In your opinion, what's the best and worst automotive engines ever built?

[J-Roc]

I've gotta say the 4.9/ 300 Ford's gotta be at the top because it's dang near bulletproof. 5.9 Cummins for the same reason. The Chevy 262 (4.3) and 350 (5.7) have got to be on there for thier interchangability, and ease of getting power out of them.

Anybody else?

 

[Turtlehead]

I think the 4.8 in the F150 would be the worst.....They actually had the nerve to put a trailer hitch on it.

 

[yammerhammer]

Ford 302
Chevy 350
Dodge 318
Ford 300
Chevy 454
Dodge 360
Ford 460

Cummins 5.9

... not in that order.

 

[R J]

Slippery slope, this thread has only 3 replies and I see it getting way off track.

I don't know, I have had so many different engines and none have given me any trouble except for one dodge motor. I think it was the 2.0L I-4 with the DOHC.

 

[cmantle1]

Best=toyota

Worst=gm

:d:d

 

[sortastock]

best and worst in terms of what?

 

[Fosgate]

Mopar
318 (i put mine thorugh hell in high school)
340
383
440 6 pack
And of course 426 Hemi

GM:
302
350
396 (350 bored out)
427 4 bolt main
454
Northstar V8 (cadillac)
Whatever was in the Turbo Grand Nationals in the 80's.

Ford
3.9 V8(lincoln LS/Tbird motor)
4.6L
5.0L (the old 5l mustangs)
5.4L
409
460
And also whatever motor they tossed into the 80's turbo T Bird. Fuggers were fast.

 

[duffman]

The old 60 degree v-6 that GM used to make was certainly a piece of crap. It was a 80,000-100,000 mile time bomb.

 

[Dogmeat]

Absolute best motor ever built:

1.) GM "Generation III" Small block aka LS1, and all subsequent and current varients.

Given this motor hasn't been around but 10 years yet, it's still an amazing peice of machinery that I think is obvious will stand up to the test of time.

2.) GM SBC ... need I say more?

3.) GM BBC .... need I say more?

4.) Ford 302/351W ... I wish they wouldn't have ditched this motor in favor of the current "mod motor" ... the new ford small blocks are a joke.

Sorry yall I dont think Dodge has ever made a decent motor save for maybe a 426 Hemi back in the day

 

[catmark]

How about a 3.8 Gm!! Worst engine ever built has to be a 2.8 GM!!

 

[Mad Max Performance]

The 3.4 litre V-6 that is in the Montana/Venture mini vans, Pontiac Torrents, and so many other GM vehicles, is absolute GARBAGE. Head gaskets, intake gaskets, piston slap, oil use issues. And, they still put them in. Chev should be ran out of business for selling that POS.

 

[410Fortune]

Ford 302/351 I prefer the late model Cobra/Explorer GT-40p pushrod/full roller because they finally put a good 4 speed auto behind it and it made good power from the factory

The Ford 4.0L OHV (89-2001) pushrod V6 is an incredible engine, unless its overheated, in the early years the heads were weakish but those problems were adrressed. Not uncommon to get 350K miles from these blocks, open them up and still see the factory hone marks in the cylinder walls.

I am sure there are lots of others but my knowledge is mainly Ford trucks so I figured I would throw that in

 

[410Fortune]

Ford 302/351 I prefer the late model Cobra/Explorer GT-40p pushrod/full roller because they finally put a good 4 speed auto behind it and it made good power from the factory

The Ford 4.0L OHV (89-2001) pushrod V6 is an incredible engine, 165-175 HP, 235 ft lbs) unless its overheated, in the early years the heads were weakish but those problems were adrressed. Not uncommon to get 350K miles from these blocks, open them up and still see the factory hone marks in the cylinder walls.

I am sure there are lots of others but my knowledge is mainly Ford trucks so I figured I would throw that in

 

[milehighassassin]

All Domestics on here huh?

Pretty hard to narrow this down to "EVER".

Bimmer (BMW) has won a $hit ton of awards for many of their engines.

 

[Fosgate]

Don't know if I liked the 351 Windsor, had on in our 80 Econoline conversion van and had to be replaced after 4 years and the replacement was gutless. The 351 Cleveland was an awesome motor though. Knew a guy that had one in a spotless sharp loong for a Marverick that would smoke the tires for nearly a block.

Oh yeah forgot to add the Olds 400 in the 442 Cutlass. What does the 442 stand for. I heard 2 sayings.
400ci motor, 4 barrel carbs, Dual Exhaust
&
400ci motor, 4 barrel carbs, posi track rear end
??

Hands down the worst motor is the GM 6.5 diesel. Got threatened more than once with being fired if I took another one on trade and had to kick a few trades. Cant say how many times I went to the sales tower and the sales manager was all excited until he found out that the trade was a 6.5 diesel. Apparently something wrong with I think the injection system that it was all but guaranteed to need replacement anywhere between 30-60k, and was pretty expensive to replace. Based on that experience from sales I would say the 6.5 (think it was the turbo) was a hunk of crap.

 

[Dogmeat]

Don't know if I liked the 351 Windsor, had on in our 80 Econoline conversion van and had to be replaced after 4 years and the replacement was gutless. The 351 Cleveland was an awesome motor though. Knew a guy that had one in a spotless sharp loong for a Marverick that would smoke the tires for nearly a block.

Oh yeah forgot to add the Olds 400 in the 442 Cutlass. What does the 442 stand for. I heard 2 sayings.
400ci motor, 4 barrel carbs, Dual Exhaust
&
400ci motor, 4 barrel carbs, posi track rear end
??

Hands down the worst motor is the GM 6.5 diesel. Got threatened more than once with being fired if I took another one on trade and had to kick a few trades. Cant say how many times I went to the sales tower and the sales manager was all excited until he found out that the trade was a 6.5 diesel. Apparently something wrong with I think the injection system that it was all but guaranteed to need replacement anywhere between 30-60k, and was pretty expensive to replace. Based on that experience from sales I would say the 6.5 (think it was the turbo) was a hunk of crap.

I remeber they had problems overheating ...

Which is odd, because that saem 6.5L diesel is what has been powering HUMVEE's for the Army for nearly 30 years now.

I don't think the 6.5L in the hummer's was a turbo diesel though, just naturally aspirated.

 

[snowhawkaddict]

5.7L Toyota Tundra

The truck that's changing it all!

 

[Dogmeat]

The truck that's changing it all!

I don't see how a Toyota with a 350 is changing anything really, I mean hell people have been swapping Chevy 350's into Toyotas to get them to run right for years

hahaha

Now, a Tundra with a diesel, that'd change things

 

[Fosgate]

All Domestics on here huh?

Pretty hard to narrow this down to "EVER".

Bimmer (BMW) has won a $hit ton of awards for many of their engines.

For Imports I give the motor in the Supra a thumbs up cause that fuggers fast. For reliability I give to Mazda hands down for the rotary motor in the RX7, and economy to the motor in the Honeybee/Datsun B210 during the gas crunch of the 70's. My brother got my dads old one and we could drive for an hour on $1.00 when we were kids. And that thing would go through bean fields and jump country bridges like no other.

 

[snowhawkaddict]

Go drive one,

you will be quite amazed, i replaced a tired 95 one ton Chev. Quigley 4x4 van 454 EFI with the 5.7 I-Force, for pulling the 28' Wells Cargo, could use overloads for such a big trailer though.

Pushed it a couple weeks ago against a Duramax, and 20'+ enclosed that passed me in Easton on I-90 west.

We were both pushing 100 towards the top of that four lane section, late night not much traffic.

When they install a Hino engine I am sure it will only get better for the rest of you that think you need Diesel.