Which Vehicles Have Simple Engines?

Up to 2011 the 2.0 duratec in the Focus met the criteria, 2012 introduced variable valve timing and direct injection to the same block. With the manual trans the simple engine seems pretty decent until it gets above 6000 rpm and it quits making more power. The mazda3 of similar years had the same 2.0 with vvt and its a bit zippier at 5500 and up. I think most vvt systems are reliable enough to not fail, but some are not.
Didn’t most flFord Focuses in the early 2000’s with that engine drop a valve seat before hitting 159j? It was so bad you could/an but a more reliable aftermarket head made in China?
 
Didn’t most flFord Focuses in the early 2000’s with that engine drop a valve seat before hitting 159j? It was so bad you could/an but a more reliable aftermarket head made in China?
The ford design split port had the valve seat problem and was commonly available until 2003 in the base models? Kind of confusing with four 2.0 engines available in the early 2000's....
The two zetec's had timing belts, and the duratecs (mazda design) 2.0 and 2.3 are a timing chain and their worst problem I know of is the plastic intake swirl flapper shaft vibrating and making holes in the intake, or wearing the shaft into pieces which get ingested in the 04-07's. I did a money shift at autocross one day from 2nd to 1st instead of 3rd, and it survived 9-10k rpm... The 2.0 duratec was a spec motor for some UK race series with a 8200 rpm fuel cut added, so its pretty unbreakable with the 6800rpm fuel cut the stock motor has.
The duratec 2.0 lived on until 2018 with DI and VVT added in 2012.
The non vvt one has a nice boost in torque and noise at 3500rpm and seems pretty good until you drive the mazda3 version with VVT, and it pulls happily up to 7k, where the non vvt duratec starts to taper off near 6k.
 
No one else, aside from older 3V Fords and older VANOS BMWs, has any issues with VVT systems. These have been around for decades and are pretty well ironed out.
Currently my personal favorite simplest basic engine is 2.0L (K20C2) in Honda Civic. 158hp, naturally aspirated, traditional port injection. Has been around since 2016, still comes in 2023 Civics. So far has a clean reliability record and will likely run until the rest of the car falls apart. Very nice and upscale interior on these Civics btw.

For a simple truck engine I'd look into pre-2015 Nissan Titan. Absolute workhorse of a truck. Old school is the best way to go sometimes.
Honda had problems in the recent past, with the vvt actuator on the 2.4 L
 
This would seem to fit the mission brief exactly:
FD384C72-856D-400C-BBB6-7E12D81C48DE.jpeg
 
Toyota 1HZ 4.2L naturally aspirated diesel I6 All mechanical engine. Nothing electrical in the engine but the glow plugs. Still made new in the Land Cruiser 70 series. But unfortunately unavailable in the US
 
None of what you write about makes it a complicated engine. It is like saying electronic fuel injection complicated engines when they replaced carbs.

I know the base 2015 VW Jetta motor called the 2.0 slow with 115HP had 8V and “tech” dating back to early 2000s
I had a 2011 Jetta with the 2.slow in it and all I ever did to it was change plugs every 40 k miles and usually the coil a little bit later. It had 180k+ miles on it when it got totaled
 
Didn’t most flFord Focuses in the early 2000’s with that engine drop a valve seat before hitting 159j? It was so bad you could/an but a more reliable aftermarket head made in China?



Yep. That was the 2.0l sohc split port engine....mine dropped the seat at 130,000. In a 02 focus
 
The Nissan V6's throw a cam phaser code pretty quick if the cam's won't go where the ECU tells them too. Not sure about other brands. The few I have heard of it on where vehicles that didn't change their oil as often as they should have - VQ engines are hard on oil apparently.
The VQs are definitely hard on oil. My 2014 Pathfinder with the VQ35DE will turn new oil jet black in 1000 miles. It runs really hot too, I've actually burnt myself on the hood prop a couple times, so I know the oil is under a lot of stress.
 
Are there any vehicles manufactured today that have the following:
1. Multi-Port Fuel Injection (instead of direct injection)
2. No Cylinder Deactivation
3. No Variable Cam Timing
4. No Variable Valve Lift

And if not, how far back in time would someone have to go to get a simple engine?
2002 Subaru Outback has an EJ251. None of what you mentioned. Not even am EGR!

2004 Ford Taurus Vulcan V6 doesn't have that either.

2000s-era Trailblazer Vortec 4200 (online 4.2L) doesn't

Sooo... I'm gonna say mid-2000s.

Volvo B5254T aside from being Turbo I don't think has any of that either.. I don't remember those things.

Honda Civics 90s D16Z6 did not have VTEC so.. those.. (also D16Y8)

I'm sure there are many, many more.

It's like the Golden Era of cars, the 90s through 2000s some models of which are still in production on "old" platforms (Chrysler and Japanese Chrysler called Nissan I'm looking at y'all) .. again this is by no means an inclusive lost.

New cars really aren't all that good, and once we disburse with the EV de-growth...
 
Are there any vehicles manufactured today that have the following:
1. Multi-Port Fuel Injection (instead of direct injection)
2. No Cylinder Deactivation
3. No Variable Cam Timing
4. No Variable Valve Lift

And if not, how far back in time would someone have to go to get a simple engine?
I don't know if it's mentioned, but if you are looking for brand new - Base Civic with 2.0L naturally aspirated engine still has port fuel injection.

It does not have cylinder deactivation as well.

Number 3 and 4 aren't really a big issue. It'll last forever.
 
Hyundai / Kia . Spark plugs , coil packs , PCV valve , oil filter good access . . Brakes ( rotors ) suppose to be easy .
 
I’ll second the Volvo I5. It really offers more solid refinement, efficiency, and performance in such strength for what you get, with reliability. It only has a couple of weaknesses, mainly the pcv trap. I’ll take the turbo any day. It’s a low boost, has very welcome grunt, and will reach over 200k without issue.

you do have to learn to speak little Volvo to whisper to it when odd electronics go finicky, like when the AC won’t operate because either ambient temp sensor, located in each side view mirror, develops a wire fray issue from age (they use 2….?) or when chasing the occasional gremlin, but once you get a feel for them they make a lot of sense.

wonderful engines. You’ll never know it has vvt because it simply works.
 
You should add to you list that the engine should be chain driven not belt :p
Depends on what engine. Some chain setups were problematic. Some timing belts are just a few hours to replace, and sometimes are even on engines that weren't interference. I just did the TB on my Camry, am *not* looking forward to ever doing again, but it'll never have a stretched chain, and I'm well on my way to 300k in it (hit 260k yesterday).

But it sure isn't available new.
 
Back
Top