High Mileage Small Petrol Engines

[ryanpetit]

Hi all,

First post...long time lurker.

I've just bought a small engine turbo car (1400cc) which I intend to keep for a while and put plenty of miles on.

Back in the day cars with small engines with over 100k on didn't have a lot of life left in them, is this still the case now or will these engines go on for 150-200k like their diesel counterparts?

If not, why not?

[zeppelin101]

Typically manufacturer expected life cycles for any powertrain are 150k miles in this day and age.

[trickywoo]

Your turbo and gearbox will fail well before the engine with proper servicing.

I'd be looking to change the oil at least annually or every 6k miles if its a keeper.

There shouldn't be any reason the engine won't be good for 150K +

[Dr Interceptor]

It depends on a lot of things...

What car is the engine installed in? If it's in a nice light supermini it will have been relatively unstressed, if it's in a big heavy car like an Insignia, it will have had a harder time lugging all those extra kilograms about.

Assuming you're buying used... how has it been driven up until now? Thrashed to within an inch of its life every day, or given a big slab of mechanical sympathy? Has it been well serviced?

[ryanpetit]

Car is a 2011 Renault Megane so not the lightest of cars for only 1400cc

[TooMany2cvs]

ryanpetit said:

Back in the day cars with small engines with over 100k on didn't have a lot of life left in them

It's as true now as it has been for the last few decades...

<looks out window at TU1.1 205 with 160k on it, and still returning 45mpg thraped everywhere>

[J4CKO]

TooMany2cvs said:

ryanpetit said:

Back in the day cars with small engines with over 100k on didn't have a lot of life left in them

It's as true now as it has been for the last few decades...

<looks out window at TU1.1 205 with 160k on it, and still returning 45mpg thraped everywhere>

1.1 205 for 160,000 miles, bet you still hear the clattering when its switched off ?

[SebastienClement]

We've had three Vauxhalls with the 1.2 litre ecotec engine which two have exceeded 200k without issue, and one reached 185k before being written off - again no engine trouble at all.

[jamiebae]

SebastienClement said:

We've had three Vauxhalls with the 1.2 litre ecotec engine which two have exceeded 200k without issue, and one reached 185k before being written off - again no engine trouble at all.

I had a colleague whose owned-from-new 1.2 Corsa grenaded itself on the M25 at 65k miles and 6 years old. However, his maintenance practices were, shall we say, flaky and I expect there was a small quantity of black treacle in the sump where the oil should have been at the time.

[SebastienClement]

jamiebae said:

I had a colleague whose owned-from-new 1.2 Corsa grenaded itself on the M25 at 65k miles and 6 years old. However, his maintenance practices were, shall we say, flaky and I expect there was a small quantity of black treacle in the sump where the oil should have been at the time.

Ahh! These were all serviced on the dot.

[Toaster Pilot]

jamiebae said:

SebastienClement said:

We've had three Vauxhalls with the 1.2 litre ecotec engine which two have exceeded 200k without issue, and one reached 185k before being written off - again no engine trouble at all.

I had a colleague whose owned-from-new 1.2 Corsa grenaded itself on the M25 at 65k miles and 6 years old. However, his maintenance practices were, shall we say, flaky and I expect there was a small quantity of black treacle in the sump where the oil should have been at the time.

They need clean oil or the timing chain lunches itself - I see so many ~2002 Corsas with that engine with timing chain problems, assumedly due to fktarded owners not servicing them

[dugsud]

Small petrol engines can do high mileages but they have to be looked after.

My wife has had her Smart Roadster since 10k miles and now it's done 115k, doesn't use any oil....no rattles or smoke at all! She drives to work in it each day which is a 50 mile round trip and mainly dual-carriageways so it's not been used for short journeys at all (which of course shortens the life of any car).
I change the fully synthetic oil every 6k....oil quality is very important to this type of small capacity turbocharged engine. I've read of these engines doing well over 150k miles as long as you don't expect to change the oil every 18k!!

Precautionary timing chain change at 100k BTW.

Edited by dugsud on Thursday 17th July 11:38

[TooMany2cvs]

J4CKO said:

1.1 205 for 160,000 miles, bet you still hear the clattering when its switched off ?

Nope, smooth and quiet as anything. Are you thinking of the old suitcase tappet-rattler? This is a TU (90/G).

[tali1]

There is nothing statistically ( or historically )to show that small engines can't do big mileage.
I don't recall ever a high scrappage rate for supermimis.