Blown Colorado 3.7 Atlas 5 Cylinder Engine Teardown. You Asked, Fan Delivered! Solved a Mystery Too

Email ALL part requests to [e-mail].
Huge thanks to Bill, a fan of the channel and a customer for supplying this weeks teardown! He brought this 3.7L 5 cylinder from his 2011 Colorado which he is LS swapping to me as a gift when picking up a 5.3 and associated parts this week. I've had an overwhelming number of requests for a GM Atlas family engine, but its usually not something I run across. This is one of the very few scenarios in which one would make it into the shop so for that I am grateful! The Atlas family of engines are found in the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Hummer H3, Chevrolet trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender, Saab 9-7x, and Oldsmobile Bravada, starting in 2002.
My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart located in the Saint Louis MO area. Part of our model is dismantling and selling parts from rare and niche market engines. I don't build or rebuild engines, we simply supply hard parts to those that do!
Want to see a particular engine torn down? I may have already done one! No really, check out my other videos for the engine you'd like to see! I've made over 70 other teardowns from a Cummins to an LS7, and from Rotary to Ram Ecodiesels. You can expect a new teardown every week!
Check them out here • Blown Up Engine Tear D...
As always I appreciate all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism.
What will I tear apart next week? Just wait and see!
-Eric

[@melvingibson4525]

This is one of the few channels that hasn't devolved into "influencer" style crap. We like that it's authentic

[@I_Do_Cars]

Please, check me if I head that way. Please.

[@raulbermudez893]

This show has BDE

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

He just needs some "merch" and some earbud sponsorships and he's good to go 🤣😂

[@raulbermudez893]

@@InsideOfMyOwnMind raycons!! Lmao it has the word con in it… hmmm red flag

[@module79l28]

Hahaha, I like that you used "devolved" instead of "evolved" to describe the "influencers". 😀

[@billsibert7922]

The 10mm came free with the truck, you may do as you please with it. Trophy shelf? Lol the girls and I enjoyed the teardown as always.

[@davidb6576]

Thanks for supplying the cadaver, Bill!

[@lm-usmc]

You're a rock star Bill. Thank you for the donation.

[@cainadkins3985]

Make him rebuild it to be a 1000 hp atlas bill, you got this lol

[@billsibert7922]

You all are very welcome. The 3.7 had to come out anyway and I couldn't think of a better way to send it to the engine afterlife.

[@DerPapierfliegernarr]

I wonder what the original owner of the truck might think when he sees this video. Probably something along the line of "so that's where my 10 mil socket went. And that's why the engine was acting up after that one service..."

[@adamf663]

Theory for the found socket: oil pan was removed to get a new gasket, and the mechanic somehow dropped the socket in the pan and reinstalled it, later discovering that yet another 10mm had flown the coop.

[@Prestiged_peck]

I mildly suspect the 10mm had something to do with the connecting rod becoming a disconnecting rod

[@timlee4204]

@@Prestiged_peck No no, the tool didn't have a mark on it.

[@Jjones81974]

It looked bent to me.

[@bimmjim]

Every 19 months, they grow legs and run away.

[@calebchristensen2047]

I think my favorite part of the channel is the way Eric has that same car-guy curiosity we all have/had. That ‘I dunno how this comes apart but I’m just gonna smash it till it does’ mentality is awesome.

[@tarungonneea4614]

Finding the ten mill in the oil pan was like striking gold!

[@mysock351C]

You go to the yard, thought you got a runner. But then you see this. 😭 Then. Only then do you find the 10mm socket, and know that it's all gonna be ok. 😌

[@monkehbitch]

Could be worse - an 8 ball? #skidfactory

[@logansmokes.2762]

I have had like 5 10mils and I’ve lost them all

[@cayman9873]

@@logansmokes.2762 five... thats nothing . Bet I have had a dozen. Stolen , lost , portal to another place , dont know . I try to keep them all together

[@douglassteiskal9097]

@@logansmokes.2762 good

[@markjohnson1814]

I recommended your channel to Custom Complete Automotive in Columbia, MO because they were looking for some Hyundai parts unfortunately you did not have them in stock, but he looked at some of your videos and they do a lot of LS work. His exact quote was "I looked at one of the tare downs and he pulled a cam shaft looked it over and it had a defect that most salvaged yards would just ship and he just threw it away, I am going to order parts from that guy for sure" just saying.....

[@brynnond.6952]

Is custom complete any good, they’re local to me but haven’t heard much about them

[@markjohnson1814]

@@brynnond.6952 They do good work, I wish there shop rate was a little cheaper, but I am a landlord and when work vehicles break I have to be back on the road quickly and they make that happen. I only use the one on Providence give Ben a call.

[@jodep2403]

And the end, i wish you show what you could resell. Maybe what they are worth.

[@Justin-zv4cm]

"A little knock," similar to that of a breaching team in a hostage situation. Awesome content!

[@lungshenli]

yeah. like "oh she rides smooth! a bit like athmosperic re-entry".

[@grassy-qb6qc]

My mechanic said if you want to make these engines last a long time you have got to keep the oil changed. They have little oil passage ways and they will sludge up. My 2006 Colorado has 140 thousand miles and it runs great "knock on wood".

[@wymple09]

The VVT is the culprit. It gets dirty from lack of oil changes & starves the lower end. It's an easy fix and only 20 bucks. Change it for peace of mind. One of the toughest engines ever built, I love my 4.2 version.

[@robynayscue9024]

“Sad Engine Saturday” is my favorite day of the week. (No, seriously, I live for these tear down videos!)

[@westreadwell9675]

Same here. I just got notice this video went up and I couldn’t click fast enough!

[@anthonybertone2336]

Me too I just been a long week I’ve been waiting for Saturday

[@mattr7274]

Mine too.

[@f688xt6]

This name is gold.

[@who-gives-a-toss_Bear]

It's sure is sad!

[@proehm]

"The head bolts tend to be tight, but we have the tools."- Both Wheel Loaders are sitting in the parking lot. (Since I have a motorhome with an ISB, I really enjoyed seeing the inside of the 6.7)

[@steveoeg6]

Seriously dying over… “Is that where all the 10’s go?!” Every single mechanic can relate to this statement 😂

[@RussSirois]

"Actually looks pretty good!" _tosses off camera_

[@RadDadisRad]

The 5 cylinder is completely underrated. Absolutely a monster of a motor.

[@harrywalker5836]

thats because gm cant build engines,,they go to isuzu.. like the 6.6 duramax.. gm sell junk..

[@a.m.doesit9347]

yup just sold my 2007 colorado with a 3.7 with 214k miles had it for 12yrs never had any major problems and was still running strong

[@darkblaze176]

You anit lyin. I have the 05 Canyon and it Breaks Traction fairly easy.

[@HE-162]

Straight 5s and 6s are wildly overlooked.

[@doctwiggenberry5324]

Bet you didn't get the 10mm socket in your oil pan.

[@trevster614]

I love the odd-numbered cylinder engines. Such unique exhaust notes! Next up you should go small... Very SMOL. See if you can get your hands on a 1L 3Cyl ecoboost!

[@jamesgeorge4874]

Especially above 4000 rpm.

[@rtechlab6254]

The words you want are "scream like a banshee" from a tuned Audi i5 owner ;)

[@budgreen4x4]

he did a 13b from an rx8 at 1.3l it doesnt get much more SMOL

[@sparkie5571]

@@rtechlab6254 i love them more than anything

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

@@budgreen4x4 Honda 600? Don't get much smaller than that - if any still exist outside of a museum.

[@kevinmartin9432]

I used to be a breakdown mechanic, and often got "loss of power" jobs on the motorway, sometimes you could see the signs of engine carnage several hundred yards before the broken down vehicle, asking when they last checked the oil was often met with a blank look.

[@Me-zo8yc]

"Don't they do that at the MOT?"

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

Oil all over the road and or antifreeze plus parts .

[@Turboboob]

😂 yup, seen that a few times.

[@BryceMR2SW20]

G'day from Australia! Recently injured my back doing what I love, so I'm getting my car fix from the tear down videos you do. Been 3 weeks out of my workshop now, so I'd be going crazy without them. Absolutely love the top quality content. And love the fan base doing their bit too, thanks Bill for today's core!! Cheers Eric! 👌🏼

[@R1NR4N]

I'm not addicted, I can quit anytime... Personally I'd really like to see the Suzuki 2.5l /2.7l V6 from the Grand Vitara. They're known for bad timing chain tensioners. Edit: Bill is MVP

[@damonfleming3952]

My grandmother bought one new in 2001 I think, has about 300k on it now. Very well maintained but is showing its age now. they must use very good metal or have good corrosion protection because it still just has surface rust after all these years.

[@damonfleming3952]

Meant to also say she’s had no major issues other than a radiator, but that was from clipping a deer. Didn’t even damage it much just pushed the headlight in a little and busted the radiator. Nothing but good things from me about Suzuki.

[@harrywalker5836]

why would you buy a sukuki. still the best engine is the 351c. chev, only just came to that std. but,still have problems. cam,lifters.. cant beat old skool..or cubes..

[@damonfleming3952]

@@harrywalker5836 ok boomer

[@buddyherring9586]

THEM DEER CLIBBINS WILL GET YA

[@Donald_Shaw]

Don't know why, but I really enjoy you tearing apart an engine. I'm always fascinated by how things are put together and how they come apart. You always post an interesting video. Thanks for your videos.

[@emanuellandeholm5657]

Man, I've been binging your teardowns for three days straight. I'm not a car guy by any means. I guess I just like watching people who are really good at doing what they do, do what they do. That and the carnage. :D

[@martysherrygriggs8136]

I had a 2004 Colorado with this engine. I put 262000 miles on it. 5000 mile oil changes. Never leaked or burned oil. Replaced thermostat once. Throttle body twice. Spark plugs twice and 2 belts. Very dependable and ran good when I sold it.

[@dro3m]

2004-2007 had the 3.5 which had head problems. They usually show up before 100k miles, or you get lucky, and it never happens. So chances are yours is fine.

[@tatanzro384]

What are the symptms

[@duanequam7709]

Thanks to who ever brought this engine to you. I have one in a really high mileage 08 H-3 X Hummer. It has been amazing. It uses no oil and gets 20 mpg. I really enjoyed this one especially.

[@TheClampettmobile]

I AM IMPRESSED! You loosen bolts exactly like the proper tightening sequences,- even on obviously DEAD engines. That's the sign of a truly skilled mechanic who has excellent engine habits. Well done!

[@davinlaroche3029]

Actually, the hole at the top of the rod is for wrist pin lubrication. The hole in the crank end of the rod comes out the side of the rod, and as the oil galley in the crank passes over the hole, it squirts oil onto the cylinder wall to help with lubrication. Most engines that call for piston dome cooling have squirters bolted to the block near the cylinder bore pointing straight up towards the piston.

[@philipbearly6620]

So great to notice this teardown. I have a 4.2 l. Inline 6 from an Envoy 2wd in my 1958 GMC pickup. It even fit in the firewall bump. I have heard other commentaries say that the Atlas series engines are in the top 10 for good engines. Your teardown shows it's quality and your skills in diagnosing "inspection ports". Great video.

[@PureCountryof91]

The 4.2 is not a good engine. Most barely see 150k miles before this exact situation

[@warriorplutotrent3827]

​@@PureCountryof91 you're a lie. The 4.2 is great. I've owned three envoy and all made it past 200k. I drove the piss out of them and the only thing done was spark plugs and water pump. Now the year 2002 has an defect from the factory. Those might not make it past 150k but I seen a lot that did. 2003+ had no issues whatsoever.

[@PureCountryof91]

@@warriorplutotrent3827 cool. Every single 4.2 I personally know of has tossed rod 3 and, or rod 4. At about oh, 120k miles or less. Did you get a decent one? Do maintenance as scheduled? Great. But most I see are rotting in the shit heap of a vehicle they came in.

[@joshcrd7925]

@@PureCountryof91 no, no. the 4.2 is actually a very good motor. i know of a dozen with over 200k, and a handful over 300k. the vehicles they are in are not worthy of the powerplant. there are people that turbo these and reliably put out over 500 horse at the crank. Why wouldnt someone do maintenance as scheduled. Oil is cheap, engines are not

[@hondafrk]

I’d like to see a Suzuki Samurai teardown, just to marvel at how tiny everything is lol Thanks Bill!

[@johnmoore8599]

It wasn't a total loss. You got a new socket. Thanks for the entertainment!

[@nunyabidniz2868]

Heard from a service tech at a Chevy dealer [while conversing about the 2nd gen Colorado] that they had nothing but trouble w/ the 5cyl Atlas in the 1st gens. When GM lopped off the 6th cylinder, *that was literally about all the reengineering they did* , so the engine block wasn't strengthened to deal w/ the 5cyl's natural imbalance w/ the result that the engines literally shook themselves to death. His advice? "Never, ever *ever* buy one of the 5cyl Atlas engines, they're crap..." Not a bad word to say about either the 6cyl or the 4 either. Loving the 4cyl in my '19 CO, all it really needs is a supercharger for more grunt off the line, but it has a nice broad powerband & great fuel economy [from the VVT and direct injection.]

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

fascinating! That's what I had figured - I posted a comment stating as such. Thanks for that corroboration - the 6 inline is very well harmonized.

[@wymple09]

Your dealer is full of it.

[@nunyabidniz2868]

@@wymple09 Ad hominem attack with no support. Your opinion is worthless.

[@jamesgeorge4874]

The factory engine calibration on these is very mild. GM has very conservtive timing and fuel mapping to help keep them alive. Also, all generations of the Atlas feature VVT on the exhaust only, as it reduced the emissions without the addition of an EGR valve (on non California models) . Great vid by the way, everyone's focus is on the 6 cylinder, the 4 and 5 don't get the love.

[@jeffcampbell6898]

bTW thank you for showing that 4.7 Toyota engine torn down. I have a Tundra with the same engine that has over 200.000 miles on it with the original timing belt. I decided to change it and the belt was paper thin it was so worn and I changed it and everything that came with the kit. and I think you may have saved me a couple of Grand on a new engine.

[@Cynsham]

Eric here I sit at work on my Saturdays and I always watch your engine teardowns. Thank you for the content and giving me a gift every week. 😎 Edit: I burst out laughing when you said that the socket found in the OIL PAN was a 10mm.

[@mattt198654321]

Hey, get back to work ya slacker!

[@justsumguy2u]

Unfortunately I had to watch this the next night, didn't have time last night. I've never seen one of these torn down before, and I was totally shocked by how Japanese it looked. Usually GM engines look like something that was engineered in a shed, but this one actually looked....dare I say it.....well engineered.

[@Brojack69]

It's an Izusu motor

[@justsumguy2u]

@@Brojack69 Ahh, well that would explain it---I knew it was too well-designed for GM lol

[@roderickroderick7216]

If you read them all, that means you will be reading this too. Love the content. Keep the VW's coming.

[@Sam_Saraguy]

It's gotten to the point where Saturday would not be complete without a teardown. I'd be interested to see a teardown of a Duratec 3.0L V6 from Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute 2001 - 2007 if you should come across one that's been cooked.

[@Dr.Westside]

Those duratec 3 liters were amazing engines they didn't have a whole lot of power but if you just change the oil they lasted forever .

[@Sprier]

Love the 3l, had one in my 04 Mazda 6 5spd and 05 escape. VVT really showed in the 6

[@Wagonman5900]

@@Sprier I had an '04 6 like that too. That was a fun car.

[@Sprier]

@@Wagonman5900 Hell yeah, I swear 5500rpm she woke up for that final 1250 before limit! That was my first car 9 years ago, now lucky enough to own a clean low mile 2006 Mazdaspeed6. Mazda gang!

[@Wagonman5900]

@@Sprier The highest I ever got with mine was probably 5750. but there was so much meat in the mid range I didn't care. I tell people the party got started at 3000, and someone turned up the music at 4000. American horsepower in a good Japanese chassis is a match made in heaven.

[@cflwhat]

I'd love to see the Yamaha V8 that came in some volvos a while back or a N52 from the E90, mostly because I have one and it seems like a beastly inline 6 as a block. But to be honest I don't really care what engine it is, absolutely love your videos! keep em coming!

[@JJsGA]

Ohhh especially the one in the Gen 2 Taurus SHO!

[@RadDadisRad]

@@JJsGA Gen 3*

[@JJsGA]

@@RadDadisRad yeah that one

[@sirfartsalot1328]

@@JJsGA came here to say this lol

[@frjhracing]

B8444S were in the xc90 and S80. The noble m600 came with a twin turbo variant. There's a marine outboard variant to. Im using one of these for a swap with all the AWD stuff from an xc90. The most common issue is the balance shafts, which were fixed-ish after late 06/07. They would get water or trash leaking down from the manifold (like washing the engine) and cook the bearings on the balance shaft. Very cool and compact NA V8 with 300hp. CHEAP from salvage too. If my first swap goes good. I kinda want to design a custom bellhousing for a rwd application. They sound kinda cool too with the 60d bank angle

[@BrightStar3862]

You produce excellent videos. They are sharp, clear and friendly to the eyes. Finally, excellent commentary. Thank you, Theo.

[@williamiwaniuk5561]

I have watched several of these teardowns. I find them educational and especially entertaining. Thank you.

[@andrewbraswell7251]

He got very lucky with those head bolts I broke 11 of 14 in my engine rebuild 4.2 atlas 07

[@WorkableWax]

I strike the head bolts of engines that are known for that, put the socket on hammer it real good, and then break it free

[@jayrenner211]

Absolute Beasts of an engine - the i6, i5 and i4 series. Cast aluminum top to bottom. Replaceable iron piston sleeves. The head bolts are not meant to be reused as most break on purpose during removal. All years had VVT on the exhaust only. On my 4X4 Envoy, the front drive shafts go through the oil pan!

[@mpbattista5038]

That’s the best gentle push I’ve ever seen. Nicely done.

[@shaggyduder]

I've been wrenching for 40+- yrs, all I can say is, these modern engines sure have a lot of odd failures. We never saw these kind of issues in the 70s,80s,90s. A lot of those engines are still running, hell, I have 2 from the 90s, 1 from the 60s, never have issues, I guess it will remain a mystery.

[@halleffect1]

ppl knew how to check oil level

[@SGTJDerek]

Biggest difference between then and now? (Besides computers) Ring tension. When I can change my oil and not have as much come out as it calls for yet the dip stick still reads full, there's a problem somewhere. I check my oil constantly because I damn sure can't afford to replace one. I've had 350 SBCs that needed rebuilds not use as much oil as a modern engine.

[@jessepitt]

I have been driving the same 97 ford diesel for twenty years now, 380k and still my every day work truck. I tow a trailer most of the time. I just fix stuff when it needs and change the oils and filters.

[@jimsvideos7201]

Good on Bill for bringing it by.

[@kevin9c1]

Self-impacting head bolts. Very innovative.

[@VitoVeccia]

When I used to work at the dealer, there was a time period when the cylinder heads tore up the valve seats at 3,000 miles. They came out with a revised head for it. Head bolts used to snap a lot. If you grabbed the sharp part of the broken bolt with a pencil eraser, most of the time you could walk the bolt out. I found out the hard way, that If you torque it by the book , the head gasket would start leaking immediately. Turns out, if you crank the fuck out of the bolts until they couldn't turn anymore, you would be fine. Granted, we would snap new head bolts doing that sometimes, but when that happened, we would take everything back off, and start over again. And after timing the chain on it, we would hit the chain with a breaker bar, to ratchet the tensioner out. Because sometimes on startup, the initial oil pressure on startup would jump the timing. And that would set off a timing code. But since it's a B code, it would only turn on after a few key cycles. So the light would stay off until the customer got in the vehicle. Fun times.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

that explains a lot on these head bolts ! thanks

[@kristensorensen2219]

It's 11:55pm and now I can sleep. This was deeply relaxing and I love your tear downs!!🎉

[@gtpanoz]

I was cringing the entire time when the head bolts was getting broken loose, good god the sounds. Will love to hear a update about the oil pan gift in the coming days.

[@jfan4reva]

Even worse when you're holding the breaker bar in your own hands....

[@mikeford963]

Now imagine pushing down to break them loose instead of using your legs and lifting from the side?

[@Anubis78250]

@@mikeford963 Gravity. It does look pretty funny using a five foot long breaker. I'm surprised I never see him snap any bolts with it though. I've snapped bolts, broken sockets, and twisted one inch extensions while removing head bolts with just a twelve inch.

[@mikeford963]

@@Anubis78250 Gravity, 😁😁😁, makes me think of another channel!!

[@howardskinner4916]

Thanks for tearing the I-5 down - I drive one of those ('08, 60K miles) and I'm going to change the oil! Several things about the design of the engine impressed me - the skirted block, the girdle on the mains, balance shafts, and of course the four valve head. Nice to see the inside of the engine!

[@adotintheshark4848]

its only drawback is it's a 5..imperfect balance so it needs the balance shafts. Otherwise, good motor.

[@thebleeb1681]

I had a 2006. It had the same type of demise that this engine had, at 116K miles. Literally blew up.

[@gregglynn3763]

Love your commentary!! Anybody that has worked on or still works on engines understand and get the comic relief from it!!

[@brettcoker9776]

Thank you so much for these videos, we can’t get enough 🙏

[@AToolWithTools]

Atlas did have VVT from the very beginning, always on the exhaust side only. It was GM's first go at VVT and it paid off with an impressively flat torque curve across most of the operating range, the I6s were pulling monsters in that regard. Dirty intake ports were standard uhhh "feature" on them due to the PCV design.

[@Oddman1980]

I was always impressed at what my 2.9 Atlas could manage.

[@ryptidedcg8235]

As a 4.3 owner i understand the dirty intake feature all too much

[@trentdaddydolla647]

And loose intake manifold bolts

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

Just sprayed acetone down the PCV hose about six months ago. hahaha. I think my MPG went up from that also.

[@mphilleo]

Hey, thanks for the donation, Bill! I'm still interested in seeing a 3.6 Pentastar even though I already replaced the rocker arms and lifters on mine. 😅 By the way, all your videos gave me enough familiarity with engine tear downs to take the dive and do it myself! 👍

[@bvsnewyork]

always enjoy and learn a ton. would love to see more of how you deal with rounded/stuck/broken fasteners.

[@tonycaceres669]

One of my favorite channels. Thanks for producing such great content.

[@rayshutsa6690]

The oil pan is a new place to store your tools at least they won't rust. Thank you Bill for giving the channel the engine. ❤

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

Always so excited when a new teardown video pops up!

[@davidszakacs6888]

I had an ‘05 Colorado with this engine. Loved it. Plenty of power and good on gas.

[@nooky1]

Loved the close up / slow motion on the ahead bolts. Not exactly sure why, but your videos are addictive.

[@hsportyd]

Always look forward to these tear downs and get a good chuckle

[@YoshiRocks2244]

I was hoping to see a teardown of one of these engines. My first vehicle, a 2010 Chevrolet Colorado with this engine, and was always wondering how these work. Glad you made this video. I've learned alot from this.

[@YouvBeenThumped]

Every Atlas 4&5 banger I worked on had the vvt and I used to be a specialist on them. Had a contract for a fleet of them. And many many many timing sets. I got them down from 20+hours to I could do a timing set a day. My boss made me hourly shortly after I was clocking 60+ hours weekly. Fun Fact... The oil pan on these Atlas engines actually have a secondary set of bolt holes used to pry the pan from the engine with said oil pan bolts. Cause that AC Delco Grey silicone ain't a joke. And is used everywhere on these engines.. Edit.. I also used the starter motor to break the crank bolt lose on them. Just stick the breaker bar to the frame and ask a friend to crank it. Keep face and valued body parts out the way.

[@paulholm4827]

I always enjoy your teardown and your sense of hummer and also the addition sounds of things moving around in the engines. The only Atlas that I was familiar with were really big diesels in boats where if you wanted to go into reverse you had to shut down engine and shift the cams and then restart the engine, I loved those old engines. It is a good use of tome on your channel.

[@45AMT]

Wow! Thanks Bill! I like the Atlases. Thanks Eric for tearing this one down! Great video!

[@thomasfletcher4765]

It's crispy inside ( tells you it's well done ) . Thanks Bill for this week's teardown video !

[@timlee4204]

Thanks Eric and Bill for this great video, love it

[@mrmongo6722]

I've been wanting to see a five cylinder Colorado tear down. I had 04 that I bought brand new off of the lot. I never had any serious engine issues other than the number three spark plug hole threads. I ran tap into that hole and that problem was solved. I had 185000 plus miles on it when I sold it because of a transmission problem but the guy I sold it to had it rebuilt and it is still on the road with well over 200k miles and still running.

[@wafflesnfalafel1]

wow - awesome vid sir. I was looking forward to one of those GM inline 5s, but the secret/magic 10m? Awesome.

[@gregoryburzy468]

That's Awesome!! Thanks so much, coincidence I asked so nicely last week? Now, if we could just get my truck back on the road... And Thanks Bill!

[@chriscater812]

Got one with over three hundred thousand, still running good. Enjoyed the teardown, at least I know what to expect.

[@woodstream6137]

This type of work is above my pay grade but it was hilarious finding that tool in the drain pan.

[@grilobite]

Woot? 5VZ-FE teardown teaser? Great video as always, but I think we all need to come up with a bingo board of sorts for the teardowns. Each box having something like oil starvation, overtightened fasteners, excessive RTV gaskets et cetera. You know, make these even more fun than they already are for us carnage junkies.

[@MightyWhiteofYou]

I see 500k subs for you eventually. Hopefully you get well paid for these. I’m working my way through your old videos. Btw I drive an Aspen Hemi with 250k on it. I rebuilt it at 120k. It has mds. Zero damage and I reused all the hard parts including the rollers. Highly recommend. Easiest tear down and rebuild ever.

[@accousticdecay]

First time on your channel. Thanks for the clean, no-nonsense, technical approach. Timing advance was on my 2003 Trailblazer with the 6-cylinder version of this engine. I'll be looking at your other videos.

[@markheckert744]

I enjoy learning more about different companies equipment.

[@hsportyd]

That 10mm needs to go on the counter with the wrecked parts cache, I mean tied down of course.

[@toddaustin2760]

I learned a lot about my engine by watching this as I am a colorado owner as well with this same engine. Thank you for this video. Ofcourse I don't work on engines but its nice to see tear downs like this. Nice video quality and thanks again!

[@haroldluck9899]

I like this guy. He has fun taking apart engines

[@mikejba]

That 10mil in the oil pan, hilarious! Loving the content Eric, I could (and do) watch these over and over.

[@JadXtreme]

Still better than the High Feature 3.6 that replaced the Atlas 3.7. Speaking of that, would love to see a teardown of a High Feature 3.6. Probably one of the most common GM V6 engines on the road today.

[@pkt1213]

Very cool. I always wanted to do one of these swaps (well the 6cyl) into an 80 series.

[@BuildaMan]

i've been waiting for an ATALS engine for a while. Thanks for doing this.

[@10219266]

Im glad you got one of these! been wanting to see one for a while

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

best teardown ever and this is the first one I've ever seen! I feel honored. Especially since I drive the Atlas I6. Best Teardown of an Atlas I've ever seen for sure. Awesome.

[@wymple09]

One of the finest engines ever built....just change the damn oil & they are indestructible.

[@khuey]

Good stuff. Would have been interesting to open up the oil filter too on an engine like this that has clearly had a lot of sparkles run through it.

[@camrenpalmer7713]

Love the vids, always look forward to watching them. Keep up the great work man

[@benturechek8719]

I’m impressed honestly, I have the same engine in my truck so as long as I check my oil we’re all good 😀

[@ericwilson2585]

I'd like to see a Northstar tear down, it'd be awesome, but it doesn't even have to be a blown-up one.

[@ericwilson2585]

Awesome content Eric, I never seem to get tired of it, it never gets old.

[@williamloughrie2480]

I had a 2008 3.7 and it spun a balance shaft bearing @ 179,000. I deleted the balance shafts and had a cam bearings installed in both balance shaft ports and engine is still going 5 years later and over 210,000. It's a tough engine to kill.

[@theflaxxensaxxentake1874]

i have an 08 3.7 at 226k miles. only issue this past year is p301 cylinder 1 misfire intermittent. considering a rebuild.

[@jedibusiness789]

Check cracks in exhaust manifold

[@vandebe1]

I don’t understand why I love these videos so much. I’m not a mechanic, I don’t own a project car, but something about these videos really catches my attention.

[@allanwallace9375]

Love your sense of humour, it translates across the Atlantic without issues which is not always the case. The mild slapstick and Ironic sarcasm are beautiful! Very entertaining, plus a tiny bit educational, perfect!

[@509brown]

Thanks Eric and Bill! I plan on searching my two trucks later today for 10mms. I'm also wondering if perhaps my missing 8mm is in my Ram's transfer case....

[@frankmoreau8847]

That engine is just a tiny bit more complex than the last engine I tore apart, a 1965 Olds 330. I enjoy your videos and look forward to watching you tear one down every week. I find the engineering of modern engines to be fascinating. Your humor is just icing on the cake.

[@wymple09]

That 330 Olds was a marvelous V8.

[@jamesrobinson9176]

Thanks to Bill. ☺

[@schwabra]

Thank you, Bill.

[@maxcactus7]

Thanks, Bill, for bringing this very fubar'ed engine to Eric for teardown! Thanks, Eric. Enjoy the hell out of the carnage!

[@thinkingmanhillbilly]

The 6 cylinder version Richard Holdener took apart broke every head bolt.

[@trentdaddydolla647]

How did he get it out?

[@thinkingmanhillbilly]

@@trentdaddydolla647 He sent it to a machine shop.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

I guess he needed that five foot breaker bar?

[@wymple09]

He was not doing it properly. There are you tube videos on removing these TTY bolts on these engines without breaking bolts. I would have thought a guy like Holdener would be up on that.

[@OgamiItto70]

Thanks, Bill. This was pretty interesting.

[@JimBronson]

Interesting engine. Thanks Bill!

[@joeygaskets7590]

Auto tech here, I took apart a 2.9L 4 cylinder Atlas engine a few years ago. (Chain loose, bent valves) And the head bolts were SUPER tight like these, and I’ve heard of threads stripping out of the head sometimes. And also the crank pully bolt was SUPER tight on mine too. I held the back of the crank with 2 flywheel bolts and a bar. Ended up bending the two bolts and had to buy more..

[@clevelandrocksdzd]

How many miles until you got a loose chain?

[@Morjit2803]

Would love to see something exotic! An Italian V10 or V12. Would be interesting to see how different the internals are vs American cores!

[@jerrymunsch1349]

Great video, I love that big inspection port on the block. I’m getting that on my next car!

[@JiKimbo]

Thanks for the engine Bill! Interesting core to watch being stripped.