Most Reliable Powertrains?

bobman1235

ben62670 wrote: »

I find the comment about ask a mechanic about long lasting engines kinda humorous.Most grease monkeys haven't been turning wrenches for that long. Without setting a time period most wouldn't know about how great some of the older engines were. Also as a side note the straight sixes had 7 main bearings and V6's only have 4.

No, you're right, just asking people opinions of the 6 cars they've had in their lifetime as a representative of the millions of cars each car company puts out is totally m ore reasonable.

At least a mechanic sees a dozen cars every day and knows which ones fail more regularly and at lower mileages. You don't know dick, and neither does anyone else, except from their personal experience, which is meaningless. "Ooo, I own one Honda Accord that drove 300k miles, that must mean that every Honda Accord is reliable!" I'm sure if you found the statistically WORST engine in the world, there are at least a handful of people who had ZERO problems with it. Anecdotal evidence IS USELESS.

JimAckley

greyford1979 wrote: »

We have Allison transmissions in the 4500s at work, one blew up at 7000 miles and another at 13,000. Neither one was abused:eek:

Holy moses. I've watched a lot of guys put 700+ hp and 1000+ lb/ft tq through the 1000 and never have issues. But, on the other hand, those guys are like me, and reprogram the ECU and upgrade the tranny asap. I've used deep-dish tranny pans and TransGo kits on every truck I've owned.

http://www.transgo.com/sk_generalmtrs.php

JimKellyfan

Again, to merely maintain anything you will get as much life as possible out of whatever you have.
More than just an oil change, crack open an owners manual.
Change/Flush all fluids.
More to it than that, but it all starts with proper maintenance.
Period.

jbooker82

ben62670 wrote: »

Also as a side note the straight sixes had 7 main bearings and V6's only have 4.

That and the older inline 6's have a gear driven camshaft. No cam chains, or timing belts.

Ford's 300 inline 6 powered most UPS trucks until they switched to diesel. It has also been used in farm equipemnt.

JimKellyfan

Too, a lot of older vehicles need more frequent maintenance, ignition wise.
Not a deal killer by any means, as we drive older cars ourselves.

I love beating the pants off of those Mustangs (and other supposed muscle cars) with my 94 Caprice wagon with woodgrain. (poor man's Vette)
Stock with the LT1 and tuned up with all fresh fluids and aligned for handling, as well as new suspension parts where needed, and I out handle most of them too.

A big killer besides lack of maintenance is leakage.
Don't drive no leakers.
Fix 'em.

ben62670

bobman1235 wrote: »

No, you're right, just asking people opinions of the 6 cars they've had in their lifetime as a representative of the millions of cars each car company puts out is totally m ore reasonable.

At least a mechanic sees a dozen cars every day and knows which ones fail more regularly and at lower mileages. You don't know dick, and neither does anyone else, except from their personal experience, which is meaningless. "Ooo, I own one Honda Accord that drove 300k miles, that must mean that every Honda Accord is reliable!" I'm sure if you found the statistically WORST engine in the world, there are at least a handful of people who had ZERO problems with it. Anecdotal evidence IS USELESS.

Oh OK Bob. I think your panties are two sizes too small. It isn't just the vehicles that I have owned, but the vehicles my family has owned, and my friends, and their friends... Also where I am from most of my friends push them hard do to work and play. I will stand by my statements.
Enjoy.
Ben

inspiredsports

Serendipity wrote: »

So the "What car does everyone drive" thread got me thinking, which drivetrains do you think are best for long term reliability? As in stands the test of time with low maintenance?

Ward's 10 Best Engines this year includes the Audi 3.0, BMW N55 (the one from the 335i IIRC), the Ford 5.0 used in the Mustang, VW Jetta TDI Turbodiesel, Nissan's electric drive used in the Leaf, and the powertrain from the Chevy Volt.

Personally, I would pick the GM 3800 (used in many Buick/Oldsmobile models), Jeep 4.0 High Output paired with the AW-4 transmission (Wrangler/Cherokee), Ford 5.0 from the Mustang, GM LSx used in the Corvette (with either a 6L80E or Tremec), Nissan VQ (Maxima/370z with SynchroRevMatch 6MT).

So if you were to make a "top 10" list of powertrains, which ones would you pick and why?

For my kids (4) I've been buying Volvo and Toyota. I have no fear of buying a Camry or Avalon with over 100,000 miles, expecting to get another 100,000 with just basic maintenance.

JimKellyfan

I don't even want to know how many cars/trucks I have had, way too many to list.
I usually get bored with them after awhile and sell them off.
But, really ben62670, you are right.
Not only what we drive, but what we see and hear as well.
And our experiences, everyone's different.
Me, I am turning wrenches again, at a foreign dealership.
Simpled down my life a bit and got out of management. (mostly time on the road and the now lack thereof)
I was good at it, but also good at wrench turning and love the scale back.
The techs are the heart and soul of the automotive business.
A trusting manager is good too, mind you.
Dealership techs too, get to work more at their own pace which is nice too, especially for us aging techs.
;>)

ben62670

BTW Bob I have rebuilt complete engines including a rotary. I have rebuilt automatic transmissions, and nearly everything else. I am not an expertin any way shape or form when it comes to computerized controls. I just go to the local parts store and have them read the codes. So yeah Boob I don't know Dick:rolleyes:

bobman1235

Hey Ben, eat a bag of dicks pal. I love how being rational is "having my panties in a bunch." I didn't insult you in any way, or even single you out. Just pointing out that anecdotal evidence is useless. A sample size of one, or ten, or a hundred, out of the number of cars that major automakers produce is statistically irrelevant.

Sorry for understanding math, dumbass.

ben62670

I figured you ate them all:biggrin:

JimKellyfan

When I was in Mazda school, we were discussing the rotary engine and the instructor went over everything head to toe, so to speak.
While watching and learning, I seemingly had the solution for the longevity of the weakest point in the rotary engine.
I raised my hand and explained my point, as I thought everything was brilliant, except the weak link, the elliptical design.
I fathomed, that if they could make it circular in design instead, they would have a much more reliable and powerful product.
The instructor agreed, then reminded me it had already been thought of.
It's a jet engine.
Doh!

Toolfan66

It all depends how one drives the vehicle on how reliable the car will be. every manufacturer is going to pump out a lemon now and then. If you know the limits of the vehicle and drive it within those limits the car will be reliable.

Racing the car through traffic zooming in and out (going nowhere fast!!) and keep hitting the brake hard cause your riding the **** end of the car in front of you, and you continue to brake hard cause you just have to get one car ahead (then you see me pass you again cause I stay in one lane and keep moving) you guys know who I'm talking about,we see it everyday. this is unnecessary wear n tear on the car,and I'm not just talking brakes.

Just my .02

strider

Volvo B21 and it's derivations, used in the 240 series

Toyota 22R and derivations

Jeep 4.0l inline 6


As mentioned above, inline engines seem to have been the most durable.