I dont care for the chrysler 2.7L

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JHZR2

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Just my opinion...

My mother hasa 97 plymouth breeze, an AT car no less... love it.

I travel a LOT and quite often I am given Dodge stratus cars. I really like them for driving around too. Just 2.4L, but more than enough power, drive nice (to me), and when I use them on the highway a lot, Ive gotten 32+ MPG from them.

This time, while in San Francisco, I got a chrysler sebring. It seemed to me that it drank gas a bit faster, but I thought maybe they gave it to me with not quite a full tank or something. I assumed it had the 2.4L I4, and actually thought it was a bit pokey compared to how I feel the stratus cars ussually are.

Well, while filling up with gas today to prepare for its return tomorrow morning, I popped the hood and found that it has a 2.7L v6.

Besides being an accessibility headache for spark plugs and whatnot, I dont feel that it is better inany way as compared to their identical cars filled with 2.4L I4 engines.

Hyundai v6 sonatas (old model) havea lot better pull than these cars.

All the same, IMO, the 2.4L stratus is great. A much better engine than the 2.7L in this identical car. Suprising to me for sure...

IMO, nothing beatsa large I4 engine in a reasonably sized car. Even the 2.4L I4 in my father;s toyota previa pulls well and runs quite nice.

Just my opinion...

JMH
 
rental car? perhaps poorly maintained and never had the sparkplugs changed?
 
at 17000 miles, I can't imagine it needs new sparkplugs.

Maybe it has something to do with being in CA, with the other emissions stuff that gets added.

JMH
 
The 2.7 is the worst engine Chrysler has ever put out. Check eBay for Intrepids and Concordes with 2.7's and blown engines, they're a dime a dozen.

I will say a friend rented a Charger with a 2.7 while we were in Phoenix last winter and we all thought it ran pretty well and the gas gauge never seemed to go down. I would suspect there was something wrong with the one you rented.

I have had a couple of Chryslers with the 3.5 v6 and have no trouble getting 27 on the highway. To me, that's a good number for a big, safe reliable car.
 
quote:

Originally posted by JHZR2:
at 17000 miles, I can't imagine it needs new sparkplugs.

Maybe it has something to do with being in CA, with the other emissions stuff that gets added.

JMH


owlpiss for gasoline doesn't help either
 
Yes -- I've read the numerous compaints on the 2.7 sludge monster. My father has an 01 2.7 Intrepid with 110K miles. The only drivetrain item changed to date was plug wires. He runs Conklin Convoy (lots o moly) oil at 5-6K OCIs. The car still runs and looks like new. I wouldn't be afraid to buy it, and run another 100K on it. I would be afraid to buy someone else's though. The DOHC has very nice highway passing speed for a large car. It is somewhat of a dawg in town (off the line). If I were to buy a new 300 or Magnum, I would want the 3.5 or Hemi of course.

It appears that the 2.7 will still be available in the new Sebring, and Avenger (Stratus replacement). The 3.5 will also be optional:)
 
quote:

Originally posted by kkreit01:
Yes -- I've read the numerous compaints on the 2.7 sludge monster. My father has an 01 2.7 Intrepid with 110K miles. The only drivetrain item changed to date was plug wires.

That's real impressive...especially since the 2.7 doesn't have plug wires.
rolleyes.gif
 
quote:

Originally posted by JeepZJ4.0:
Just wait til the 2007 Chrysler Sebring Sedan with the option of the 3.5L V6 and a 6 speed auto.

If I wanted a stratus/sebring, Id buy the 2.4L...

bsed upon our great success with my mother's 97 2.0L plymouth breeze, and my perpetual enjoyment driving 2.4L stratii, I don't see the need... though to each their own!

I just wish the stratus 2.4 was available with a M/T... Id actually consider buying one as a commuter car, should I need one.

The stratus might not be as fancy as say an accord, but I prefer the hard plastic dash (no cracks), and the significantly better deals to be had. I always enjoy the 'cloud cars'... and are IMO some of the best US made 'commodity cars' out there. Drop the standard AT (save me $1000), and get the fuel economy up to where it needs to be (at last 32), and you have a decent, high-utility sedan that can be had dirt cheap, with space for a 6ft4 driver and full size adults in the back seat. its no crown vic, but its more than big enough. I should know, my family often drives in our breeze, and my brother (6 ft 3) and I (6 ft 4) fit in the back just fine, with my father (6 ft 4) and mother (5 ft 9) in the front.

JMH
 
quote:

Originally posted by G-Man II:

quote:

Originally posted by kkreit01:
Yes -- I've read the numerous compaints on the 2.7 sludge monster. My father has an 01 2.7 Intrepid with 110K miles. The only drivetrain item changed to date was plug wires.

That's real impressive...especially since the 2.7 doesn't have plug wires.
rolleyes.gif


I stand corrected. It was the plugs he replaced at about 90k. He replaced with OEM Platinum. Can a person even replace the "coils on plugs"?
 
The first plug change I did on my 2001 2.7 was at 136,000 miles. Plugs looked great but I changed 'em anyway.

Car currently has 158,500 miles on it. Runs like brand new; gets great gas mileage of 32 MPG under best driving conditions ( cruise set at 68 mph for hours on end).

I admire the 2.7 for the engineering (DOHC, 24 valves, 200 hp, etc). Despite my good luck with the thing, I still don't entirely trust it based on all the failure reports. I plan on changing the 3 timing chains, 3 tensioners, chain guides and the internal water pump very soon.
 
My wifes 98 stratus with the 2.7 has been nothing but compliant over the past 90,000 miles (knock on wood). It definately doesn't have the pep it used to, so I think the spark plugs are shot (really, 136,000?), but I don't feel like spending two days changing them. I'll have a mechanic do it if/when we decide to change the timing belt.

Our milage usually tops out around 29MPG on roadtrips.
 
quote:

Originally posted by GarrettSocling:
My wifes 98 stratus with the 2.7 has been nothing but compliant over the past 90,000 miles (knock on wood)... I'll have a mechanic do it if/when we decide to change the timing belt.

The Chrysler made 2.7 has chains not belts. If yours is the Mitsubishi engine, it has belts.
 
For what it's worth, I used to have a 300M and that 3.5 V6 is a great engine! Hmmm... put that thing in a lighter (hopefully?) Sebring and mate it to a six speed auto instead of the four... that could get interesting.
 
Personally I don't like any Chrysler vehicles. I have had quite a few as rentals from small - large.

However their minivans are great(used) especially for a consumable good. I was "upgraded" to one and liked it.
 
quote:

Originally posted by va3ux:
. . .

I admire the 2.7 for the engineering (DOHC, 24 valves, 200 hp, etc). . .


Don't tell the mechanics that one. They'll laugh you out of the shop.
 
The 2.7 would have been a great engine if it had synthetic oil from the factory, and a better PCV design.
The combo of a cruddy PCV system, a hot running engine, and dino oil of who-knows-how-good quality were the demise of these engines.

The timimg chains tended to stretch quite profusely, and that was lots of times the first failure on them. Since it's an interference engine, all 12 intake valves usually bend when the chain lets go or skips enough teeth.

The 2.7s tend to fall into two categories of failures. Those which fail due to sludge, and those which fail due to a timing chain problem. Rarely will you see both problems in the same engine. The ones that tended to get driven long distances were the ones that stayed cleaner inside. The ones with low miles that were putted around town little short hops were the ones that sludged up.

As for my personal take on them...I don't like them in the LH cars (Intrepid, et al), since those cars are heavy, and the trannies suck a lot of power that could be put to the road. But in the JA body (Stratus, Sebring sedan/convertible) they're not bad. They're not torquey at all...They need to get some RPMs to develop their power, but once screamin' near redline they get out and move okay.
I've never driven an LX car (Magnum, 300, Charger) with a 2.7 yet, but I'm sure it would be an underwhelming experince since the one I did drive with the Hemi was only a little more than what I'd consider adequate, and those are 145 HP more.
 
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