The Most INDESTRUCTIBLE Engines EVER!

[@einar8019]

The fact that the volvo redblock isnt on this list is criminal

[@aidenlebel8157]

For real holy shit those things are phenomenal

[@bmacster1985]

That’s the motor from the Volvo 240??

[@roberthale8407]

@@bmacster1985 All the way from the PV444 to the 240

[@bmacster1985]

@@roberthale8407 oh okay, thanks

[@HaroldCombs]

Came here to say this

[@claytonandrews251]

Millions of Chrysler slant six owners are disappointed it’s not on your list . The leaning tower of power was impossible to kill

[@robertl.fallin7062]

225 slant 6 in a 4 door Dodge Dart wiith a push button three speed transmission and you were set for life.

[@cowthedestroyer]

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.

[@clintway116]

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.

[@oneflyguy1949]

225 cu slant six is an indestructible motor!

[@Olds_Pwr]

I believe it may seem like they would be impossible to kill is because the vehicles they were put in rotted away so fast.

[@ronniejohnson317]

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.

[@FlatTireGarage]

Can you ask your uncle if I can interview him if I’d love to ask him some questions

[@trentonarney6066]

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.

[@chrismulhauser333]

Thank you to your uncle I’ve put many good miles on my 4.0 and will never get rid of it

[@dylanmagowan3446]

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.

[@garrettlowell7637]

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.

[@neilhadley4722]

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.

[@T-41]

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.

[@sarahstephens5966]

It's not an engine if it doesn't make any power

[@silicon212]

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.

[@ryanb6658]

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

[@jhoncho4x4]

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.

[@lisam4503]

I blew up one with only 92,000 miles on it.

[@jhoncho4x4]

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.

[@silicon212]

@@jhoncho4x4 Well aware of the issues with the 3V engines ... that's why I put '2V' in my post. :)

[@tonem427]

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. 😂

[@waynespringer501]

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.

[@codymoncrief8478]

Those Buick’s were absolute units. Grandma was never late to church.

[@RANGRYSKID]

Never late in a 3.8 😝

[@Sherman62]

Another great efficient engine killed off by EPA mandates.

[@leeverink32]

thats because she probably never went to church. BOOM!

[@williampowell2722]

series 2 3800 was a beautiful engine. should never have been discontinued.

[@nofyfb123]

@@williampowell2722 I don't know how many THOUSANDS with failed injectors I've dealt with...

[@stigtv9758]

The Ford 300 inline 6 and the 7.3 Powerstroke need a spot on the list of indestructible engines

[@joeg2865]

The 300 is well known for cracking the head

[@StebanGracci-fu9xs]

That 300 pulled more then its weight! Pulling trailers that had the rear axel about to snap . That 4 speed manual .

[@RockandrollNegro]

@@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.

[@NoWay-xu1ie]

I will never sell my 01 7.3

[@918Mitchell]

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.

[@bryandouglas739]

The 4.9 300 is a beast it might only have 150 hp but it will produce almost 270 ftp of torque

[@billwendell6886]

And at low rpm where most of us live.

[@Doktor-l8l]

You can fab a head that allows intake on one side and exhaust on the other. The 4.9L always had both ports on the same side of the head. These can produce 400 hp. Best gas engine for reliability ever. 60 degree power stroke overlap and a straight 6 is the only configuration with perfect primary and secondary balance. No balancing shafts and counterweight required. Perfect balance.

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

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.

[@abrahambarkhordar5572]

Do you any good exhaust manifold replacements

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

@@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.

[@oscarbear7498]

​@@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

[@huntersieling8011]

My 4.0 is still kicking with 405k miles on it. Absolutely love those engines.

[@grantrimpley2658]

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.

[@jamesconner25]

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.

[@sejje]

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.

[@ujmrider]

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.

[@fastfox851]

Mine has 415k miles on it and still runs perfectly.

[@flamingmoe1805]

410 on mine. Could use valve seals

[@bitemyshinnymetalass1569]

4.7 or 4.3

[@ujmrider]

@@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!

[@waltchan]

This Toyota engine is a DOHC instead of OHV pushrod, which has a little less durability than Jeep/AMC's 4.0L I6.

[@waynespringer501]

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.

[@rockkstah2550]

1988 was my first Toyota truck and never lock back, today I have 2022 Taco SR5 V6 after selling a 2002 4Runner. With the newer Toyotas with now Turbos, forget about it…

[@aqibfreed4672]

Sorry but you missed by far the greatest engine on this list. 1UZ FE lexus LS400. Ticks every box. Simply the best

[@static7985]

this and the volvo redblock. these things will go to 1m miles

[@larrycourtney5638]

In 1997 I went to work at a Lexus dealership in Mission Viejo, California. I didn't know much about Lexus but I soon found out I was selling the best cars on the market. One of the first things I did was test drive 2 different 1990 LS400s. They both has 275,000 miles on them, I was astounded, they drove like a new car, there were no rattles, very quiet, all electronics worked great. I've owned 4 different Lexus since then. Here's a tip on buying vehicles, buy Japanese. I've found the Japanese build their vehicles to run 300,00 miles at least. Always run a carfax, or something similar. Always look at the car and the price online before going to the dealership. If your buying a new car definitely shop online. I tell people get on the phone, tell this dealership representative, I'm buying a car today and I'm calling all whatever brand say ,Toyota"dealerships and whoever gives me the best price, that is who I'm buying from, that way you don't have to have a salesman, then a manager come in and try to put pressure on you to buy there. And DO NOT LEASE A VEHICLE, you always get screwed.

[@Orlosthedruid]

My favorite Ford Engine was the 300CID-6. It was awesome in the F-100 pickup.

[@Space.Ghost.]

The best Ford ever made.

[@dougrobinson8602]

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.

[@larrygulick6080]

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.

[@gorehammer1]

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.

[@kadeclary3173]

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

[@sugarnads]

Coincidence. Not irony.

[@johnsmith-bo2cz]

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

[@markhightower647]

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.

[@pacheco4626]

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

[@PaddyOutback]

I saw a taxi in Dublin with 400,000 miles on the clock once. Original engine.

[@Sheehy223]

Cool but that's nothing for a diesel

[@RohanSanjith]

Heard about the Toyota 1ND? 1.4 diesel, will purr along with over 1Mil kilometres!!

[@martux6815]

like the fire 1100, considered the most indestructible engine produced in italy

[@TopiasSalakka]

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.

[@colin5196]

You missed the million mile Lexus UZFE V8, the most beautifully crafted, under-stressed over-engineered non-interference smooth engine ever built.

[@DJ-sr9yq]

Glad you mentioned the 3800 engine. They deserve recognition.

[@horseblinderson4747]

Yeah you can pretty much gathered guarantee that if a Pontiac from that time is still on the road that's the engine it has.

[@richardschonk1095]

The slant six is one of the best engines ever made

[@akaitv6606]

They break at 7000rpm mate

[@tonyunderwood9678]

@@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...

[@knote4958]

@@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

[@floydblandston108]

@@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.

[@maikelnait4495]

Subjectively important, but not really.

[@Greg-v7n]

I have been a mechanic for over. 50 years, owned almost every engine on your list, and I have worked on all of them. My vote gives to the Chevy small block. You can buy any part for that engine cheap, including the block in cast iron or aluminum. Same for the heads. Cranks are available in forged or cast. Any type of rod you want. Made from 1955 to 2001, over 1,000,000 made almost every year. My favorite is the 5.7 Vortec with factory roller cam and Vortec heads. Anybody know how many races the small block has won? Maybe it you turned your hat around?

[@jabomiles6947]

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.

[@northdakotaham1752]

That engine has gotten alot of comments. I have had three of them, still one left in a 67 Sweptline.

[@lloydchristmas1086]

Absolutely. Happy wrenching!

[@andrewdonohue1853]

the 3800 supercharged variant can make really decent power with not too much effort, from the factory it had a very mild tune @ 245 hp

[@Shawn_the_Protogen]

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.

[@joshuagrant6030]

I do like the jeep 4 liter. But not sure the point here - the fact it was broke down already at 90k miles would actually be evidence for unreliability 😬

[@scottlasater4658]

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.

[@larrycourtney5638]

When I was a salesman, if someone came in looking for a Cherokee, I'd say you don't want one, there's always some kind of problem. It seemed they had rear axle problems, you could hear them whining loudly. JustEnoughEssentialParts. I looked up Jeep Cherokee with Consumer Reports years ago and they rated them the #1 unreliable SUV.

[@googleuser3760]

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. 👏👏👏

[@KhawChing]

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?

[@Turshin]

The 5.3 LS should be on this list. The series 3 3800 made a little more power and had a electronic throttle boddy.

[@jeremyeverett6186]

He forgot to mention all of the intake and head gasket problems that plagued these engines...

[@neilquinn]

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.

[@bobmatley]

I had a 2004 Regal GS with the supercharger the car rusted away otherwise would of kept it.

[@neilquinn]

@@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.

[@drzoidberg7310]

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

[@alabamas1373]

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.

[@SusedatLubo]

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.

[@therealkruki]

Volvo redblock and Mercedes OM600 Series should definitly be on the list.

[@fuckbitchesgetmoney42069]

bro forgot the 2 most reliable motors ever manufactured

[@oussama4629]

he's an american so you can't expect him mention anything other than a V8

[@harrisonmauldin5090]

he did mention things other than v8s@@oussama4629

[@hg2.]

A Story about the Volvo 240 and its Redblock Engine kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKvWpGiQYtStsJI&si=n0zR1tF_WlCdX3CP

[@sarahstephens5966]

Those don't qualify because if it doesn't make any power then it's not an engine

[@darrenroot4562]

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!

[@excitationofstereocilia2103]

How did you go pee? 27 hours 😮

[@damilolaakanni]

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.

[@gumwap1]

The 3RZ was the replacement for the 22RE. It was also a phenomenal engine. The 2TR replaced the 3RZ. Toyota 4 cylinder truck engines are amazing little engines

[@mikek5633]

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.

[@PaddyOutback]

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!

[@Intdyr]

All the td42s are probably on their 5th rebuild tho

[@RohanSanjith]

An addition, heard about THE Toyota 1ND? 1.4 diesel bulletproof aluminium block

[@RohanSanjith]

You could use "Interstellar" instead of "intergalactic" for practicality!

[@alexgo1034]

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)

[@alexgo1034]

@@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

[@stevenlatham4397]

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.

[@cmkm54]

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.

[@blokay_garage]

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

[@douglasrizzo9210]

Agreed. Both of my 4.6 2V Modular motors went WAY past 250k.

[@hackfreehvac]

Yeah this guy was dead wrong on the SOHC modular engine.

[@johngregory4801]

I was waiting for it to be mentioned. It does everything my Grand Marquis and I need without the slightest hesitation or complaint.

[@Bacongrease00]

Look at 4.6 in taxi cabs

[@maximumeffort2381]

I have a 2000 jeep Cherokee. Every once in a while I just look at it and I get all misty eyed. I adore it.

[@ffx95]

That AMC straight-6 4 liter was nearly indestructible. I’ve bought a jeep wrangler with one from a guy for $800 when I was just out of high school. Thing already had rockers clacking. I went thru college and worked for a couple years before I decided to sell it off because of the frame rust. Best $800 ever spent. Only thing I ever did to the vehicle was change the oil every 3 months never gave me any problems. Deeply regret not just getting the frame restored but I didn’t have much time back then or even now to go about a project like that.

[@michaelmarks5012]

No Chrysler 225 slant six?! I knew someone that TRIED to blow one up & it still kept on running.

[@BWolf00]

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.

[@tacomas9602]

@@BWolf00lmfao 😂back when dodge was decent. Shame really what they are now

[@knote4958]

@@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"

[@sarahstephens5966]

It's too big and heavy for a riding mower, which is the only thing it makes enough power for

[@randybeard6040]

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...

[@jimsix9929]

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?

[@KhawChing]

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.

[@LBS-qw8gf]

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. 😮

[@markchapman2585]

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 👍

[@Bbbbad724]

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.

[@josh7191-j6b]

i had an E 250 with that 4.9 and a 4 speed auto...it was slow specially on the highway and it drank lots of fuel but it was a beast to carry weight and had loads of torque...good van

[@hunterneitzel3012]

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

[@johneckert1365]

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.

[@rachelbarron5642]

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

[@johneckert1365]

@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.

[@malcomreynolds4103]

@@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

[@johneckert1365]

@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.

[@Sith_dude]

My 87 4runner has the 22re and it has never let me down. It has sufficient power for offroad use.

[@adamnewton9541]

I've got an old LandCruiser with a Toyota 2H and it is still going strong after 41 years without a rebuild.

[@matthewcallnan8822]

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!

[@dpierson489]

The iron Duke is a Pontiac engine that was in the aster.

[@matthewcallnan8822]

it started with pontiac, but expanded into all of general motors and even AMC.@@dpierson489

[@johneckert1365]

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.

[@don2deliver]

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.

[@don2deliver]

@@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.

[@detroitjohn4724]

81 Dodge truck, O.D. stick, 840,000 miles and still going.. two timing chains replaced. 225 slant six is a fantastic engine

[@bmdbigfeet1031]

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.

[@BWolf00]

Can't speak to the assortment you've listed, but I agree the slant-6 should have been on the list.

[@mikedaman6814]

4.0 and 4.9 you are truly a legend for education to the masses as are those blocks :)

[@enesfazlic6017]

Hell yeah the GM3800 we had here in Australia for long time. And it was awesome motor. When they replaced it with the 3.6 Alloytec all reliability shit went out the window.

[@billwendell6886]

Europeans are used to their cars being crap. So it made sense for GM to make everything into an Opel. Vauxhall in UK. Unless it was the Ecotech 4 cyl. That was a Saab. GM management in retrospective seems like a dry run for the Biden administration.

[@HotMike]

The Mercedes M112 V6, the M113 V8 and M113k Supercharged V8 engines. Super reliable and underrated.

[@hackfreehvac]

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.

[@thegreattreon0177]

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

[@pauls5745]

'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

[@brocksinclair66]

had a holden commodore with a 3.8. loved a limi bash

[@Ebacherville]

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

[@brucemclaren-]

the "car community" doesn't like old mercs mate.

[@travisgossman]

I had an 85 300SD with the OM617. Met an engineer from MB who agreed - the most Bullet proof engine ever.

[@johnmcloughlin6234]

I'll second or third the comments. Had a 79 300d, fine engine, just adjust the valves

[@nicholaswells4915]

Shouldn’t have to scroll this far down to see this engine! OM616 and 617 are legendary.

[@Badge1122]

I have driven an Iron Duke. My mom had a Citation with that engine. I thought it was peppy, the Citation was a very light car and it got along well with very good gas mileage. I understand that the little US Mail trucks have that engine on the job every day. Sounds like a great place for it to work.

[@matthewwalker9256]

The Post Office had the Iton Duke in their little postal vans. A pretty good engine, if you never went over 5 mph.

[@genehart261]

Ford 300 and Chevy 292 inline sixes had gear-driven camshafts among other bulletproof features.

[@santiagopenanavas]

Sadly the om617 wasnt included though it is known to run with cooking oíl due to to its invincible nature

[@stoneylonesome4062]

Got about half a million on mine, much of which was with waste vegetable oil and with compound turbocharging (if you don’t know what that is, look it up, it’s closest thing in mechanical engineering to “free energy”)

[@urk5204]

You can't forget about the 2-stroke Detroit Diesels, especially the 71 series! Those things fought a world war, then performed at least half of the hauling and construction work that built up the US after WWII, and there are still blocks from the 30s, 40s, and 50s running today with millions of miles on them. I've seen tons of videos of people running these machines without oil or coolant in a runaway, trying to break them, and they still take like 10 - 15 minutes to seize up

[@swamp-yankee]

I just talked with an old local haul trucker and heavy equipment operator the other day who did hundreds of thousands of miles with 2 stroke diesel engines in cdl trucks. He is of the opinion they’re absolute garbage. They need to run straight kerosene in the winter, and he said he was constantly tinkering with them because the run at high rpms and wear themselves out quick. There’s a reason 2 stroke diesels are not made anymore, and it’s not cause they were great.

[@nyobunknown6983]

You forgot possibly the most indestructible of all. The old Chrysler Corporation slant 6 G. The engine gained a reputation for reliability and durability. The basic design is rigid and sturdy, in part because the engine was designed to be made of either iron or aluminum. An aluminum block was produced in 1961-1963, but most blocks were made of iron. The block is of a deep-skirt design, with the crankshaft axis well above the oil pan rails for structural rigidity. Although only four main bearings are used, they are of the same dimensions as those in the 2G (1964-1971) Hemi, and fewer mains results in a crankshaft better able to withstand the effects of torque. Efficient cooling and lubrication systems, a favorable ratio of connecting rod length to stroke, and a forged steel crankshaft (on engines made through mid-1976) all contributed to the engine's strength and durability.

[@tokenbaker4206]

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

[@ajmedeiros77]

Car wizard swears by this engine

[@andrewdonohue1853]

@@ajmedeiros77 im a nobody, but so do. fantastic reliable engine

[@quintonnava1441]

Had a 3400. Super reliable with a bit better gas mileage.

[@DannerPlace]

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...

[@thomasheer825]

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.

[@jimskatr103]

No Mercedes OM / W12x etc :(

[@sammyrothrock6981]

He's a GM fan boy he's too young to remember the best motors . He wasn't born yet

[@thomasheer825]

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

[@johnmcloughlin6234]

Had a 62 dodge D-100 truck in my family as a younger kid/man. Slant 6 and a simply great engine.

[@thomasheer825]

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

[@Mikey4808]

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.

[@raywells2858]

That GM 3800 engine is like the Energizer Bunny, they just keep on going and going. 400-500k is very possible!

[@spunas1]

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.

[@96blackjacket]

No leaning tower of power? What?! I can’t believe it.. I’ve seen plenty of 3800 series engines die for no apparent reason I’ve also seen the gm slant 6 be run out of oil seize have more oil poured poured in and then keep going. The slant 6 is a goofy little beast of an engine

[@HowardJrFord]

This kid doesn't know a whole lot about engines .

[@cowthedestroyer]

@@HowardJrFord imagine if gm made the slant. You would have to pay the junk yard to take it as scrap

[@crazylarryjr]

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

[@janderson8401]

I had a Ford 250 cu.in. Six in a 78 Granada. My parents had owned a 55 Ford with an earlier version of this engine and both cars managed to shake the carburetor loose. A cousin had the use of an F150 with the 300 six, 4 speed manual and low ratio rear end for his job selling construction equipment. He managed to blow it up while delivering a 6000 pound air compressor to a customer. He also managed to blow up a slant six while working for a different company.

[@cleataylorjr1733]

Sounds to hard on them over rpm

[@jasonperry7970]

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.

[@philgayii6788]

5.3 should have definitely made this list as well.

[@georgepappas4628]

The Barra inline 6 cylinder from Australia in Turbo and non Turbo must be the most indestructible engines out there.

[@toughtimes721]

Your on meth surly 🤣

[@akaitv6606]

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 .

[@toughtimes721]

@@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

[@georgepappas4628]

@akaitv6606 both bloody awesome engines 😁

[@toughtimes721]

@@georgepappas4628 depending on how you fine bloody good.batra and intech.intech is better but your talking about 2 engines that aren't great

[@thepitpatrol]

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.

[@majormegapix]

Enjoyed your presentation. I just wanted to add the Toyota/Lexus 1MZ-FE engine. I have a '96 ES300 (in the family since new) that I've been driving for 24 years now after my father-in-law passed. Other than routine maintenance and wearable parts replacement, it just keeps going and going. One of the best ever! I did not go through all the comments; maybe someone else mentioned it too.

[@dennis17116]

The old Foxbody 5.0 1987-1991 were extremely reliable and handled 150 shot of nitrous without any problems. Forged internals from the factory.

[@jeepplayer]

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.

[@Losingsince]

That Ford 300 I had was more reliable than any person I know

[@elirenigar9357]

22RE is a great motor. They can take a ton of abuse, as long as you do your maintenance correctly.

[@mpetersen6]

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.

[@malcomreynolds4103]

they are great at being terrible for a really long time. absolutely gutless and crap fuel economy

[@dalehenthorn5065]

I had a 89 Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0. Ran it once 3.5 quarts low on oil and it didn't die. Traded it off to a buddy when the doors had to be held shut with a ratchet strap. It had 370,000+ miles on it and still running strong.

[@sejje]

I had a 96. I was taking my mom to the airport in about 2019 with over 300k miles on the engine, and the check engine light came on. I pulled off, checked the dipstick, and it was bare. I bought whatever the gas station had to refill it, finished the 1 hour to the airport, and then drove home 2.5 hours. I sold the Jeep like a year later. Had to put a water pump on it, too, and that's all I remember doing.

[@tractorjunkco9431]

I remember driving a 1985 Ford F150 with a 300ci 6 cylinder. Was never strong, but we moved alot of wood with that truck! It out torqued my dads 1990 F150 with the 5.0ci engine.

[@joelnordstrom8049]

I had a Ford F250 extended cab with that engine. Indestructible😅😅

[@jamesunknown6016]

The fact that the Power Stroke 7.3 Diesel isn’t on this list is a criminal

[@oscarbear7498]

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 $$$

[@jamesfoster6414]

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

[@unclebs4732]

The 4 liter Jeep engine was developed by International Harvester in the 1950's. I worked at a Jeep dealer 20 years ago and a Cherokee came in with 750k on the odometer.

[@ronrobertson59]

Two best motors I ever had was the Toyota 22R (429k on it) and the Dodge slant six (394k on it). Both vehicles got totaled in accidents and were running fine at the time.

[@chrisdaigle5410]

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.

[@joelnordstrom8049]

I had a 1979 Ford F250 extended cab with that engine. It had over 450,000 miles still running and a super low granny gear from a dana 60

[@toaster98]

A list about the most reliable engines is simply not complete without the 1.9 TDi

[@TheGulfcaptain]

Don't forget the Dodge "slant six" used in the Plymouth Duster and other 70's Mopar vehicles. Another nearly indestructible engine.

[@chuckwalla2967]

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.

[@nofyfb123]

Yeah... except leaking everything everywhere, stretched timing chains...

[@rapom61393]

Ford modular? OM617? VW ALH? Red block? While this list is very spot on ( love seeing the 3800) I feel there are quite a few that also deserve some love.

[@Far2hip]

The Iron Duke was the best engine for use in a boat. That thing ran in my Glasstream Cutlass FOREVER and literally never gave me a problem. Not a huge powerhouse, but no matter how long I ran that engine, it never coughed or sputtered and I don’t remember ever having to do anything outside of regular preventive maintenance. 👍🏻😎👍🏻

[@jeremiahlyleseditor437]

Are going to do another one of these and include the near million mile Red Block series?

[@mrsteve4313]

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.

[@johneckert1365]

Chryslers slant 6 was indeed tougher than the AMC 6 cyls.

[@jinezawa7089]

My first car was a 2002 Regal base trim with a 3800. They have an achilles heel in a little plastic coolant elbow that deteriorates over time and leaks coolant as I found out the hard way. I overheated the engine to the point of the car shutting off trying to get off the highway to a nearby gas station once I saw the temp light. I thought I was screwed, but turns out, once that was replaced and it was filled up with coolant, it fired right up and ran like nothing happened for another 15k miles until my roommate totalled it. Absolute tanks Also, being an idiot teenager, I never got the oil changed for over 30k miles. Just topped it off when the oil level got low

[@jamesmedina2062]

in that case the more it leaked the better things would remain. The better sealed, the higher likelihood of DOOM

[@andrewdonohue1853]

just think how well they hold up when you dont torture them. i change out those stupid plastic elbows before they fail, it's a well documented failure point, they get replaced with metal units

[@jinezawa7089]

@@andrewdonohue1853 yeah, these are things I would do had I bought one today. Back then it was a $1200 first car fresh out of high school

[@a3300000]

One of the best engines ever made.

[@jamesmedina2062]

@@a3300000 why do you say that? durability? power? economy? I think all V6's are pretty good. If fuel was no big deal I would never accept less than 6 cylinders. I find all v6 mostly the same with VR6 a bit different and i6 very different.

[@malcolmh5736]

As a kid, we had a Plymouth Volaré slant 6, 225 with manual 3 speed + OD (4th gear) hurst shifter on the floor, all stock. That engine was amazingly reliable and had longevity. That car wound up being more reliable than any other car I had, including my 1984 Toyota Corolla. I can hear the sound of the Volaré ignition in my head even now decades later.

[@EvilSSP]

I put 300k on a Jeep 4.0 and let me tell ya, I have never neglected an engine more than I did that one. In that time I also only ever replaced the starter, alternator (which ended up being the plug and not the alt itself), water pump and exhaust manifold. It also spent pretty much it's entire life running rich on bad O2 sensors. It was still running great when the body rusted out so bad I got rid of it ('99 Cherokee).

[@jimsix9929]

when I was younger I bought an f100 pickup with a 300 six, I am a mechanic and really wanted a truck with a v8 but this thing looked great, I thought what a great project, get some power out of this thing, I milled and ported the head, installed an exhaust header from clifford, a 2 barrel holly carb, changed the cam and advanced it 4 degrees, it ran a lot better but still a good 302 would have more power, it did pull a trailer like it was not even there

[@The_Slavstralian]

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)

[@akaitv6606]

Dunnydores don't make it to 500000 , they crack heads around the exhaust valve . But there ok .

[@rexracer7192]

I gotta say the ka24de from the 240sx from 1991 is worthy of this list, I redlined that thing everyday for 7 yrs straight, with 420k miles it still ran like a clock. It wasn't the most powerful or quickest, but it was fun, cool, and reliable!!!

[@michaelflaherty5207]

Agreed. Similar to the 22r but rarely mentioned. Incredibly robust little things

[@MrTxalus]

Couldn’t have redlined it everyday for 7yrs straight. Even god ain’t capable of that

[@rexracer7192]

@@MrTxalus yea,,, ok

[@MrTxalus]

@@rexracer7192 sure thing

[@rexracer7192]

@@MrTxalus see now you get it, it was a sure thing. That car also cost me 1500 bucks and was mint condition, go sit on that...

[@richfarfugnuven6308]

I have the 7.3L Powerstroke and the Jeep 4.0 straight 6. I have had the 5.9L Cummins. The Cummins and 7.3L ran forever(the truck fell apart around the 5.9L) . The automatic transmissions fell apart several times around both diesels. I am blessed that the 05 Rubicon Wrangler has a 6-speed manual...

[@hayneshvac2]

I am really surprised to see the slant 6 didn't make the list. My father worked for a government corporation, and they would only use 2 engines for their generators...The slant 6, and the iron duke because they were tested and lasted the longest in runtime hours. The slant 6 was originally casted to be an aluminum engine. They casted it much thicker than a traditional cast iron engine believing it was necessary due to the weak strength of the aluminum. The problem they encountered was that the engine ran too cold, and would not atomize the fuel properly, thus ending in an engine that refused to idle. Because of this, they recasted it as cast iron using the same mold. This resulted in a very thick casted iron block that could take loads of abuse. Chrysler once had a promotion that if you could reach 1 million miles with this engine, they would replace it for free. There is a story floating around that one fellow did just that with a car that was passed down from his grandfather, and supposedly Chrysler followed up with their promise. The slant 6 was also tested with an early experimental fuel injection system in the late 1950's.

[@mikemcgown6362]

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.

[@bobbyheffley4955]

And the 292 straight 6