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Favorite engines?
we have all owned cars or liked cars that have engines we enjoyed, what ever reason we liked the engine in the car, power, torque, reliability and how easy it was to work on it all depends on the person i suppose…
whats yours?
and here is my list not in any nesissary order
2.5L “Iron Duke”
the little Iron duke as it was nicknamed is probably my favorite inline four cylinder engine, i got too work on one that was in a scramble derby car. it was a 8 valve pushrod four cylinder engine though it wasn’t the most powerful engine out there it put out enough power too make the car scoot through a few victories on the race track, and it took some serious abuse as well, it was originally developed buy Pontiac.3100SFI
though it was plagued with its lower intake manifold issues and piston slap the 3100 SFI was a reliable and durable engine with simple care would run for hundreds of thousands of miles, the little 60 degree V6 was a 12 Valve pushrod engine that with later variants created 175HP at the crankshaft, simple modifications like throttle body swaps or top swaps with a 3400 engine could boast it a little more power, but as far as the parts market was concerned for aftermarket, there wasn’t much too make it a power house.
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3800 “Buick 231″[/color][/b]
i will always have a warm spot in my heart for the beastly buick 231, also known as the 3800… it earned a reputation as a robust engine, and one of the last 90 degree V-6 pushrod engines with cast iron block and heads to be put in modern cars as old as 2008! the earlier series I engines put out some 160HP, later series II L-36 engines put out 205HP too the crank as well as the L-26 series III which is probably a modest rating considering the many improvements for the series III, the L-67 supercharged engine is well known and is rated at 240HP and the L-32 rated at 260HP with its Gen V M-90 Blower was the last supercharged 3800 too be put in cars like the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP… simple modifications too fuel system and smaller supercharger pullies result in horsepower ratings as high as 350HP at the WHEELS, stock bottom ends on these engines are recorded too withhold over 500HP at the wheels with turbo conversions, and various very high performance versions are known for being rated at over 800WHP in fwd W body cars… it is also known for being the engine in the 87 Buick GNX!Ford 300 straight six
not powerful, not pretty too many, but there is one thing that cannot be denied in the case of the ford 300 straight six and that was it just wouldn’t die! arguably one of the most durable engines ever made the straight six was also easy to work on, few things where changed with the engine as it was used for years, simple things like fuel delivery and ignition and maybe a little bit of mechanical, otherwise throughout its entire service life it remained pretty much the same engine proving its reliability, it was eventually phased out in the search for more fuel economy.Chevrolet 327 small block
the 327 is a well known engine, fuel injected versions where put in cars like the legendary 1963 Corvette stingray split window, rated at 375HP this little high revving small block was not lacking in power, a reason Corvette chose the engine.Chevrolet 350 small block
every car guy knows the Chevy 350, it was used for YEARS, from trucks too cars, even the Corvette saw extensive use of the 350 small block Chevy, many variations where made, many different horsepower ratings, probably one of the most well known engines on the marketChevrolet LT-5 DOHC 350 V8
introduced in 1990 and put in the ZR-1 Corvette of that year, the high revving DOHC v8 put out 375HP which in that time period was super car territory, later versions created 405HPChevrolet LS-7 7 Liter small block 427 V8
this engine was put in the Corvette C-6 Z06 and put out 505HP, its true displacement in Cubic Inches is probably however more like 428Cubic inches.Chevrolet LS-9 6.2L Supercharged V8
this engine is the engine in the C-6 Corvette ZR-1 cranking out 638HP it is not at all lacking in power, and makes the Corvette ZR-1 a fast car along with other engineering!
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Chevrolet L-88 427 big block V8[/color][/b]
nothing like big block power, and the L-88 provided plenty of that, rated at 435HP from the factory, but this was a hush hush Bulls@#$ rating, they under rated the engine too keep the authorities from getting there underpants in a twist, rev the engine too 6,500rpm and the engine will twist the crank too 560HP! it had a 12:1 compression ratio, cast iron block, aluminum heads, 750CFM 4BBL carb. with headers, high compression pistons and a few tweaks and tunning race engines would bust out between 600 and 800HP and rocket racing corvettes too victory!Chevrolet ZL-1 427 big block V8 “aluminum L-88.”
about 140 of these engines where made and put in ZL-1 Corvettes and ZL-1 Camaros which with other added bonuses with the package added a hefty price tag too the car, the ZL-1 427 was a aluminum block engine with steel cylinder sleeves, a sister too the cast iron L-88! it was 100LB lighter however than her cast iron sister, and created some 580HP, thanks too a slightly hotter cam and some say slightly higher compression ratio, other than that she was very similar too her cast iron sister!Chevrolet 454 7.4L Big block V8
introduced in the Corvette ZR-1 package in 1970, this engine featured a lower compression ratio that its smaller sister 427 but boasted around 500LBFT of torque, some say there is a version with identical compression too that of the 427 small blocks such as the L-88 and it put out some 600HP, but it was used in just more than the corvette, it was also in the Chevelle SS and a few other cars int muscled, and was also put in trucks too!Buick 455
this engine was put in the Buick GSX and was lighter than Chevrolets 454, but put out hefty HP ratings that made the Buick GSX one of my favorite muscle cars.Ford 427
the engine that was banned from Nascar, some say because it was so powerful, the truth is that it wasn’t in any regular production car so it wasn’t necessarily legal, it was a 427 V8 SOHC engine with a 13:1 compression ratio, some rate it at 650HP and it was a very powerful engine, rivaled engines like the 426 Hemi and the 427 ZL-1International, 7.3L Diesel V8 “Ford Powerstroke.”
i like the International 7.3L though some give it the hateful name “power choke.” because quite commonly they blow head gaskets when heavily modified, but i have something too say, i have seen Cummins blow head gaskets too! so its not just a powerstroke problem, a good diesel engine in my opinion!Packard Merlin V-1650-7 V12
no its not a car engine, its a airplane engine and was put into the P-51D Mustang but it has been placed in some cars, it was a 60 degree V12 engine with a displacement of some 1,649CI built under license almost a copy of the Rolls Royce Merlin 66 V12 engine. it featured a “injection.” or “pressurized carburetor.” which allowed inverted flight or negative G without stalling the engine a issue had with earlier Merlin engines with float style carburetors. it also featured a two stage two speed supercharger which was in essence a big centerfugal supercharger with a smaller one on top of it, the second speed would spin the compressor turbines faster, the second stage would have the smaller turbine feed the larger one… this allowed excelent high altitude performance, giving the P-51D Mustang a service sealing of 41,900FT and a top speed of 437MPH at a critical atitude of 25,000ft under Military power, and 442-448MPH under war emergency power. at takeoff at sea level it had a power rating of 1,490HP and 1,590HP with the second stage engaged for higher altitude operation, at full boost measured in mercury of 67HG it had a power rating of 1,720HP at 3,000RPM and could sustain that for about 5 minutes before possible engine damage, this mode was achieved buy advancing the throttle on the quadrant passed a stop gate wire. with 150 Octane AV Gasoline some 2,000HP was possible at about 72HG mercury boost, it also was liquid cooled.Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Wasp 18 Cylinder double row radial engine
no this is not a car engine, and hasn’t really seen any cars, this is a 18 cylinder air cooled radial with a displacement of about 2,800CI. its rated at 2,000HP but later versions with a more advanced version of water alcohol injection put out 2,450HP. the engine was large and heavy but wasn’t lacking at all in power and torque, it was really actually two engines sandwiched together. what also made this engine great was how durable it was, aside from it being air cooled meaning no liquid cooling system to fail it was extremely durable, engines had been recorded having entire cylinders blown off, low oil pressure, and still created enough power to get a plane home.
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I have had many cars in my 40 years of driving, some owned for years and many only for a short time. With no hesitation I think the late 80s Buick 3800 is my favorite. It ran smooth, had plenty of power, and got great gas mileage. It also was durable. Just as the tri five Chevys are considered some of GM’s best work, I think the 3800 is in the same category, especially from 1988 up to when they replaced the intake manifold with that plastic piece of warping leaking junk.
why GM went too plastic gaskets and coolant elbows i will never know, makes me want to go up too the engineers and rip there heads off.
+1 on the Pratt and Whitney double Radial. A warplane museum back home had a spare one on a stand for a F4U Corsair they had at the time in their collection. By far is the longest engine start up procedure of all time but what a sound when it finally kicks off in all cylinders!
In the world of cars my absolute favorite is the older 2.2L 5 cylinder 20V Audi Engine. The 10 valve is also impressive but the 20v is a monster. They used that up until 93 I think with not much change other than the fuel injection evolving over the years. The engine just sings beautifully and the turbo version with an almost straight pipe exhaust sounds so nice. Easy to work on, and fairly reliable. For the time it was a very powerful engine.
Whats awesome is how much you can modify them or swap on performance parts and really unleash it.
Just in the past couple months Audi released a concept car, The A3 club Quattro that features an almost identical 2.2L 5 cylinder engine, just with modern tech on it. Its producing over 500 hp. If I ever hear that car is coming to North American market Im putting my down payment on one.
[quote=”JS” post=106096]+1 on the Pratt and Whitney double Radial. A warplane museum back home had a spare one on a stand for a F4U Corsair they had at the time in their collection. By far is the longest engine start up procedure of all time but what a sound when it finally kicks off in all cylinders!
In the world of cars my absolute favorite is the older 2.2L 5 cylinder 20V Audi Engine. The 10 valve is also impressive but the 20v is a monster. They used that up until 93 I think with not much change other than the fuel injection evolving over the years. The engine just sings beautifully and the turbo version with an almost straight pipe exhaust sounds so nice. Easy to work on, and fairly reliable. For the time it was a very powerful engine.
Whats awesome is how much you can modify them or swap on performance parts and really unleash it.
Just in the past couple months Audi released a concept car, The A3 club Quattro that features an almost identical 2.2L 5 cylinder engine, just with modern tech on it. Its producing over 500 hp. If I ever hear that car is coming to North American market Im putting my down payment on one.
http://youtu.be/kZgQ5Fsn5ZY%5B/quote%5D
biggest part was the engine required manual cranking before they could actually fire the thing up, this was largely due too the fact the bottom row of cylinders would fill with oil and they needed manually pumped out. this is why at start up its a big choking coughing smoke blowing monster that spews hot oil everywhere, but once its started it makes all sorts of beautiful sounds that can be compared too the sound a lovely young lady makes after all of her long starting procedures have been followed through 😉
2800 cubic inches, 18 cylinders of explosion in a radial arrangement, this is music too my ears.
[video]http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KabB1TNW8fY[/video]
and how much power and torque did the L-88 have? ooh enough to do this…
[video]http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQJlBRGYSN8[/video]
I got a nice list of engines. Some newer some classic. also this list isnt in a particular order
1. 225 Slant Six. This engine has so much potential in it. The thing was damn near bullet proof.
2. 426 Hemi.
3. 3800 v6. Same as the slant six so durable and could be modified to make a ton of horsepower.
4. Subaru EJ Engines. They always had crappy gas mileage but what they lacked in that they made up for raw power in a light package.
5. Toyota 1JZ. these things was awesome in drifting cars and good for drag racing to.I’ve got a lot of them but being a Mopar guy (and other than the Hemi)I like the 383 Magnum which I had in a Roadrunner and Superbee. Those engine stomped a number of the other guys with larger displacements along with a few 440s.
Motorcycle wise, I like the old Harley flatheads. My 74″ flathead has been with me forever and with a 5 to 1 compression ratio it chugs along forever. Some people have kind of freaked to watch me sit on the seat and operate the kickstarter by hand. Fires right up, but if it ever kicks back…..
As an aircraft nut and powerplant license holder, I’ve always been amazed by the P & W R4360 Double Wasp. Four row radial with 28 cylinders, 56 spark plugs, and a carburetor big enough to feed a fleet of cars. We had an inoperable display 4360 in the shop and it was just stunning to look at.
This is an impossible topic for me, but here goes.
Datsun 4/6 cylinder L-Series:
These were fitted in Datsun 510s (my favorite) and 240/260/280Zs. There’s a lot wrong with these engines. A non-crossflow head, no cam bearings, and more than a few sketchy combustion chamber designs… But there’s something appealing about the engine’s bare bones simplicity. And the sound of a fully tuned L-series at full song, gives me chills.Ford 351 Cleveland:
Not the most popular engine in Ford’s stable, but it’s the first engine I ever worked on growing up. And hey, if it was good enough for the DeTomaso Pantera, it’s good enough for me.[quote=”brokemechanic3000″ post=109485]For me it would be most any inline engine, they always run better than any V-engine.[/quote]
in a 4 cylinder arrangement i actually prefer horizontally opposed engines “boxer engines.” much lower center of gravity, better balanced, though a inline 4 is good i just prefer the Boxer over all, and as far as 6 cylinders are concerned they are good for rear wheel drive cars and trucks, but once you start getting into FWD cars with transverse mounted engines V6 is a more piratical solution, once 6 cylinders are exceeded in my opinion you are stretching the crank kinda long and i see it as kind of in efficient too have that many cylinders in a long row. but i will agree when it comes too simplicity and ease of work, there is a reason cummins decides too chose the inline 6 and the ford 300 straight six was probably one of the most bullet proof liquid cooled engines ever made for vehicles.
as far as i am concerned i think the perfect engine for performance is of coarse between a V-8 and V-12, for cars i choose the 90 degree V8, once you exceed 12 cylinders you are kidding yourself, i kind of laugh and the W-16 in the Veyron, what is the point of having that many cylinders, just a bunch of extra moving parts too waste energy, just get me a big block V8.
but thats just my opinion.
Favorites of the ones I have owned –
The Duratec 2.5 V6 – Found in some Contour/mystique/late cougars. Not much power (when paired with the automatic trans) but easy to work on, when it even needs it. The timing chain means no worries in that department. They do seem to pick up speed well at highway speeds but are slow off the line. For the reliability – this tops the list.
The inline 6 cylinder 4.0 (found in Jeep Cherokees). Much more powerful than expected. Uses every bit of the 190 hp. Fairly easy to work on. Ugly engine but whatever.
The J30 in my 97 Acura CL 3.0 – Have not really pushed it hard cause I don’t trust the transmission. The plastic covers make it a “classy” looking engine.
Now here are a few I hated –
LQ1 (GM 3.4 DOHC) – Oh my god, that thing was horrible to work on. With a timing belt driving dual overhead cams, thank GOD I never had to do the belt. Though very powerful, I HATED that engine. A cap crammed where the distributer used to be? GREAT idea! Shouldn’t leak THAT much oil. No room to do anything. Curse that engine.
GM 3800 series II – Hmm, I think I had the ONLY one that didn’t have coolant elbow or plenum leaks. That was a comforting thought, when would the PLASTIC upper intake fail?
2.2 chrysler (in an 88 reliant). Smoked, valve cover would not seal correctly, head gasket blew, sounded like marbles were in the engine, and so little power that I got cut off by a semi truck and could not pass it.
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