Best engines

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: Popinski
Hyundai 2.0L Beta. Bulletproof Engine.


And the 2.7L V6. Bullet proof as well. I have one with over 320K KM's (192K miles) and have only replaced O2 sensors.

It produces less than 3ppm wear metals in most categories on used oil analysis and some 0's, like for ring-wear!

I'm not burning oil or leaking any and get better than government fuel economy consistently.

 

[Zaedock]

To answer your specific questions, I would say Honda/Toyota are pretty even at the top of the list. I would also say that the European makers you listed are all in a dead heat.

I don't consider a used oil analysis the be all/end all tool for engine longevity though. IIRC, member BuickGN had half a piston or other parts in his oil pan and had a normal used oil analysis.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: aztec12
I would say JEEP old 4.0 inline 6 and fords 4.6 engine v-8


+1

I especially like the 5.0 Ford motor used in the Mustang GT`s Had three of them over the years,and took a lot of abuse !

 

[MoparDak05]

Honda d16z6 in the early-mid 90's Civic EX and SI. We have one that has bounced around from me to my girlfriend then to my dad. It has 230k miles and doesn't burn a drop of oil (did a 10k run recently and it never moved off the full mark) and consistently gets 32-38 mpg, depending on the season and driving conditions. I popped the valve cover around 210k and it is spotless, only a light yellow tinge to it from the oil coating.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Whatever Honda put in my co-worker's '97 Civic seems pretty good. He has 326k miles on it. Nothing but 3k mile oil changes at the local dino-lube.

 

[milwaukee]

My 2008 Toyota was total junk. I averaged one trip to the dealer every 5 weeks or so.

The best engines IMO and this is off the top of my head so I may forget something:

GM Ecotech-if this was a toyota design it would be hailed as the greatest engine ever made but since it is from one of the big 3 it gets no mention.

Ford 4.6 2v modular-somewhat low on power but last longer, and has more miles in severe useage than anything else

small block chevy-the push rod GM v8 from 1955-present is likely the most important thing that has ever happened to performance. The modern Corvette still uses an "ancient" push rod design and only has competition from the Italian supercars costing 3x's as much and it gets 25 mpg.

sr22-easily outlasted most of the rust buckets it powered

 

[StevieC]

Milwaukee I will stand with you and say the GM Ecotech is a fantastic engine and I'm happy to see GM didn't mess with it and just made it better and better over the years!

I would buy a Cobalt just based on that.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Just drove a '10 rental 4cyl Malibu in FL - absolutely slaughtered a high-end '10 Toyota Camry loaner in all meaningful areas except outward (rear and side) visibility.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Unless you are also counting and weighing oil filter contents/particulate - the UOA wear metal PPM count is just about worthless as a wear indicator. But since it's "too hard" or "inconvenient" to analyse filter contents - we'll just ignore them. Not too smart.

 

[Geo_Prizm]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
We could extend this thread into: What stock engine would you chose from a low milage junk yard vehicle to drop AS IS into another application such as powering a boat or large electric generator, or simply put it in another vehicle?


Toyota 7A-FE and Toyota Silvertop.

 

[meep]

toyota '77 corona. 20R engine. last seen on 3rd owner, 400,000 miles iirc. oil changes, water pumps. 20R looked like a mercedes diesel rebuilt for gas. dual timing chains to the single cam...

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: meep
toyota '77 corona. 20R engine. last seen on 3rd owner, 400,000 miles iirc. oil changes, water pumps. 20R looked like a mercedes diesel rebuilt for gas. dual timing chains to the single cam...


Yep,thats when they were built well.

 

[meep]

the volvo white blocks had great reputations, didnt they??

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: meep
the volvo white blocks had great reputations, didnt they??


Well we had an 89 Volvo 740 non turbo in the family a while. Had the 2.3l motor I believe it was,very durable motor.

 

[Mokanic]

Volvo redblock engines set a durability standard that has not been matched by an domestic engine and few Asian builders.
My criteria for 'best" engines are probably a little different than some. There are alot of engines that will run for 200K with little to no internal repairs needed if the service is kept up. To me, what separates good engines from great engines are those engines that after two or three hundred thousand miles can be disassembled, refreshed with little to no machine work and few new parts. Some engines that will run well for a long time(such as the small block chevy) require a great deal of machine work to rebuild after they'll put the miles on them. Lower quality cast iron neccessitates boring them to take the wear out of the cylinders. Heads are cheaper to throw away and replace than to replace guides valves ect. Here are some engines that we have built for years that are not only durable but very easy and well-designed to be put back into service.
1.Volvo B-series redblocks
2.Toyota 20&22R series engines
3.Toyota 4A&4AFE series engines
4.Toyota/Lexus V-8s
5.Most all Honda 4cyl. engines
6.Pre-TDI VW diesels
7.Nissan's old 3.0Q motor is superb
I am sure I missed some but these stand out in my mind that not only run a long time but are designed and made with high quality alloys that are easily rebuilt and run for many more miles.

 

[INDYMAC]

Hello Cougared,

I didn't realize that people on this board have been doing used oil analysis since the 50's. Heck, I didn't even buy my first car until 1972! Anyways, I just checked and it looks like I first started doing used oil analysis in 02/2005. I have owned and done engine oil used oil analysis on four vehicles since then. Here is how I would rate those engines based on being able to control wear with used oil analysis and corrective action:

1. (tie) Toyota 2UZ-FE V-8. The first couple of reports were a little off from the normal, but changing fuel brand helped the most with Pb wear. You can get this engine to go very low on wear pattern. If you are looking for sewing machine precision, this is the best I can offer that I've owned. It doesn't consume any oil.

1. (tie) Honda F22C1 I4 VTEC. This little bugger is NA and gets 120HP/L and has one of the highest piston speeds of any production engine in the world. Outside of the OEM fill, I have never seen high wear rates on any UOA for this engine, regardless of oil brand or weight. I hesitate to put it into the sewing machine category, because you just don't drive an S2000 like you would operate a sewing machine. It doesn't consume any oil.

2. Toyota 2GR-FE V-6. Performance wise, this is an excellent engine. But I'd rather have it in a RWD vehicle. IMO it's too much for a FWD vehicle. My initial UOA at 10K shows some normal break-in wear, but is missing some ring wear. I am trying to correct that now. I expect this engine to show very low wear once I give it some final touches in the lube department. It doesn't consume any oil.

3. Infinity/Nissan VQ35DE V-6. This engine is a wonderful performer (torquey), but mine was shedding lots of lead (Pb) when I first started testing and got worse around 60K. I was able to cut it in half by changing oil and fuel brands, but I honestly don't know if it ever would have been a "low wear control" engine. I traded it when it had about 86K. It consumed about 1/2 qt in 5K miles near the end.

Well, that's all I have to offer related to the question.

Jack


Originally Posted By: CougarRed
For those experienced BITOGers who pay attention to used oil analysis, which engines tend to show the lowest wear after break in?? In other words, "run like a sewing machine"?

For example, I've seen many excellent used oil analysis on Toyota's 4.7L V8 found in various Lexus (GX470, LX470) and Toyota (4Runner, Tundra, Land Cruiser, Sequoia) models.

In particular, which engines have demonstrated excellent engine wear from the following makers:

Toyota
Honda
Nissan
Mazda
Subaru

BMW
Mercedes
Audi
VW

Thanks!

 

[68inline]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
This thread comes up from time to time.

Best engines I've ever owned. Top of the list:

1. Ford 4.9L I6 IMO the best engine ever made.
2. Ford 3.0L V6
3. Ford 302 V8
4. Chevy 250 I6
5. Chevy 350 V8


My top picks as well

 

[Powerglide]

A Datsun/Nissan L Series six is considered "broken in" at around 150,000 miles. Very often these motors will run 250,000+ miles and can be LIGHTLY honed, re-ringed and run another 250,000 miles without an overbore. The blocks are HARD. The straight six has virtually no side load wear issues. The RINGS wear. The blocks do not. Can't comment from a used oil analysis prespective though. I never bothered to do it.

On my 76 280Z...the head came off at 150K for a freshening. The cross hatch pattern in the bores was clearly visible---having been done at the factory in 1975. FWIW.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Best engines I had
Ford 302,4.6 V8
Caddy 472,425 V8
Chevy 305,V8

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Best engines I had
Ford 302,4.6 V8
Caddy 472,425 V8
Chevy 305,V8