The Most INDESTRUCTIBLE Engines EVER!
The automotive world is filled with good engines and bad engines, but some of them are so reliable and indestructible that they've reach legendary status.
Today we're going to look at some of the most indestructible engines of all time. Some of these are from GM, Jeep, Honda, Toyota, and more.
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The fact that the volvo redblock isnt on this list is criminal
For real holy shit those things are phenomenal
That’s the motor from the Volvo 240??
@@bmacster1985 All the way from the PV444 to the 240
@@roberthale8407 oh okay, thanks
Came here to say this
Millions of Chrysler slant six owners are disappointed it’s not on your list . The leaning tower of power was impossible to kill
225 slant 6 in a 4 door Dodge Dart wiith a push button three speed transmission and you were set for life.
Its funny im rebuilding a slant that had pretty much no cross hatching rust pitting in 2 cylinders enough slop in the chain that it slid right off and tons of sludge in the pan and it still was running when pulled. You have to be a special type of stupid to kill a slant and have it stay dead.
When I was 16 I got a 75 duster with a slant 6. Wanted to swap but dad said wait until something goes wrong with this. I beat thr hell out of that thing including running it low on oil. A year and a half later, I pulled thr slant 6, sold it and bought a 360 magnum. The car that got the abused slant 6 ran for years afterwards. They were great engines.
225 cu slant six is an indestructible motor!
I believe it may seem like they would be impossible to kill is because the vehicles they were put in rotted away so fast.
Those Buick’s were absolute units. Grandma was never late to church.
Never late in a 3.8 😝
Another great efficient engine killed off by EPA mandates.
thats because she probably never went to church. BOOM!
series 2 3800 was a beautiful engine. should never have been discontinued.
@@williampowell2722 I don't know how many THOUSANDS with failed injectors I've dealt with...
Can’t hardly kill a Ford 300 six.
The 2V 4.6 liter Ford Modular engine is extremely reliable. In the Crown Victoria, they are known to hit 400,000 miles with regular maintenance.
Spark plugs came out a couple times and manifold but other than that my F150 lasted, it was gutless but that’s why it lasted
Yep, the 2 valve modular is very durable and reliable. It was ruined by next generation. The Super Duty continued to receive the older 2 valve for several years after the F150 was switched in 2004. 2005+ Super Duty 5.4 2 valve, has a specific emissions sticker under the hood, explaining its compliance.
I blew up one with only 92,000 miles on it.
The 2005 3 valve Mustang GT engine was not reliable; mine dropped a valve for no reason. Had great luck with 2 valve 5.4's in F150's. Does OK in Super Duty, if regular cab and 2wd. 4x4 and crew cab can add too much weight to HD SD chassis; depends on use. My SD work truck has emissions sticker allowing 2 valve 5.4, even though it is a 2005 model. Shows that even Ford knew the next generation was not good and didn't want to warranty it in a SD if possible.
@@jhoncho4x4 Well aware of the issues with the 3V engines ... that's why I put '2V' in my post. :)
My uncle was on the team that developed the AMC 4.0. He said when they started testing it, they put it on a use simulator and ran it for years in hot and cold temperatures,rain, traffic loaded weights and weeks without oil change. 24 hours a day for 4 years.
Can you ask your uncle if I can interview him if I’d love to ask him some questions
I love those old school engineers. Met a jet engine guy who when they were first developing them would build one, test till destruction and see what failed. Then build a new one and do it all over again.
Thank you to your uncle I’ve put many good miles on my 4.0 and will never get rid of it
I was a mechanic during the cash for clunkers travesty. For the program you had to drain out the oil and run on liquid glass until the engine seized. Not only would these run forever at redline on liquid glass. I saw one start back up to get it on the tow truck taking it to get crushed.
My Jeep 4.0 is 26 years old, daily driver, 315k miles. I change my oil every 3k miles, coolant once/year, full tuneup every 15k.
The 4.9 300 is a beast it might only have 150 hp but it will produce almost 270 ftp of torque
Perhaps you may not be familiar with them, but the slant six was introduced by Chrysler Corp. in 1960. These engines had a very strong record for durability and reliability for several decades in millions of passenger cars as well as trucks.
My 4.0 is still kicking with 405k miles on it. Absolutely love those engines.
Mine chugging along nearing 200k miles. But the last 15k it’s been subjected to 14psi of boost, u wouldn’t assumed these tractor motors could actually contain any performance potential but they do.
I had my 4.0 water pump leaking for months and just topped with water daily until one day on my way home from work the bearing seized, lost all water immediately, snapped my belt and I limped it home 7 mile without water overheating like an idiot, changed water pump, belt, idler that weekend and new hoses for insurance and it starts right up without issue. I couldn't believe it.
I sold mine with 319k miles almost 5 years ago. It's still kicking around, not sure how many now. I heard I might have the option to buy it back for $800.
My favorite Ford Engine was the 300CID-6. It was awesome in the F-100 pickup.
The best Ford ever made.
It was better than the 302. Better torque, and was so easy to work on. You could sit on the fender and get at every bit of that engine in the rare instance that you actually had to do something to it.
The Ford 300 inline 6 and the 7.3 Powerstroke need a spot on the list of indestructible engines
The 300 is well known for cracking the head
That 300 pulled more then its weight! Pulling trailers that had the rear axel about to snap . That 4 speed manual .
@@joeg2865 The 200/250/300 Ford Thriftpower 6 family was indeed known for cracked heads, due to the exhaust port overheating from being placed directly under the carburetor. If you never let the engine overheat or run low on oil, it was usually never an issue, but all it takes is for your waterpump to go out on the highway one day and suddenly you have a cracked head. Thankfully, they were pretty durable in every other regard, so even having a cracked cylinder head or wall, you could still usually get another 100k to 200k miles on the engine before you needed a rebuild. I always put the Ford Thriftpowers below the Chrysler Slant 6, Jeep 4.0 and Chevy TurboThrift inline sixes, in terms of reliability, simply because of the head issues, but I personally never had a problem with them. I had a 200ci Ford engine get a half a million miles in a Granada with absolutely zero issues. It was probably the most reliable vehicle I ever owned.
I will never sell my 01 7.3
During "cash for clunkers" they would pour something in the oil that would seize the engine so it couldn't be salvaged. The 300 would just keep running and the dealerships would drive them to the salvage yard.
In 1990 I was head Jeep tech at a dealership. Consumer Reports listed the 4.0L Jeep Cherokee as the #1 REPAIRED vehicle on the road. Meaning it spent more time being repaired than any other vehicle on the road. I'll admit, the rotating assembly and valvetrain never failed. But everything else did! The cracked exhaust manifolds made me rich.
The slant six is one of the best engines ever made
They break at 7000rpm mate
@@akaitv6606 7k? I'd think a /6 would float the valves at less than 6k especially if it has any miles on it, and what /6 today doesn't have a boatload of miles? 🙂 I have a low-miles '85 vintage in a Ram truck that only has 158,000 miles on it, runs fine. I don't buzz it to 7k though...
@@akaitv6606 That applies to most workhorse engines, mate. RPMs kill any engine, that's why most engines built to last don't rev that high. Save the revs for race engines that are made to be worked on constantly
@@akaitv6606- I had a short stroke, 170ci version, and it would spin like a top way past where valve float and a one barrel carb could fill it. The differance between it and the 225 was night and day.
Subjectively important, but not really.
The Toyota 2UZ-FE 4.7 V8 is a fantastically reliable engine. There have been a number of documented cases of them making it to 1 million miles ! Mine has only 208,000 and runs like new. No leaks, no oil consumption.
Mine has 415k miles on it and still runs perfectly.
410 on mine. Could use valve seals
4.7 or 4.3
@@bitemyshinnymetalass1569 yes the GM 4.3 deserves honorable mention. I had a 99 Safari van with 319,000 miles when I sold it. It was running strong but the doors were all wonky and the body mounts were rotting. The guy that bought it only wanted the engine!
This Toyota engine is a DOHC instead of OHV pushrod, which has a little less durability than Jeep/AMC's 4.0L I6.
It's nice to see the 3800 V6 getting a little love on a list like this. I had a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville with the Series II NA version. It had close to 300,000 miles when we finally traded it in. There is a reason that engine was made for so long before finally being replaced with the DOHC V6. It was a bulletproof V6 and the SC version was capable of some incredible numbers under massive boost without needing to do anything to the internals. It has so much availability that it's use for swaps in Fiero's became pretty much cliche. The SBC wasn't the common everyday swap for them anymore. I've looked at my EG Honda Del Sol and wondered if I could fit a Series II 3800SC in it. Trade 1 indestructible engine for another. I've just seen so many of these type lists where for GM they go with the Iron Duke. Sitting there thinking, what about the 3800?
The 5.3 LS should be on this list. The series 3 3800 made a little more power and had a electronic throttle boddy.
He forgot to mention all of the intake and head gasket problems that plagued these engines...
First car I bought myself was a Pontiac Grand Prix w/ the 3800 II. I intentionally avoided the newer 3.5L because I knew the 3800 was super reliable even at that time. Sadly was totaled at only something like 70,000 miles due to a big highway accident.
I had a 2004 Regal GS with the supercharger the car rusted away otherwise would of kept it.
@@bobmatley I wish I had gone for the GTP 3800 II w/ supercharger. Almost bought one at the time but it was about $3-4k more than the regular GT model and I was pretty young.
Glad you mentioned the 3800 engine. They deserve recognition.
I have heard many story's about 1.9 TDI by VW reaching 700000+ km and seen many examples over 500000km in the odometer for sale. I personally think that is up there for one of the most reliable and "influencial"(in europe) engines ever made
I saw a taxi in Dublin with 400,000 miles on the clock once. Original engine.
Cool but that's nothing for a diesel
Heard about the Toyota 1ND? 1.4 diesel, will purr along with over 1Mil kilometres!!
like the fire 1100, considered the most indestructible engine produced in italy
Dad's friends son managed to kill a 1.9TDI at only 300k km, it hydrolocked due to the cylinders filling with oil because of a leaking turbo seal.
Ironic that I own two of the engines you've list. My '96 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0 plus my '95 F150 with the 4.9. Both are simple, bullet proof and are perfect for putting around as I'm an old geezer and NOT in a hurry to get anywhere. Yup, I agree with your choices.
The 4.9 is an absolute unit. Seriously, 5speed 4.9 f150 is the cheapest truck to keep running on the planet. 300k hard hauling miles and it still runs like new.
I drive a 2001 grand cherokee that me and my brother both drove as teenager, I have no idea how it made it though both of us but it still runs like a champ
Coincidence. Not irony.
4.9 is indestructible my buddy had an f150. I borrowed the truck to get some wood the oil pressure gauge didnt work. I got back to my house and checked the oil and it wasn't on the stick. I put 3 quarts in it. He called the next day asking what I did to make the gauge work. 😅 I 4.9 oil optional
Had a F150 with the 4.9 6cly.for 340k. Sold it for $500 to a friend who drove it another 100k. He's teenage son took it over then... That was 14 years ago. 600k miles and still going.
One of the better videos of engines IMO. As a 60 something wannabe life long gearhead, I can relate to your choices. There is one common denominator to these engines: all were nearly indestructible, but far from the factory performance engines. In our quest to get lighter more powerful engines we have often designed long lasting durability out. But progress (or lack of in this case), must go on. One engine that I think could have been included is the old dodge slant six. Again, heavy, low reving, low HP, but basic maintenance and these would last and last. Great job on the video. Thank you.
That engine has gotten alot of comments. I have had three of them, still one left in a 67 Sweptline.
4.0 and 4.9 you are truly a legend for education to the masses as are those blocks :)
I owned two Jeeps with the 4.0L Six--they were prone to exhaust manifold leaks, especially in the earlier versions, but other than that, were just indestructible. A friend owned a later generation Ford 4.9L Six with electronic fuel injection--close to the most perfect inline 6 ever. The engine was still going strong with over 300K miles when the rest of the truck was falling apart.
Do you any good exhaust manifold replacements
@@abrahambarkhordar5572 There were (and probably still are) some header tube replacement for the exhaust manifold. My second 4.0L was a 1998 Cherokee that had the later generation "High Output" 4.0L--I never had an exhaust manifold issue with it.
@@abrahambarkhordar5572I was going to say just get some cheap headers. The reason they put a manifold was to cut on cost. Very easy project and deletes the weakest part under the hood
No Chrysler 225 slant six?! I knew someone that TRIED to blow one up & it still kept on running.
I had a buddy attempt to blow up his slant-6, Doge Dart 1963. The shift linkage would hang, he got so pissed one day he floored it and held like that...the engine just kept running until he had to accept the fact it wasn't going to blow.
@@BWolf00lmfao 😂back when dodge was decent. Shame really what they are now
@@tacomas9602 All the american makes are in that boat now. That's what happens when you try to rest on your laurels as a car company and expect customers to keep coming because "brand recognition"
The Ford Barra 4.0L out of Australia is very reliable, made into 2016. Now being sort after as they can produce massive power for drag racing and driving.
100% on your first engine. I have 2. 1988 Pickup with 22R (36 years old) and a 1994 Pickup with 22RE (30 years old) Both are still running great today with the 22R carbureated still getting 31MPG with a 4 speed manual.
I had a neighbor in Puerto Rico that owned a Celica from the 70s with a 22R, he ran the car with no oil for about 2hr. And he made it home. The engine seized. The following weekend my uncle replaced the pan, put Castrol, hand spun the engine and told our neighbor to crank it. It started like nothing ever happened and he drove it until the early 2000s and parked it because the floor rotted. The car still in his Yard today. 😂
I can also relate. I have a 22R that our saleman ran out of oil, it broke #2 and #3 rods and put a hole in each side of the block as big as my fist. The truck sat in a open field in Ark for 3 years with an exposed crank, waiting on our salvage yard customer to get one of the up north trucks that the body gets rusted outs engine to replace it. After 3 years of waiting right before replacing the engine, I decided to see if it would start. Battery charger and a couple shots of ether in the carburetor and it kicked right off and ran. I ran for about 15 seconds than shut it off for my safety as I could see the rods hitting the holes in the block.
True video on reliability. I had a Buick 3800 V6 that ran for weeks, weeks without any water in the cooling system. Ran like a champ.
*Thank you, for delivering such clear and concise information without dragging it out with a lot of worthless and unnecessary BS like nearly everybody else on KZhead seems to think they have to do!*
That Ford 300 I had was more reliable than any person I know
Volvo redblock and Mercedes OM600 Series should definitly be on the list.
bro forgot the 2 most reliable motors ever manufactured
he's an american so you can't expect him mention anything other than a V8
he did mention things other than v8s@@oussama4629
A Story about the Volvo 240 and its Redblock Engine kzhead.info/sun/pd6so5mSZKGwrWg/bejne.html&si=n0zR1tF_WlCdX3CP
You forgot the Toyota 20R. The 20R has a double row timing chain which negates the need to change it very 100,00 miles. Otherwise the 22R is just a larger CID version, both nearly bullet proof.
The 4L straight 6!! God I love this engine. I had a classmate in automotive at college that bought a '99 Grand Cherokee with 90k miles from his grandpa for $200. The engine wouldn't fire, brakes were locked (very fun pushing that into the shop), and the battery was dead. All we did was change the battery, purge the fuel line & replace the old, cracked spark plugs and it fired up without issue.
I can absolutely agree with this list. 👍👍 And i am very surprised that you mentioned the GM 3800. Most people forget about those. And the AMC 4.0! This is one absolutely beautiful list. 👏👏👏
81 Dodge truck, O.D. stick, 840,000 miles and still going.. two timing chains replaced. 225 slant six is a fantastic engine
You should do one on transmissions.
My 87 4runner has the 22re and it has never let me down. It has sufficient power for offroad use.
Sadly the om617 wasnt included though it is known to run with cooking oíl due to to its invincible nature
The post office had thousands of the chevy "iron duke" engines in their little square LLV trucks. Every one of those is at least 30 years old, doing the hardest job any engine has to do...short trips. You start it up, drive it for 2 minutes then shut it down and walk for 20 minutes to an hour delivering mail. Or you start it up, drive 100 feet and shut it off...100 times a day! ...for 30 YEARS! Hard on starters, but the engines just kept chugging away!
The iron Duke is a Pontiac engine that was in the aster.
it started with pontiac, but expanded into all of general motors and even AMC.@@dpierson489
Mechanics are now putting in TBI 2.2 Chevrolet engines in them from S-10 pickups because they're running out of 2.5 Pontiac Iron Dukes to rebuild. The rear wheel drive Iron Duke block is different from the blocks they used in front wheel drive applications.
They have all been replaced from 1 to 8 times with Jasper engines. I used to replace one every month and that was just one of 3 shops doing work for one post office.
@@johneckert1365 The 2.2 was put in by AM General for the last year or 2 of production. They are not swaps, and even the frames are different.
The fact that the Power Stroke 7.3 Diesel isn’t on this list is a criminal
Too expensive, go online and search a 1997 Ford f350. They want $35k for a truck with +200k miles on it. Good engine, but the cats out of the bag on how good $$$
I’ll say the iron duke was a much more bombproof motor then the 3800 mainly because the 3800 gaskets like to dissolve in its dexcool
We had a 1986 F-250 4x4, 300 in-line with both the front and rear diffs welded that was a bale feeder truck. One day a a log in the mud knocked the oil filter off and it locked up. The next day we spun a new filter on and filled it with used tractor oil and it fired right up. It smoked and used a quart an hour after that, but we still got 3 more years out of it. We kept running used oil. 90% of the time it was in low range 3rd gear at 3000+ RPM.
Old Mercedes diesels, Volvo red block, 1.9 TDI from VW, Opel OHC petrol and diesel (both N/A and Isuzu Turbo Diesel) engines. This is just a handful. Lots of other engines that are 25-30 years old and are still being daily driven in Europe without an engine overhaul and god knows how many kilometers on the dash from the previous 15 owners, before they turned it back.
2TR-FE engine should be on this list. It replaced the 22R and 22RE engines in the 4Runner, Tacoma, Land Cruiser Prado, Fortuner and Hilux. That engine is still in use today...at least till the trucks that use it get redesigned. It doesn't make a lot of power (about 160hp max), but it's very reliable.
22r and 22re were also used as industrial engines in the Toyota forklifts of the day. I'm sure they were also used in other industrial applications.
4.6 2v modular engine is incredibly tough, from my experience. I know everyone has different experiences but I've had really good luck with them.
My 2v burnt a broke a valve (because of my own negligence) and lost all compression on cylinder 3 and I daily drove that thing for another month no problem
Agreed. Both of my 4.6 2V Modular motors went WAY past 250k.
Yeah this guy was dead wrong on the SOHC modular engine.
I was waiting for it to be mentioned. It does everything my Grand Marquis and I need without the slightest hesitation or complaint.
Look at 4.6 in taxi cabs
I have personal experience with several of these engines. Firstly, I had a customer once when I worked at autozone who brought in a '95 4runner with the 22re that had over 700k miles, completely untouched bottom end. Secondly, I own an 01 civic with the D17A2 engine, and its amazing. 176k miles, and I drove it on a 1300 mile cross country roadtrip at 70mph and 3500 rpm for 27 hours straight, and it never skipped a beat, and turned over 40+mpg. Lastly, I have many jeep rock crawling friends who run 4.0s, and pit them through so much abuse. They always run like a top. Good list!
How did you go pee? 27 hours 😮
The 305 V8 Chevy engine in my dad's '86 van lasted 400K miles. It was still running great when he sold it after owning it for 17 years since new.
Yeah... except leaking everything everywhere, stretched timing chains...
The Mercedes Benz OM617 5 cylinder Diesel used in the early 80's 300D's has got to be on this list , many documented cases, thousands and thousands of reports of 500k+ on them, and a few with over a million miles. I have one transplanted into a S10 blazer , the Benz body rotted out but the engine and trans still great
the "car community" doesn't like old mercs mate.
I had an 85 300SD with the OM617. Met an engineer from MB who agreed - the most Bullet proof engine ever.
I'll second or third the comments. Had a 79 300d, fine engine, just adjust the valves
Shouldn’t have to scroll this far down to see this engine! OM616 and 617 are legendary.
The iron Duke's reliability is still the reason we see 30+ year old mail trucks still chugging around our suburbs. Yes, the 2.5 iron Duke was the only engine available for the 200,000 Grumman LLV mail trucks, which were built on a short wheelbase S10 chassis with a blazer rear end
S-10 and Blazers share the same rear-end. The 4WD rear-end is wider to compensate for the negative off-set rims that the IFS 4X4 front suspension required. What GM did on the LLV chassis was use 2wd front suspension but used the 4wd rear-end with the 2wd rims. That's why the rear wheels track wider on the back of them.
Well duh they arent put thru much stress, its the same with old ass 30+ year old ice cream econolines, and Chevy vans. The ones in my hood been riding on the same dilapidated suspension for the past twenty years
@rachelbarron5642 The transmissions go through hell on those from all the stop & go driving. GM produced those chassis with a TH700R4 (with the small bellhousing pattern) which was a poor choice. I bet nobody teaches the drivers to use 3rd gear rather than D. GM should've produced a small bellhousing TH400 for those mail trucks, those transmissions would've lasted FOREVER then.
@@johneckert1365 Putting them in 3rd is irelevent, overdrive would only come into play at highway speeds at which point the 700r4 would operate MUCH cooler than a th400. THe 700R4 also has better gear ratios for stop and go than the th400
@malcomreynolds4103 I will agree that a TH700R4 has lower gear ratio in 1st-2nd gear than a TH400, but that's it. Everything else in your comment is nonsense though. TH700R4 shifts into Overdrive around 40 mph, not "highway speeds" of course then at 40 the Iron Puke can't handle overdrive so it shifts back into 3rd. Then back into Overdrive, and keeps repeating. 3rd gear on both transmissions is "direct". Direct is basically just connecting the input shaft to the output shaft, all other planetary gear sets are just along for the ride, thus reducing friction, heat, and parasitic energy loss. Direct is the BEST gear to promote transmission longevity and prevent wasted energy, both in Automatic & Manual transmissions. Ask an oval track racer why they use Direct gear sometime! In normal mail route driving, the TH700R4 WILL NOT run cooler than a TH400. Yes, the TH700R4 uses a lock-up torque converter, which will create less heat when in lock-up mode. Well when a TH700R4 is in the "Overdrive" or 4th gear selection, the converter doesn't lock up until after the trans has shifted into 4th gear and is cruising at a higher speed with light throttle pressure. How often is that happening in these mail carriers? Not very..... Now if the gear selector is in the "Drive" or 3rd gear position, then the torque converter will lock up in 3rd or "Direct" gear, giving a true direct drive connection from the engine to the driveshaft. This is the most efficient mode for the transmission, it's creating the least amount of friction, which in turn is creating less heat. It's also losing the least amount of energy through parasitic loss. I don't care if you disagree with me, it's a FACT that all overdrive transmissions would benefit from being driven in thier "Direct" gear while they are driving at less than highway speeds and for short distances. That is why these LLV drivers should be using the 3rd gear selection rather than 4th. Even everyday drivers in thier normal vehicles would benefit from this in city driving. Unless they were building these LLV mail route carriers for long distance highway driving (which we know they were not), the TH700R4 was a foolish choice for it's transmission. That is why the S-10 bellhousing TH700R4 was Jasper's most frequently remanufactured transmissions for 20+ years. The TH400, which was still being produced at the time the LLV chassis was designed by GM, would've been a MUCH better choice. It wouldn't have been any more fuel efficient, but it's longevity would've saved the USPS millions if not tens of millions of dollars. Not to mention that a TH400 was cheaper for GM to produce vs a TH700R4. Overdrive is a bit of a sham. Yes, I get it, it lowers engine RPM and saves some fuel. As far a transmission wear and energy loss goes, overdrive is wasteful. Think about it. We're taking our engine RPM, then by using gears (thus creating friction) we are increasing that RPM in the transmission, just to send it to the rear axle to slow the RPM back down. Say that to yourself slowly. We're speeding it up just to slow it back down 🤔. A better solution to achieve the desired final ratio (the ratio between the engine RPM vs wheel RPM) would be to have a higher (numerically lower) gear ratio in the rear axle, then give us a transmission with more lower gears to compensate for that. That would be more efficient than this "overdrive" waste we've had for over half a century. I don't expect many folks to agree with me, but it IS a fact, that the strongest and most efficient gear in a transmission is DIRECT. Have a good day.
Ford 300 and Chevy 292 inline sixes had gear-driven camshafts among other bulletproof features.
I loved my old 1996 F-150 with the 4.9L 300 the thing ran forever. I had to scrap the truck about 8 years ago because it rusted out on me. Joys of living in the rust belt. But I should have pulled the engine it had 290.000 km on it and ran great and smooth. But back then I didn't think anyone would have wanted it. Great video 👍
The 4.9 when they received fuel injection and the long exhaust manifolds were epic for the work they did. The engine could outlive the body and possibly 3 bodies. Fuel injection saved the inline 6.
Have to include the Isuzu 2.5 liter non-turbo diesel engine. It's underpowered, but ultra reliable and incredibly long-lasting. I have heard of one with over 1.5 million km on. They just don't break. I drove one as a work vehicle for a long time, and while overtaking anything faster than a tractor was stressful, I knew I could reliably get to site without issues, albeit a bit later than expected. Loved that vehicle.
I've bent valves on my 2000 Jeep XJ. Rebuilt years ago and still going strong
The Post Office had the Iton Duke in their little postal vans. A pretty good engine, if you never went over 5 mph.
A list about the most reliable engines is simply not complete without the 1.9 TDi
I've got two 3rd generation 4runners with the V6. They have a combined 800,000. Never been in a shop and we never change oil.
300ci inline 6. Doesn't make power to break records because it's didn't make enough power to break itself. Love those lil things
The Barra inline 6 cylinder from Australia in Turbo and non Turbo must be the most indestructible engines out there.
Your on meth surly 🤣
I disagree mate the the AU intec eats them for durability double row timing chain and better oil pump gears . Au will do 1 million .
@@akaitv6606 mate the au and Barra have problems.thers is no competition between the intech or Barra to JDM.thats just funny...I have owned jz and supras for 20 years....I can tell you who is on the leader board of everything it's JDM..and euro.either your plain stupid or just living in a bubble of dreams
@akaitv6606 both bloody awesome engines 😁
@@georgepappas4628 depending on how you fine bloody good.batra and intech.intech is better but your talking about 2 engines that aren't great
ive owned a few 4.0s. ive had 1 throw a rod... it was a 2000 WJ and the head cracked(0331). its a great engine and very reliable.
22RE replaced by the 3RZFE, another beautiful engine with balance shaft delete kit from LRC, which will rock on forever!
So, what you're saying is: in-line engines rule.
I had a 3800 engine in my 2004 Chevy Impala-LS, it was perhaps the Best Car and Engine that I have ever owned, we drove it for 17 years and engine still ran really smooth, it did use one quart of oil between changes because of plastic intake that warped but mechanically never had any problems...
yes the intake was the only bad thing on those, a friend had a really nice impala and traded it in at a loss, I told him that the intake repair was only 450 what were you thinking?
I have a 2000 Bonneville SSEI with 260k kms on it and my 3800 starts in one crank and still has a ton of power. Very easy to work on and not fussy. Nothing GM has made since has been anywhere near as reliable.
I had a 2000 Bonneville with the series II NA 3800. It had close to 300,000 miles on it when we traded it in. Sure a lot of people I knew expressed hate for the way the engines sound but for as reliable as it was? I loved the sound. I'd rather have a engine that I may not like the sound of but it just keeps going over a engine I like the sound of but has frequent issues.
Thats the same with my 2011 Impala. It run like new. It has a 3.5 V6. I only put the best oil in it. 😮
22RE is a great motor. They can take a ton of abuse, as long as you do your maintenance correctly.
That's the key with any engine. There is no such thing as an indestructible engine. IMO the absolute key component is a great lubrication system.
they are great at being terrible for a really long time. absolutely gutless and crap fuel economy
We had a 90 f150 with a 300 in it at my old job we put half a pallet of shingles in the bed, and went 20 miles down the road without any oil in it. It acted just fine
😂 my old boss had a 91 econoline van with a 300 in it. We went to change the oil and there was none in it + the material inside the filter crumbled when we took it off. After putting oil in it + a filter , it blew up about 10 miles later. We shoulda left it alone !
The GM L67 Supercharged 3800 V6 is a dream when swapped into a Pontiac Fiero.
From the late 80s and through the 90s i work in an auto wrecker. Most of the vehicles were current, so not much older stuff. Couple engines really stood out and not mentioned. The Ford 2.3 in the Tempo,Topaz. If you had one with a 5 speed , borderline indestructible. The 3.0 vulcan V6(Ford Taurus, Aerostar ,Ranger and late Tempo.) Toyota 2 SE, Early Camry. First generation Tercel 1.5 and Corolla 1.6 . 3.0 V6 Nissan pickups. Had a few of these engines but they never sold. They always ran up good. The z22 and z24 were also good. Even though i hated it, the 225 slant six should have been mentioned.
Can't speak to the assortment you've listed, but I agree the slant-6 should have been on the list.
At 7:27 *this guy is sadly mistaken* about the Ford SOHC V8 engines. While Ford later had some issues with the late generations of 3 valve engines, *the original 2V SOHC are one of the most indestructible V8 engines out there* Period! Even Cleetus McFarland has a hard time killing those.
I'd have to add the GM 250 straight 6 to the list. A gutless wonder that could NOT be destroyed. My Dad had a '74 Nova with one and a "three on the tree" that had way over 100K on it when he bought it and drove it for another 100K before he retired it. It was gutless but reliable. I had one that I put in my '69 Impala that ran without a radiator across town to get it to the junkyard. And my friend had a '69 Nova with one that he ran without oil until it ran out of gas in the tank just trying to blow it up so he had a reason to install his V-8. Didn't happen. So the GM straight 6 is one of my favorites.
And the 292 straight 6
Good evaluation, I was just thinking that adding a simple small turbocharger would greatly increase the performance of any of the engines you talked about without completely diminishing the engines reliability if the rpms are still kept low. What do you think?
The Toyota 1HZ and Nissan TD42 (RD 28, I think!) Engines definitely deserve a mention here. There are countless ancient Landcruisers and Patrols here in Australia with intergalactic mileage on them thanks to those big, lazy diesel sixes. My girlfriend’s dad as a 1990 Patrol with an NA TD42 in it. Has at least a million kms on it (~620K miles) and has never really gone wrong. Don’t know the exact number as the odometer stopped working years ago!
All the td42s are probably on their 5th rebuild tho
An addition, heard about THE Toyota 1ND? 1.4 diesel bulletproof aluminium block
You could use "Interstellar" instead of "intergalactic" for practicality!
Working with td42 -they reliable until you not trying to push them above their OEM specs - I've seen a lot of them overheating after some boost up tuning (especially with OEM little turbo)
@@Intdyr Nope -this motor doesn't have any problem with bottom - only injectors needs to be maintained regularly(every 150k km) and radiator cleaning every year
1.9TDI... Europeans will understand it
ALH
ALH
I had a 1,7l d series motor in my 02' ex and that motor was completely unkillable it has some issues but it ran always. I ran it dry on more than one occasion meaning no oil no antifreeze until 8t popped and banged and shut off. All I had to do was refill the fluids and wait 30 minutes and it would fire back up and run smooth and quiet. I consider it the slant 6 of the Honda world.
My first car was a 5 speed 4.9 f150 I couldn’t keep transmissions in it but pulled a lot with that truck it had no business pulling
One you forgot, it is often forgotten because of it's low power, But it's the dodge slant 6. My dad bought one out of a rotting pulpwood truck that had set for so long the frame and suspension had rotted away in a swamp. they dragged it out, oiled it up unlocked it and put it in a 1978 Plymouth Volare (Aspen body) Python with a 3 speed OD and drove it for at least 150K miles himself. It was claimed to have had close to 200K on it when parked and the day my dad sold that car it was still running and saw it years later still on the road. I have heard of stories about S 6's as well as the old LA 318's having a never say die attitude, but that is my verified story of one slant 6. BTW the 318 dodge small block deserves an equal spot with the S 6
You forgot the Chrysler slant six, they are listed often as the most reliable engine ever made. This is up for debate but how did the Iron Duke make it, which is OK at best, and the slant 6 didn't. Oh by the way Jeep dropped the Iron Duke in the Jeeps and made their own 2.5 lt based on the 4.0 lt for more reliability. Had both an Iron Duke and AMC 2.5, and in comparison the AMC engine was far superior.
No Mercedes OM / W12x etc :(
He's a GM fan boy he's too young to remember the best motors . He wasn't born yet
That is very clear to me, Had a old Dodge 880 with a 361 and torque flite, The only issue I had with it in the 200+K miles is about every 60K you had to rebush the distributor. Gave it to my bother when I went overseas, and he ran it for another 100k before the body simply rusted away to dangerous levels. He sold it to my buddy and he took the engine, tranny and rear end out and put it in a wood hauler truck and it ran for years after. Those old Chrysler big blocks were strong.@@sammyrothrock6981
Had a 62 dodge D-100 truck in my family as a younger kid/man. Slant 6 and a simply great engine.
You could actually break a Slant 6, but you have to be creative. Have a stepson who blew one up, he basically ran it out of oil it appears. But you have to grasp that that boy blew the transaxle out of a Wheel Horse garden tractor, the local shop has the blown parts on their "Wall of Shame". They have been open since 1957 and this was the first time they ever saw one broke like that. You could put him in a padded rubber cell with 2 hardened steel balls, come back in 30 minutes he would have broken one and lost the other. So if you want to test something for being indestructible, he is your man.@@johnmcloughlin6234
I love my Fords but I've never been more impressed with the durability of a 318 mopar. You can't blow those bastards up.
I had an old 1963 Ford Falcon 4 door car. It had over 400, 000 miles on it and still didn't burn any oil. God's honest witness. It purred smoothly like a kitten. The 3 on tree tranny was also very tough as well. I believe it was the 232 or something. I didn't study the hell out of it. But it was a workhorse. Not the best in Los Angeles traffic especially down shifting double clutching and such. Grinding gears as those would. Roomy inside decent sized trunk and everything. One thing I'll say it was no Cadillac. No air conditioning, no power steering no power brakes. Rill up Windows. AM radio only. Only heating of course. And a bench seat. Even an ugly Red color too LoL. A guy wanted to trade me title for title i said okay and told him have fun shifting LoL. I'd received a 1965 Chevy Nova 2. And it had an automatic transmission. OH my God what Luxury LoL. Another straight 6 engine. Burned oil but was pollution exempt according to California state law. A classic car. So it burned a little oil. I'd just add oil and keep going LoL. Again no power brakes no power steering. Roll up windows. A nice blue green color. Full drum brakes. LoL. Heat no air. But again you'd get where you were going and besides I'd lived on a farm so a lot doesn't bother you especially if you got used to smelling pig shit and chicken shit and horse shit and cow shit LoL. Working in the cold weather breaking the ice on a pitcher pump. Side stepping field mice and rats and having owls watch you work.
A buddy had a full sized Bronco with the 300c.i. I-6. Didn't win and speed contests, but just ran & ran & ran.
The GM 3800 is a beast! I had a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GT with that engine that I bought brand new in 2001 and it had almost 300,000 mile when I gave it to my nephew in 2015. The only 2 things I had to replace on that motor was a MAP sensor in 2002 and a MAF in 2007
'99 Grand Prix GTU, 260k, just replaced the serpentine belt for the 3rd time and it's 1st water pump replacement. still purrs and runs very smoothly though the body undercarriage is shot
had a holden commodore with a 3.8. loved a limi bash
I think the iron block GM 6.0 LS used in the heavy duty trucks deserves this list. They didn't have the failure prone afm dod stuff. And if anything did fail the aftermarket support for LS engines is high and quality parts are everywhere.
5.3 should have definitely made this list as well.
Thank you for the video!!
I can attest to the AMC/Jeep 4.0 L engine. My 22 y/o Wrangler has been a daily driver for all those years, never any issues with it at all. Runs like a top...
The 300 or 4.9 str. 6 Ford I can attest to, my 2nd most abused motor I owned however was the dodge 318. Almost, if not as indestructible.
I had an old Buick LeSabre that had the 3800 in it. It was easily the best engine in any vehicle I've owned.
Back in the early 80s one of our customers had a Ford pickup with the 300 cu in 6 cylinder. He had 600,000 miles on it, It had nothing but oil changes and regular maintenance when I saw it last at 600,000 miles. With modern synthetic blend oils, that would be a 2 million mile engine. The clip you showed of the white Ford engine was bought as a pump engine after seeing service for many decades. That 300 cu in was also used in the Ford F600 super duty truck. It is a truly durable engine. Another engine that you might want to consider is the Ford Modular engine. One variant is the 4.6 liter engine used in the Crown Victoria. It is well documented that with even decent maintenance they have lasted a million miles in police and taxi service where they spend most of the day idling. Many taxi services would buy old police cars and put them in service as a taxi.
The 3800 series will always hold a place in my heart. My first car, 07 lacrosse had 360k ran like a dream but leaked out of every hole and seal
Car wizard swears by this engine
@@ajmedeiros77 im a nobody, but so do. fantastic reliable engine
Had a 3400. Super reliable with a bit better gas mileage.
Are going to do another one of these and include the near million mile Red Block series?
I realize this was two months ago. I spent nearly a year trying to find a Grand Cherokee with 4WD and, more importantly, the 4.0L inline six. I finally found an '03 in 2021 at a used car lot with only 131k miles. I paid $5k even for it. The crank sensor went bad on it the first week. Since that time, I've driven almost 40k miles and never once did it give me a single issue. It's funny to say, but I'll be driving to the grocery store and occasionally, I'll notice the reliable hum of that little motor as I'm going down the road. Silly I suppose but I love listening to that stout little engine run.
You are spot on with your pics i have experienced and came to same conclusions with your pics through experience. Thanks
The Mercedes M112 V6, the M113 V8 and M113k Supercharged V8 engines. Super reliable and underrated.
Gonna build me a 7 liter V12 with 90hp its gonna last forever
I know some people will cringe at this question, but I’m wondering about the 2.3 turbo in my 2020 Mustang Ecoboost. I’m not going to modify or tune it (daily driver) and hope to keep the car for many years; wondering what the prognosis is for that engine.
Datsun/Nissan L24, L26,L28. They started as medium performance engines, but took upgrades with out sacrificing reliability.
aaaaamen!! I SPENT 26 YEARS RACING THOSE BOOGERS!!
We got the 3800 v6 in the holden commodores in australia ... I think. The one in my old mans car has over 300,000km on the odo. Its had maintaining work done but nothing major other than log book suggested works. My little brother has inherited it as my dad got himself a triton(unfortunatly the engine in that leaves a little to be desired)
Dunnydores don't make it to 500000 , they crack heads around the exhaust valve . But there ok .
There is one engine that would belong on your list, the Dodge slant six.
I’ve never seen you mention the GMC V6 series engines with the 305, 351 and 426. I would like to see a video on those engines.
I had two Buick regale with 3800 ser. 2. They would get great gas mileage hwy was always 30 mpg. I own a Nissan mutant now 3.5 v6. Lighter smaller car and it can't get more then 22 mpg on the highway. 3800 had plastic intake issues.
While the 225 slant 6 really wasn't the leaning tower of power is was indestructible for the most part. I did meet one person kill 2 of them but I found out when he started the car he immediately revved the heck out of it and then he would rev it just before he turned it off...not sure why but after many miles that sure would do it. Meanwhile most people like my Dad performed oil changes regularly had 187k on ours after teenagers put over redline quite a few times and still running pretty much as new, when he traded it in for a much worse truck. Some of the old commercials for oil additives show a slant 6 running on no oil for a very long time.
Chryslers slant 6 was indeed tougher than the AMC 6 cyls.
The 4.6l v8 from ford is a great engine
Missed the old la 318. Have one that i got to 250°f on daily occurrence before i realized my rad was plugged up. Also ran it out of motor oil constantly and still runs strong.
The jeep 4.0 and d series Honda are such amazing engines. Been around both for years. Owned a 97, 98, and 04 civic and a 97 Cherokee and 00 grand Cherokee. As long as there is oil in these engines, and the most basic of maintenance....these engines simply won't die