would make it with the 4100.

[Nix]

What about fords shit ass 3.8?:confused

Head gasket/intake leak, whats that? :chair:

[Boost21]

My motor should be on there......3400 60* v6

[juicedimpss]

I knew before I opened it caddy would make it with the 4100.

lol,those were a great setup. exposed cyl head studs that pulled the threads out of the block when you torqued them.

[BOSS LX]

how did they leave out the ford FE??

You have got to be kidding me!

That motor won everything there was to win in the 60's.

The FE is the motor the embarrassed farreri time and time again in the 60's.

I would put that motor in the TOP 10 of all time!

[BOSS LX]

And how the fvck did they put the flat head v8 on that list?

Not only was it the first main stream V8, it was the V8 of choice for over 20 years.

That is like making a list of the worst planes, and adding the wright brothers plane to it.

[juicedimpss]

You have got to be kidding me!

That motor won everything there was to win in the 60's.

The FE is the motor the embarrassed farreri time and time again in the 60's.

I would put that motor in the TOP 10 of all time!

my bad,i forgot how great the cyl head/intake/valve cover gasket arrangement was on those :banana1:

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

LoL I would have thought the main gripe about the FE was that most were top oilers and had kinda undersize oil galleys.
Most FE's had no problem doing 200k miles with 15psi of oil pressure tho.

They should have put all the early dexcool bombs on the list of worst engines. Talk about gasket woes.

[DynoTom]

Fe Fords have some of most historic wins in auto racing history....



http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-def/Ford-GT40-LeMans-Victory-1966.jpg

[BOSS LX]

my bad,i forgot how great the cyl head/intake/valve cover gasket arrangement was on those :banana1:

It was a little weird, but it was never an issue. To date there are mid 7 second galaxie's sporting FE's.

[BOSS LX]

Fe Fords have some of most historic wins in auto racing history....



http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-def/Ford-GT40-LeMans-Victory-1966.jpg

That is the shiit! "Powered By Ford":headbang

[juicedimpss]

LoL I would have thought the main gripe about the FE was that most were top oilers and had kinda undersize oil galleys.
Most FE's had no problem doing 200k miles with 15psi of oil pressure tho.

They should have put all the early dexcool bombs on the list of worst engines. Talk about gasket woes.

lol,i think there is a 5 page book for oil system mods for those.

[BOSS LX]

A picture of Clyde in front of one of the top 10 worst motors of all time.

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/105/clydeonbumpis0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Here is one of those junk FE's.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4554/mufp050811z1963fordgalagu4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4554/mufp050811z1963fordgalagu4.b5f24a6c86.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=136&i=mufp050811z1963fordgalagu4.jpg)

[BAD LS1]

Outta all the possibility of pics in that article, it has to be a red 79 cutty :rolf

The Quad 4 def. blows...I've had so many spark plugs foul out, injectors go crap, headgasket go, and the list goes on. But the same motor still is ticking with over 175K on it :D *knocks on wood*

Yours must not be the infamous SOHC quad motor?? Those ones actually cracked heads between the exhaust valves! That was right around the mid 90's when they used that weird 3.3 V6 for a stint too.

[juicedimpss]

im also shocked the 3.0 chrysler v-6 didnt make it,with the valve guides that would fall out of the heads causing the james bond smoke screen

[juicedimpss]

hell,even the pontiac 301 and turbo 301 should have been on there...

[jbiscuit]

A picture of Clyde in front of one of the top 10 worst motors of all time.

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/105/clydeonbumpis0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Here is one of those junk FE's.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4554/mufp050811z1963fordgalagu4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4554/mufp050811z1963fordgalagu4.b5f24a6c86.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=136&i=mufp050811z1963fordgalagu4.jpg)


JUNK!!!! :rolf

[MurphysLaw88GT]

I knew before I opened it caddy would make it with the 4100.

hells yeah

[MurphysLaw88GT]

im also shocked the 3.0 chrysler v-6 didnt make it,with the valve guides that would fall out of the heads causing the james bond smoke screen

I died laughing......cause I can clearly remember this from many of those!!!:rolf

[Prince Valiant]

hell,even the pontiac 301 and turbo 301 should have been on there...The 301 DEFINITELY should have been there. Common intake ports, half the counterweights, and then the turbo's engines driveability and performance...bleh.

btw, the "chrysler 3.0 SOHC v6" was a mitsubishi sourced engine...and it's only relatively recently that it's decendants have died off.

[xxsn0blindxx]

im also shocked the 3.0 chrysler v-6 didnt make it,with the valve guides that would fall out of the heads causing the james bond smoke screen

They fixed that in 92. Aside from that issue the rest of the motor was very reliable.

[Prince Valiant]

Actually, the ford 4.2 v8 could have made the list...

...I'd also throw in the ford 4.6/5.4 (bud-dump-bump! HIYO!)

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

Throw the LA engines in there too, ABSOLUTE GARBAGE ! :D
Make mine imported for Dodge by Mybotsu. :alcoholic

[Z06 KID]

interesting

[lordairgtar]

Chevy's 307 from the late sixties and the Ford 3.8 V6. The Chev was an oil burner from the factory and the Ford V6 was a motor that no one could love. Pre-heater tubes that went through the intake manifold would back out and dump coolant down the intake. Ford had a service bulletin on this and still did nothing to fix the problem. And before I forget, the miserable little engine that they used in Chevettes. That was neither the Vega mill nor the Iron Duke.

[BOSS LX]

Actually, the ford 4.2 v8 could have made the list...

...I'd also throw in the ford 4.6/5.4 (bud-dump-bump! HIYO!)

My 2003 Ford work van has a 4.2 with 188,000 on it, and it never had a single issue.

[Rocket Power]

That list is from car craft from like 10 years ago. way to recycle Pop hot rod:rolf
I like my quad4's, the only problems I've had were owner induced:goof

[Prince Valiant]

My 2003 Ford work van has a 4.2 with 188,000 on it, and it never had a single issue.
1980-1982 4.2 (255ci) windsor v8.

3.68 inch bore, 3 inch stroke, tinier valves than a stock 302. 115 hp. And despite the low output and performance, small size, and that it was specifically geared for economy, it got pretty dismal mileage to boot.

[Cutlass Queen]

Yours must not be the infamous SOHC quad motor?? Those ones actually cracked heads between the exhaust valves! That was right around the mid 90's when they used that weird 3.3 V6 for a stint too.

Yep you got it. The motor has lasted a long time with all the abuse I've given it but it's constantly getting maintained. Bad enough this summer I'm stuck replacing the water pump and cam gaskets :(

[Prince Valiant]

I would say from my list, each make:

Ford: 4.2 v8
Chevy: 267 (4.4) v8
Pontiac: 301 v8
olds: 260 v8 [edit-Actually, make it the diesel 350...the thing bends rods just idling]
Caddy: 4.1
Buick: hard to say....most of the small block's weren't great but weren't bad. I'd say the 300.
Mopar: 1982 fuel injected 318 in the imperials...most FI set-ups were replaced by carbs within 1 year of ownership.

[badvenom]

caddy 4.1

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

That 255 Windsor is very rare, as elusive as a 85hp 4.3 diesel FWD GM A body.

[BOSS LX]

1980-1982 4.2 (255ci) windsor v8.

3.68 inch bore, 3 inch stroke, tinier valves than a stock 302. 115 hp. And despite the low output and performance, small size, and that it was specifically geared for economy, it got pretty dismal mileage to boot.

Oh, then I agree.:rolf

[Voodoo Chick]

A few people mentioned Chevy's 305.....they are not bad at all, our daily driver Camaro has a 305, and granted she's not particularly fast or powerful, she is very reliable, dependable, and still fun to drive. I don't think they were bad engines, just kinda modest. Very good for daily drivers.

[Flight_740]

Very cool in a bmw. I need junk valves guides.


im also shocked the 3.0 chrysler v-6 didnt make it,with the valve guides that would fall out of the heads causing the james bond smoke screen

[T-Bag]

they picked the pushrod 2.2 LN2 engine over the quad 4? LOL

I was thinking the same damn thing :rolf

[Moparjim]

I would say from my list, each make:

Ford: 4.2 v8
Chevy: 267 (4.4) v8
Pontiac: 301 v8
olds: 260 v8
Caddy: 4.1
Buick: hard to say....most of the small block's weren't great but weren't bad. I'd say the 300.
Mopar: 1982 fuel injected 318 in the imperials...most FI set-ups were replaced by carbs within 1 year of ownership.

Mopar's worst IMO would be:

Anything Lean Burn - most hair brained stop gap measure ever!

or

2.2L Turbo III's in the Spirit R/T and Daytona in what 1991-93 before it was canned -anytime you floored it you risked burping the head gasket.

[TURTLE]

Mopar's worst IMO would be:

Anything Lean Burn - most hair brained stop gap measure ever!

or

2.2L Turbo III's in the Spirit R/T and Daytona in what 1991-93 before it was canned -anytime you floored it you risked burping the head gasket.

i'm with ya on that one... who thought it would be a good idea to put steel freeze plugs in an aluminum head:goof

[Prince Valiant]

Yeah Jim...I was very close to sticking the lean burn in over the early 80's fuel-injected...but at least some lean burn cars worked for a few years :goof.

I remember looking to buy a daytona r/t new off the lot (dealer had two spirit's and one daytona). Drove the spirit r/t since the daytona was on the showroom floor. Lost the head gasket on the test drive :fire

Nothing but white smoke behind us when I floored it :chair:

And a revision to my list...replacing the Olds 260 with the Olds diesel...don't know what I was thinking.

[juicedimpss]

And a revision to my list...replacing the Olds 260 with the Olds diesel...don't know what I was thinking.

you can group them together.
the 260 was quite the lil engine....you could hold that thing to the floor all day and it could never muster up enough power to hurt itself. it was quite efficient also,i used to squeek 14mpg from the one i had....after the tuneup.

[70 cutlass 442]

you can group them together.
the 260 was quite the lil engine....you could hold that thing to the floor all day and it could never muster up enough power to hurt itself. it was quite efficient also,i used to squeek 14mpg from the one i had....after the tuneup.

yeah but slap a set of gasser heads on the 350 olds and that motor will handel close to 1500 HP. so from the factory they were very stout, but turds non the less

[Berettaspeed]

wow no quad 4 in there? or that vega should have been number one.

[Rocket Power]

The 3.1 should be in there. A 3.1 in a Grand Prix should not get worse mileage than a 3.8 in an Eighty Eight by 4 mpg.:goof

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

Cant beat that 3.8

[Berettaspeed]

The 3.1 should be in there. A 3.1 in a Grand Prix should not get worse mileage than a 3.8 in an Eighty Eight by 4 mpg.:goof

WHAT you should be shot in the face and stopmed on for saying the GM 660 should be in there!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flipoff2: :chair:

LOL

[70 cutlass 442]

WHAT you should be shot in the face and stopmed on for saying the GM 660 should be in there!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flipoff2: :chair:

LOL

well iv i ever blow up a 3rd 660, ill call you for a ride then :thumbsup

[Rocket Power]

WHAT you should be shot in the face and stopmed on for saying the GM 660 should be in there!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flipoff2: :chair:

LOL
It wishes it could be in the same class as the 3800
They should have stopped making it when they stopped making the Citation:rolf