GISguy

Shamelessly stole this idea from /r/cars:

My best would be, in no particular order: Toyota 1JZ/2JZ-GTE, Benz M156, GM LS1-LS3, VW EA113/EA888, Mazda MZR L3-VDT, BMW M52/S52

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

1UZ FE, last forever XD

mmarshall

Best engine of ali time? Hard to say, but certainly, for its time, the 1960s/70s-vintage Chrysler Slant-Six. It was originally developed to military standards, used in passenger cars and pickups, tough as nails, kept running even with lack of maintenance, and routinely went 150-200K miles in an era when most engines were either junked or overhauled at 90-100K. Many taxicabs used this engine as a testament to its durability.

Worst engine? In my lifetime, probably the 1971-74 Chevrolet Vega's aluminum in-line four. Miserable piece of crap. Exhaust noise sounded like farts. Took all day to get rolling. The aluminum block and the cast-iron cylinder liners expanded/contacted at different rates as the engine warmed up/cooled down, so, the first time it ran too hot (the unreliable water pump sometimes guaranteed that), the whole engine block warped and the engine was trash. An improved "Dura-Built" version came out for 1975-76, with a longer 4/60 warranty as opposed to the previous 1/12 (which was standard for that time). But, by then, the damage to its reputation had been done...and the public shunned it.

FrankReynoldsCPA

I'm a big fan of Ford's Windsor V8 engines. Debuting in the 1960's, they were used in everything from sedans to trucks. In 1970, the Cleveland engines were introduced as a replacement.....but the Windsor was so damn good that they ended up canning the Cleveland and keeping the Windsor until they finally replaced it in the late 90's. I've seen a lot of 5.8s with a ton of miles on them and they just keep chugging. The one in my dad's F-350 is at 176k and still runs great. It can pull in 16.5 mpg on the interstate doing 80 as well.

Atomic350F

I think you gotta give a nod to the small block Chevy really..

Born in 1955 and made basically the same way in millions of cars and trucks all the way up to 1998 before it got a complete redesign. Easily one of the most aftermarket supported engines ever to this very day. They have been put in everything and anything you can imagine from 30's Ford's, to Jaguar's, to Jeep's, you name it, and yes even into Toyota's

And of course you can make a ton of reliable power for chump change!! Over 500hp with just $1500 worth of mods?! YES!!

doge

The GM3800 series V6, its big, its smooth, its powerful. returns great fuel economy and it will run for ever.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Tigershark 2.4

mmarshall

Besides the Vega's aluminum four, another (possible) contender for Worst Engine of my lifetime could be the infamous GM 350 c.i. (5.7L) diesel V8 of the late 70s/early 1980s. That engine, unfortunately, was living proof that you cannot take an existing gas-engine block and quickly convert it to diesel use...the internal stresses from the diesel's 20:1 compression ratio are just too much. But GM, just like much of what it did during that time period, just didn't want to spend the time or money to do the job right, and that engine ended up with one of the largest class-action suits ever filed for an automotive powerplant.

MadMax96

I was just going to post this after seeing your first post.

Another turd would be the engine offered in the original first generation Dodge/Plymouth Neon. Has anyone ever encountered one that DIDN'T need a head gasket replacement?

rxonmymind

That's why they started offering 10/100 mile warranty on some vehicles from the big three. I mean what's that say about their product?

I'm biased and have had Toyota all my life. While I don't know the specific model number of my previous 2006 Sienna I'd vote for that engine being the best along with the 1988 Toyota Tercel hatchback 13 engine. Both soldiered on past 300k.

Toys4RJill

There has gotta be a few GM engines we could add to this list.

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

Good: Porsche 2004> GT3 3.6- 4.0L

Chevy small block 1955- present

Pontiac V-8 speaking from personal experience here: My stock 455 Firebirds imbarrised many modified Hotrod musclecars due to the superior torque of PMD V-8

Pontiac 151ci "Iron Duke" 4cyl was nearly bulletproof as it was adapted from the V-8 PMD had used from 57-78. Used in racing in '80's until output grew enough to require race version HD parts

Pontiac OHC straight 6cyl. avail. with 4/barrel carb made 215 Hp. another before it's time John Delorean project.

Nissan VQ- V6 great power entire rpm range allowed it to be used in most cars & trucks.


Bad: Cadillac '80's V-8 that shut down cylinders during light load for MPG Dealerships can't fix

Aron9000

Yup, first car with displacement on demand, they called it the "V 4-6-8", it would run on 4, 6, or 8 cylinders depending on how much power you needed. The 6 cylinder mode was extremely rough running, and the whole idea was way ahead of 1981 computer power. Its something that worked great in a lab but horrible in the real world.

The funny thing is you can cut one wire and run it on all 8 cylinders. Its very reliable and durable, as its just a smaller displacement Cadillac big block V8, which were well renowned for being extremely durable, smooth running, and quiet. Plus it was backed up by the good old indestructible TH400 transmission.

Still, if you just dropped $30,000 on a 1981 Fleetwood Brougham D'Elegance and it leaves you stranded on the side of the road, and the best solution the dealer can come up with is running it on all 8 cylinders where you get 12-18mpg all the time, I'd be pretty damn pissed and tell them to shove that car up where the sun don't shine.



The funny thing is to Cadillac guys is that motor is WAY WAY WAY more desirable than the 110hp 4.1 V8 they put in all Cadillacs from 1982-85. Now that was a TURD of a motor, during the 1st 2-3 years it was made, it was routine for them to blow up with 10,20, 50k on them. Dealers would have old blown up motors stacked on multiple pallets in their back lot.