Whats your opinion as to what "lasts" longer....

[hrsp]

This Random topic came up so i figured id post it up here and get everyones opinion...what was discussed was which engine size 4cy 6cy or 8cy Gasoline motor ( only these three were talked about and all three where gas) should "last" for more miles?

There where alot of different thoughts on this so whats your opinion? Any reason why a v8 would outlast a 4cyl or vice versa?

Discuss

[Al]

I think that the number if cylinders is a minor factor.

The number of factors associated with longevity are innumerable. As I see it, all of the cylinders are pretty much the same. Then again, from a statistical perspective, the more cylinders you have, the more likely one will fail. But this does not make sense when you compare a GM V8 to a Peugeot 3 cyl.

I usually pay attention to the timing systems on cars as a measure of their reliability. Timing belt assemblies, especially tensioners, seem to be the Achilles heal of most engines. It you like pushrods, then you don't need to worry about this.

IIRC, the #1 reason engines fail is do to issues with the cooling system.

[GHOSST]

Your asking to unleash automaker preference hell, lol.

I would say it depends on the make. Each one has its completely proven shitty motors in each class, and each one has its proven dependable motors. We all know of stories of GM, Ford, Mopar, Import, and anything in between making it over the 200,000 mile marker.. Now the big question is, how much care or replacement parts did they owner honestly put into it. And what I mean by honestly, is unless you have someone pushing these things over time to the max for test, I could hit the 250,000 mark and say I did minimal repairs and no one would know the difference in my big special story like we hear about so many times.

[team beater]

60* & 90* Gm v6, sbc, 4.0l Jeep all bullit proof have seen all over 300k no issues

[team beater]

Oh and 2.5 bmw and the iron Duke

[BR3W CITY]

ls motors seem to be headin that way. seeing more and more genIII powered trucks well over 200k

[Yooformula]

ls motors seem to be headin that way. seeing more and more genIII powered trucks well over 200k

:thumbsup, I would have to give a vote to the Jeep 3.0l.

[Nix]

GM 3.8 (v6) is virtually bulletproof when properly maintained. Same goes for Fords 3.0 (v6)

[Reverend Cooper]

i dont care what anyone thinks about my opinion on this,but anything inline lasts longer

[Cryptic]

I've hear a lot of opinions (off forums) about the GM 3800 Series II (3.8L) being very reliable. I never had a single mechanical issue in my GTP/GTX.

Pushing 150k in my 98 Silverado with the 5.7L But it seems to burn some oil.

We have two 4cyl Honda Accords at work that commute to Evansville, IN several times a week. They each have 300k on them. But those cars are seeing 7.5 hr drives per day of straight freeway driving, which is easy living for any motor just cruising at freeway speeds.

[emptypockets]

As much as I love the GM LS series engines, my vote goes to inline engines such as the 4.0L found in the jeeps. Damn near indestructable.

[TheRX7Project]

2 words: Slant 6

[eyeball]

Any inline six cylinder is prone to higher mileage, because they have perfect dynamic balance.

[Russ Jerome]

100,000 miles for gas motors and 650,000 diesel motors (class 8) used to be benchmarks, now 400,000 mile V-8's and 4 bangers are the norm as well as stock million mile semi trucks.

Engine tolerances and oil quality have made even Ford V-8's last as long as Toyota 4 bangers (not favoring any make but its the truth, old Jap cars lasted 3 times longer than a 302 powerd Vic or 5.7 Caprice). Triton motors with over 400,000 is common as 600,000 Volvo's.

Lower the HP the less heat, less heat less wear.
HP= heat= wear.

[Rocket Power]

My 3800 had 180K when I traded it in,My ranger had 225K when I traded it in on my 96 eighty eight, and I had a 89 Subaru 4x4 hatch with over 250K , but it was time for a new rad and I didn't want to buy one for it, miss that car it was unstoppable in the snow hi and low range 4wd:headbang

[P71CVMAN]

Its all about maintaining them, but I have had very good luck with the Chevy 4.3L. I have owned 4 Astro/Safari Vans all with over 170k miles and going strong when I sold them. :headbang

I currently have a '96 Astro with 180K miles & a '93 Astro with 250K miles on it...both run great. :shades

Crown Vics and their 2V 4.6L is pretty darn realiable too.

[BR3W CITY]

my issue with certain inline motors is the cooling issues that can plague the #1 cyl on CERTAIN vehicles. I had a 5 series with the 2.5 and the motor was great; everything else fell apart.

[Flicktitty]

i dont care what anyone thinks about my opinion on this,but anything inline lasts longer


Any inline six cylinder is prone to higher mileage, because they have perfect dynamic balance.

I agree.

look at the mileage that some Lexus SC300/GS300's are going 200,300,400K miles. no problem.

there are Supra owners with over 200K miles and there turboed so those last for ever.

as well as the 4.0L lexus V8 (1UZfe) those are all over the place with 300-400K miles.

[Prince Valiant]

Well, the question appears to be asking which generic would last in comparison to the other...IE, generic inline 4, generic 6, and generic 8, assuming all else equal.

My opinion is generic 8. An over abundance of hp/tq makes for an easy life...less frequently is the car floored, lugged, or ran toward higher loads than as the 8.

An inline 6 perhaps would be next in line (yes, pun was wholly intented). Again....but, some could correctly point out that an inline 6 has more main bearing surface area than an 8 cylinder (many having 7 main bearing caps vs 5 for an 8 cylinder) thus distributing the forces more evenly/over greater area. This is a strong case.

Of course, an inline six also has the toughest time of dealing with crankshaft harmonics....the length of the crank makes it hard to effectively dampen the natural harmonics. How big an issue is this to deal with? enough to offset it's other advantages? Probably not.



I've really never seen nearly the volume of 4 bangers compete on a longevity level to consider them...there are the exceptional ones, no doubt.

But all in all, I think the v8 would win in this contest.

[brngrhd]

i know of one TB injected 350 in a 1992 2500 suburban with 400K on it never been opened and a 2002 6.0L 2500 suburban with 390K on it never been opened

[GHOSST]

I'm loving this stuff, I'm in the market for reliable everyday car, I got a few in mind now. Woot!

[Slow Joe]

I'm going to say Turbo 4-Cylinder... Only becuase thus far we've got 180k on our 9-3... With no engine mechanical work what so ever. Sans oil changes, spark plugs and serpentine belts...

However, my Grand Cherokee had over 200k on the 5.2L V8 (218) and it was solid as a rock as well with minimal issues.

Realistically I think it's all in the maintinence. Keep it up, and it won't have issues. Yes, some designs are more prone to failure (3.1/3.4L GM V6 head and intake gaskets for example) but I think proper maintinence is key...

[GHOSST]

Yes, some designs are more prone to failure (3.1/3.4L GM V6 head and intake gaskets for example) but I think proper maintinence is key...

Hells yea. I had a 1995 Camaro that leaked like a faucet. :mad:

[LIL EVO]

A 94 Land Cruiser (1FZFE straight 6) just popped up on ebay with 422k on it.

[Al]

My first car, a 1987 GMC Safari, had 489k on it when some kid dumped crap in the gas tank and fudged it.

4.3 FTW!!!

I really don't think that the number of cylinders is the important factor in engine longevity.

[05caddyext]

The key to any engine lasting is proper maintenance. Being aggressive about keeping it clean, lubricated, etc. It also has A LOT to do with what its job is. A guy that has a V-8 that hauls around a trailer with landscaping equipment on it 90% of the time can't expect his engine to last as long as the grandpa with the same V-8 that will never hook a trailer to it as long as he owns it.

[jbiscuit]

Gen I SBCs....they leak, burn oil etc but will run forever. Seen several 350s and 283s with well over 350k on them.

[BAD LS1]

It seems even the forementioned GM 60 degree sixers, once "fixed" correctly, i.e. intake gaskets etc also seems to run and run forever. Its been my exp with small engines too, they will last countless hours if maint is kept up religiously just like cars.

[wrath]

Depends on vintage, powertrain controls, and intended use.

60° V6, I6, and 90° V8 all balance well/perfect so they tend to wear nice.

Anything with a timing belt is going to be terminal.

Anything with a flat tappet cam is eventually going to have valvetrain problems.

Anything with an overhead cam is eventually going to have a multitude of issues, especially if not gear driven.


Inherent motor designs keep some things going forever. The 327 Chevy with its short stroke and comparable large bore allowed it to last almost forever, especially when behind a slushbox. Usually they were retired because when they got freshened up the ridge in the bore was so deep (~.060") from the choke washing the cylinders machining wouldn't take it out... they actually were usually retired from low compression due to wide ring end gap. The Ford 300I6 was so goddamn anemic you could hold the stupid pedal to the floor in neutral and it'd only get to the ~4800rpm mark and never blow up.

If you take the Toyota 22RE, it was such an underpowered POS (similar to the GM Iron Duke/4 Tech) it literally couldn't hurt itself. About the only thing it'd pass is a gas station. But being that the 22R/22RE is an interference engine, they go spectacularly.

So it depends on what you want to do with it.

The 1600cc VW air-cooled engine is probably the most versatile. Who can complain about an engine that can also be used for an air compressor with a simple cam swap? I had a 2.0L version in a sandrail, it'd lift the front tires off the ground easy.

[lordairgtar]

The 1600cc VW air-cooled engine is probably the most versatile. Who can complain about an engine that can also be used for an air compressor with a simple cam swap? I had a 2.0L version in a sandrail, it'd lift the front tires off the ground easy.
Don't forget their use as aero engines as well.

[Slow Joe]

Anything with a timing belt is going to be terminal.


If maintained improperly. Keep up with changing your timing belt ever 50-60k and you'll be safe...

[wrath]

If maintained improperly. Keep up with changing your timing belt ever 50-60k and you'll be safe...

Then it costs more money to operate. A Wankel engine would last forever (as original poster said, which lasts longest) if you do constant maintenance.

[Al]

It seems even the forementioned GM 60 degree sixers, once "fixed" correctly, i.e. intake gaskets etc also seems to run and run forever. Its been my exp with small engines too, they will last countless hours if maint is kept up religiously just like cars.

At what point do we point out the differences and similarities between engines? An intake gasket is a non-moving part and really has nothing to do with the number of cylinders. An intake gasket can even deteriorate without the engine running.


Some German engines are mechanical marvels. The problem is that the electrical system goes to hell and people give up repairing them. Does this mean the engine is faulty?

[BAD LS1]

At what point do we point out the differences and similarities between engines? An intake gasket is a non-moving part and really has nothing to do with the number of cylinders. An intake gasket can even deteriorate without the engine running.


Some German engines are mechanical marvels. The problem is that the electrical system goes to hell and people give up repairing them. Does this mean the engine is faulty?

Well my point was that the 60* GM offerings are long lasting provided thier inherit faults are properly corrected. If not their life cycle will not be as long as it otherwise would. I was just backing up the prior statement that these engine can be formidable high-milers.

[jbiscuit]

electrical or not, it is an essential part of the operation of the engine. Thats like saying the fuel injection keeps failing but its not a part of the engine so that doesn't count as a failure. Its a needed part of the motor so if you have to shell out money for it, it still counts. Not too many German engines out there that will run for $400k without the help of your deep pockets to keep them going.

[Slow Joe]

Not too many German engines out there that will run for $400k without the help of your deep pockets to keep them going.

I'm thinking that the E320 Mercedes are the exception to the rule... I've seen a good many of those with 300K+ on the clocks with minimal if any engine issues.

And on the timing belt, if you don't want to do the maintinence, don't get the car. It's part of routine maintinence as outlined by the manufacturers specifications. I had this convo with a friend of mine with a 1.8T A4. They require timing belts at 80k (ish) and the owner didn't want to do it. That's what you signed up for when you bought it. I've seen many 200k+ mi VWs and Audis with the 1.8T as well, obviously the owners did the maintinence...

[DurtyKurty]

i dont care what anyone thinks about my opinion on this,but anything inline lasts longer

This is it. ;)

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

So in conclusion a 1960's designed American small block V8 with a cam in block and the addition of late model fuel injection is the way to go ? Make mine a Windsor. :thumbsup Or Romeo. :shades

Save for wet intake Vortec engines which also got badly designed gaskets, TBI FTW ? :headbang :rolf
Oh and leave it to Obama Motors to ruin bulletproof engines with the single idea of ridiculously mickey mouse gaskets. E.g 3800, 3100, 5700.
Almost as bad as that Ford SOHC 4.0. :loser:punch:

[WickedSix]

i dont care what anyone thinks about my opinion on this,but anything inline lasts longer

this...i'll go inline, then pancake, then 90 deg engines, then 60 deg engines.... having more main bearing than cylinders is a HUGE wear advantage and having a balanced rotating assembly does the same.

can't beat the 400k mile subaru brat my dad had while I was growing up

[nismodave]

i dont care what anyone thinks about my opinion on this,but anything inline lasts longer

Agreed.

[jbiscuit]

can't beat the 400k mile subaru brat my dad had while I was growing up

The same could be said about the flat four VW motors except the lack of a radiator causes a lot of additional heat. That and the fact the engine is in the rear without a lot of continual airflow over the engine case to keep it cool. To this day I'm not exactly sure how more of those motors didn't coke bearings from boiling oil :rolf They are another case of engines that run forever considering lack of compression, burning oil, leaking like a faucet etc. I suppose adding oil daily meant a fresh supply of dead dinosaur juice to keep the rotating assembly intact. :thumbsup

[WickedSix]

there was some tricks to them v-dux air cooled panbacakes..... one i remember was opening up the valve lash on the two 'hot' cylinders.... honestly probably the most distinguishable exhaust note... the 'cricket chirp' of the stock exhaust really sounds like nothing else out there