Direct injection and a long living healthy engine

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Hi guys,

I'm posting for a good friend of mine who is looking for a newer car.

I've heard a lot about direction inject, some positives, but mainly concerns over deposits and being harder on oil.

Is there any reason these engines cant live a long and happy life with good fuel, regular oil changes and a good stomping now and then?

I'll admit, it isn't a topic I know a lot about.

Thanks for any input.

Ryan
 
I have one and many friends do as well. Some with over 100K miles. No issues.

I use recommended oil and fuel, but do stick to severe service oci because well... my wife drives under severe service conditions. Simple.

I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Originally Posted By: E150GT
guy on youtube showcased a 200k mile ford ecoboost twin turbo direct injection engine still working very well.


Was it a F150 that was used in a lawn care business? Seems like I remember him saying the truck pulled an enclosed trailer all the time. Just curious if you and I are thinking of the same one.
 
For long term ownership it might be expensive to replace the high pressure bits an pieces of the fuel system. That stuff has got to be more expensive. It could be more sensitive to lack of maintenance and contaminated fuel, too.

Soon, everything will be DI and with all the expertise available and feed back it's going to get handled. A mass produced internal combustion engine is already an engineering and manufacturing marvel. Things we expect and take for granted did not start that way.
 
124,000 on my 2.4 GDI(first DI for Hyundai). I don't have any drivability issues, but I'm sure the intake valves have heavy deposits. I only do regular maintenance and use the cheapest fuel I can find.
 
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I have a 2007 Audi A6 3.2 with 121k miles no issues, owned for 10 years...
 
Originally Posted By: Mantooth
Originally Posted By: E150GT
guy on youtube showcased a 200k mile ford ecoboost twin turbo direct injection engine still working very well.


Was it a F150 that was used in a lawn care business? Seems like I remember him saying the truck pulled an enclosed trailer all the time. Just curious if you and I are thinking of the same one.

The one I mention is by DanielJaeger Films. The owner of the truck is a construction worker and pulls a 16' enclosed trailer. I had to go back and check. I didn't remember the exact details.
 
AFAIK the issues were mostly in earlier cars, like 2006-2008 or something. They seem fine now.

Direct injection can still have problems that port injection can't (high pressure fuel pump, intake valve deposits, etc.). But the technology is now good enough that those problems are rare. With the recommended fuel and oil (or better), and responsible oil change intervals, modern DI cars are as reliable and long-lasting as cars ever have been.
 
My IS isn't hard on oil afaik, with regular top end cleanings and possibly a catch can, I don't see a longevity problem.
 
The biggest DI issues are with European cars and the 2.5 Toyota/Lexus motor.

Have not heard any major wide issues with other makers.
 
28k on my DI malibu. Owned since new and have always used syn oil and top tier gas. (QT gas) has good decent power and i romp on it usally once a month on an interstate on-ramp to give it the ol "Italian tune-up"
 
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I've got a UOA sent out for my Sonata which is direct injection. I used Techron fuel system cleaner at every oil change and run top tier fuel. I don't baby it, I gets driven pretty hard. But I also let it idle, today for close to an hour with the A/C on. Not concerned.
 
Depends.
Do alot of research
Google oil consumption and the car maker.

My 2011 Equinox with 2.4l is in the shop as we speak. GM has an extended warranty out for mine for oil consumption.
They will be tearing apart the motor and replacing the pistons, rings, timing chain, guide, and tensioner.

Some are good and some are bad.
This issue is less the GDI and more about bad rings.

Your best bet is to look at how the car maker reacts to a problem.
Honda, Subaru, Toyota, and Nissan had to be sued.
I believe that GM and Mazda stepped up and started fixing the issue with extended warranties.
Not sure about Ford.
 
DI engines DO NOT clean the valves with fuel or any other additives as it injects directly into the combustion chamber! parts if needed will be more costly but there are VERY FEW non DI engines today. early ones had the most problems + turbo charged engines were worse. hopefully they are getting better for my girlfriends sake, i own none. slower short trips are said to build carbon quicker as well. good luck!!
 
Issues with GDI engines aren't just whether they accumulate carbon on the intake valves. They use high pressure fuel pumps with up to 2,000 lbs per in^2 of pressure. Leaking fuel into the oil is now a greater danger.
Fuel injectors now experience the extremes of the combustion chamber.

They are working on these problems and the newer engines are much better
 
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Best way to ensure long service life is top tier fuel , and synthetic oil.
 
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