Japanese manufacturers have reliable diesel engines. And what is the most reliable diesel engine among all reliable in Japan?

Let's look at the most common modern diesel engines in the Japanese car industry.

What are these diesel engines, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Japanese diesel engines. They now dominate mainly in Europe, but quite often began to appear in Russia.

But, unfortunately, they also have problems when their runs exceed one hundred thousand kilometers, and even some up to one hundred thousand.

The caution in the supply of diesel engines from Japan is due to their capricious attitude to fuel. Their fuel system is rather weak to the use of our diesel fuel.

Another problem is the availability of spare parts. There are practically no non-original spare parts from reliable manufacturers. Chinese ones appear, but their quality leaves much to be desired and does not at all correspond to Japanese quality.

Hence their very high price is dictated, much higher than for German spare parts. There are many factories in Europe that produce spare parts of decent quality and at prices much lower than the original ones.

The most reliable diesel engine from Japan

So what is the most reliable diesel engine from Japan? Let's rank the TOP 5 of the best diesel engines.

5th place

In fifth place, you can safely put the 2.0-liter Subaru engine. Four-cylinder, turbocharged, boxer, 16-valve. Common rail intake system.

It must be said that this is the only boxer diesel engine in the world.

A boxer engine is when mutual pairs of pistons work in a horizontal plane. In this arrangement, careful balancing of the crankshafts is not required.

The weaknesses of this engine are a two-mass flywheel, it failed even up to five thousand kilometers. Crankshaft cracking, until 2009, crankshafts and shaft bearings were destroyed.

This engine is very interesting in its design, with good performance, but the lack of spare parts for such engines nullifies its advantages. Therefore, we give him the fifth place of honor in the Japanese series of diesel engines.

4th place

In fourth place will be the Mazda 2.0 MZR-CD engine. This diesel engine has been produced since 2002 and installed on Mazda 6, Mazda 6, MPV. It was Mazda's first Common Rail engine.

Four cylinders, 16 valves. Two versions - 121 hp and 136 hp, both of which developed a torque of 310 Nm at 2000 rpm.

In 2005, it underwent modernization, with an improved injection system and a new high-pressure fuel pump. Reduced compression ratio and adaptation of the engine with a catalyst for the emission of harmful gases. Power became 143 hp.

Two years later, a version with a 140 hp engine was released, in 2011 this engine disappeared from the line of installed engines for unknown reasons.

This engine calmly nursed 200,000 kilometers, after which it was necessary to change the turbine and the dual-mass flywheel.

When buying, you should carefully study its history, but it is better to remove the pan and look at the oil sump.

3rd place

Also a Mazda engine, Mazda 2.2 MZF-CD. The same engine of increased, but increased volume. Engineers tried to eliminate all the jambs of the old two-liter engine.

In addition to the increased volume, the injection system has been modernized, another turbine has been installed. On this engine, they put piezo injectors, changed the compression ratio and radically changed the particulate filter, which had all the problems of the previous model of the two-liter engine.

But the worldwide fight for the environment, both in Europe and Japan, adds gimoroya to all engines, and a system is installed on this one, with the addition of urea to the diesel fuel mixture.

All this reduces exhaust emissions to Euro5, but as always, in Russia this adds problems to all modern diesel engines without exception. This is simply solved by us, the particulate filter is thrown out and the afterburning valve of the unburned exhaust is turned off.

The rest of the engine is reliable and unpretentious

2nd place

Toyota 2.0/2.2 D-4D engine.

The first two-liter Toyota 2.0 D-4D CD appeared in 2006. Four-cylinder, eight-valve, cast iron block, timing belt, 116 hp The engines came with the "CD" index.

Complaints about this engine were very rare, they all came down only to the injectors and the exhaust gas recirculation system. In 2008, it was discontinued, and a new one was launched instead, with a volume of 2.2 liters.

Toyota 2.0/2.2 D-4D AD

They have already begun to make a chain, there are already 16 valves for four cylinders. The block began to be made of aluminum with cast-iron sleeves. The index of this engine became "AD".

The engine is available in both 2.0 liters and 2.2.

The best reviews about such an engine, and good returns, and low fuel consumption. But there were also complaints, the main one being the oxidation of the aluminum head at the point of contact with the cylinder head gasket, approximately in the period of 150-200 thousand km. run.

Replacing the head gasket does not help, only grinding the cylinder head and block, and this procedure is only possible with the removal of the engine. And such a repair is possible only once, the motor will not withstand the second grinding of the head and block, the depth will be critical with the possibility of meeting the valves with the head. Therefore, if the motor passed 300-400 thousand kilometers, with one grinding, it is only for replacement. Although this is a very decent resource.

Toyota in 2009 solved this problem, with such malfunctions, they even got me under warranty for new engines at their own expense. But the problem is very rare, but it does occur. Mostly for those who are not weak on the strongest version of this 2.2-liter engine model.

Such engines are still produced and installed on various car models: Raf4, Avensis, Corolla, Lexus IS and others.

1 place

Diesel engine Honda 2.2 CDTi. The most reliable small diesel engine. Very productive and very economical diesel engine.

Four-cylinder, 16-valve, variable displacement turbocharged, common rail injection system, sleeved aluminum block.

The injectors are used by Bosch, not capricious and expensive Japanese Denso.

The predecessor of this engine was built back in 2003 with the marking 2.2 i-CTDi. He turned out to be very successful. Trouble-free, dynamic and economical in fuel consumption.

The modern Honda 2.2 CDTi engine in question appeared in 2008.

Of course, typical malfunctions did not pass, but all of them were extremely rare. Exhaust manifold cracks, but they occurred in the first releases, the Japanese reacted and this was not observed in subsequent releases.

Sometimes there were malfunctions of the timing chain tensioner. Also, sometimes the play of the turbine shaft appeared prematurely.

All of these failures arose from excessive constant loads and poor maintenance.

Honda installed this engine on Honda Civic, Accord, CR-V and others.

Of course, this engine has the smallest number of failures and breakdowns in relation to all other engines of Japanese automakers.

We put him five points out of five, assign him the first place of honor and wish you to have a similar one on your car.

Ford-Mazda 2.0L Duratec HE/MZR LF engine

Engine characteristics Duratec HE 2.0/MZR LF

Production – Valencia Engine
Years of release - (2001 - 2010)
Cylinder block material - aluminum
Power system - injector
Type - in-line
Number of cylinders - 4
Valves per cylinder - 4
Stroke - 83.1 mm
Cylinder diameter - 87.5 mm
Compression ratio - 10.8
Engine volume - 1999 cm3.
Power - 141-155 hp /6000 rpm
Torque - 185Nm / 4500 rpm
Fuel - 95
Environmental standards - Euro 4
Fuel consumption — the city of 9.8 liters. | track 5.4 l. | mixed 7.1 l/100 km
Oil consumption - up to 500 g / 1000 km
Dry weight of Duratec 2.0 engine ~93 kg.
Geometrical dimensions of Focus 2.0 engine (LxWxH), mm —
Engine oil Focus 2.0:
5W-20
5W-30

Resource:
1. According to the plant - 350 thousand km.
2. In practice - up to 500 thousand km

TUNING
Potential - unknown
Without loss of resource - unknown

The engine was installed on:






Ford Galaxy Mk III

Malfunctions and engine repair Mondeo-Mazda 3/6 Duratec 2.0 MZR LF

Ford Duratec HE 2.0 L engine. 145 HP the design is the same, but with cylinders of a larger diameter (87.5 mm versus 83 mm). The MZR LF series was developed by the Japanese company Mazda and was used by Ford as part of the cooperation between the two companies. Compared to 1.8 liters, a two-liter counterpart looks preferable from all sides: the consumption is the same, more elastic, more powerful, quieter, free of the lack of floating speed, as at 1.8. The resource of the Ford Duratek / Mazda MZR 2.0 engine, according to the plant, is 350 thousand km. the real motor resource is about that, but there are cases of mileage of 400-450 thousand without a major overhaul.
There is also a timing chain drive, which significantly increases reliability (chain life 200-250 thousand km). All motors have the problem of the fragility of the camshaft seals. The thermostat often breaks even before 100 thousand km. and the engine does not heat up or vice versa overheats. You also need to monitor the condition of the candle wells, if oil is found there, you need to tighten the valve cover or replace the gasket. If after 3000 rpm the car refuses to drive and the Check Engine lights up, then the time has come to replace the intake manifold flap control valve. In addition, every 150-160 thousand km it is necessary to adjust the valve clearances, there are no hydraulic compensators on the Duratec HE 2.0, by the way, there are no hydraulic compensators on the Ford Focus,, 1.8, 2.0 engines at all. Despite all these little things, 2 liters. very good motor, reliable and considered one of the best Ford Duratec motors. In 2010, this motor was replaced by its own restyled version Duratec HE GDI Ti-VCT, with variable valve timing, 150 hp.

Tuning engine Ford Focus 2.0 145 hp Duratec HE/Mazda 3.6 MZR LF

Chip tuning Focus\Mondeo\Mazda 3 2.0

Tuning offices offer firmware with an increase in power up to 160-165 hp. As you know, in practice, only the firmware of a naturally aspirated engine will do little, no need to build illusions, in order to feel additional power, you need to change the receiver to a sports one (Cosworth for example), you need a cold air intake, a 60 mm throttle valve, reinforced connecting rod bolts, sports camshafts ( for example Cat Cams 277/269), 4-2-1 exhaust without a catalyst, but rather a full forward flow, skate online and get about 200-210 forces.

Compressor for Focus \ Mondeo 2.0

We do everything that is done on the younger Duratec HE \ MZR, a PK-23-e mechanical supercharger (or a more expensive and reliable compressor), an intercooler, injectors from Mondeo 2.3, MAF from ST focus, a thick cylinder head gasket, an intelligent tuner and all this collect in a heap. A well-tuned motor will give out 200-plus hp, this will be the most optimal approach to tuning such a motor. You don’t need to deal with a hellish collective farm and install even more powerful 1 bar compressors and try to surpass the 5-cylinder Duratec 2.5, the reasons are simple: it’s not financially profitable and not very reliable, you don’t want to hang on a lift more than ride? :)

The Toyota L engine family is a diesel engine with a lot of advantages in its simple design. Motors appeared in 1977, the production of some modifications continues to this day. It is simply impossible to summarize the characteristics of all motors in a single table. Toyota Corporation has implemented hundreds of alterations and modifications during the production of engines, so it would be more logical to consider different generations separately.

Such a diesel in-line four will fully satisfy the requirements of even the most sophisticated motorist. The design is quite simple, the injection pump system does not bring significant problems, as is the case with classmates. But there are enough individual shortcomings in the motor.

The first family is the Toyota L engine

ATTENTION! Found a completely simple way to reduce fuel consumption! Don't believe? An auto mechanic with 15 years of experience also did not believe until he tried it. And now he saves 35,000 rubles a year on gasoline!

This motor received 2.2 liters of volume and only 72 hp. power. No electronics, no automatic systems, everything is extremely simple and clear. The 142 Nm of torque makes up for the low horsepower, but still leaves the engine one of the weakest in its environment.

The first generation L was installed on Blizzard (1980-1984), Chaser (1980-1984), Crown (1979-1983), Hiace (1982-1989), Hilux (1983-1988) and Mark II (1980-1984).

The unit is quite old, but it became the basis for more modern diesel engine variations, which we will talk about in more detail.

Mass version 2L - basic parameters of the series

Diesel engines were in demand, and already in 1980 there was a need to improve the engine, which the Japanese successfully did. The reconstruction affected the block head, cylinders, injection pump system and other mechanisms.

To understand the features of the 2L motor, it is worth indicating its main characteristics:

Working volume	2.4 l
Engine power	85 HP
Torque	167 Nm
Cylinder block	cast iron
Block head	aluminum
Number of cylinders	4
Number of valves	8
Cylinder diameter	92 mm
piston stroke	92 mm
Fuel type	diesel fuel
Fuel consumption:
- urban cycle	9 l / 100 km
- suburban cycle	7 l / 100 km
Timing system drive	belt

The main problem of the power unit was the unreliable block head. Just a terrible problem turned out to be overheating, which was encountered massively on these models of units. The pump is unreliable, and the expansion tank is set too low. This combination of factors killed many members of the family.

2L was installed on the same cars as the first generation of this engine. Like the first generation, the 2L didn't have a turbo yet. This disorder has been fixed in the next generations.

Modifications of the not-too-successful 2L - turbo and electronics

The world demanded change, and in the early 1980s, Toyota began working on installing a turbine in its mainstream diesel engines. The power of 85 horses was not enough for any owner of the motors of the L line. Playing with electronics and superchargers led to the appearance of several more versions of this motor:

As you can see, the fight was for every horsepower. Today, all these engines have lost their relevance. Buying 2L versions as a swap option doesn't make sense either. The motors overheat, the head of the block is destroyed, there are a number of problems with the EFI and the automatic injection pump in more advanced versions.

3L - advanced diesel with a simple design

Having increased the working volume to 2.8 liters, the corporation received a 3L engine. It was installed on a limited number of models - Hiace 1993-2004, as well as Hilux 1988-1994. There are no turbines, electronic injection options and other unreliable elements, so the motor is quite hardy.

The weak points can be called the pump of the cooling system, as well as the exactingness of the service. If the timing belt breaks, you will have to change almost the entire cylinder head and spend a lot of money on repairs.

In general, this unit turned out to be much more reliable than all its predecessors. Its resource is estimated at 500-600 thousand km. After that, you can complete the capital and drive up to 1 million km. Of course, some minor problems occur, especially with poor-quality service.

5L - senior modification of the family

The motor was developed in 1997 and installed on Hiace 1998-2004, Hilux 1997-2004, Regius Ace 1999-2004. Bore has been increased to 99.5mm and stroke has also been added to 96mm. This made it possible to increase the working volume to 3 liters. The engine power without a turbine was 97 horses, but the volume made it possible to give a good torque of 192 N * m.

Among the advantages are the following features:

• lack of a turbine and complex electronics with various childhood diseases;
• fairly high reliability, excellent resource over 600,000 km;
• timing belt drive, it is enough to change the belt 1 time in 60,000 km;
• simple maintenance, no expensive spare parts and specific fluids;
• a simple design in which there is nothing to break among the main nodes.

Problems again caused a pump with an archaic design and the entire cooling system. Due to overheating, cylinder head parts could fail, up to a rupture of the head housing. But this happened very rarely. The oil pump is not the most successful, but the engine had no significant problems with lubrication.

5L-E - the most successful modification of the unit

This motor for the Japanese market was installed on two generations of Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2002-2009, as well as 2009-2013. Of course, in Russia he would not have received popularity because of his 100 hp. power. On such a machine, we want more horses. And the torque of 201 N * m is not happy.

But otherwise, this 3-liter engine is doing very well. There is no turbine, there are a number of electronics for the absence of constant settings. Everything works reliably and does not cause any special problems.

The 5L-E version turned out to be the most durable among all members of the family. It is this motor that can be considered as a swap. Its consumption on the Prado is about 10 liters per 100 km in the combined cycle - this is just a godsend for this class.

Conclusions on the L engine family from Toyota Corporation

Generation L engines stretched their existence from 1977 to 2013. Some modifications of power units are still produced as spare parts for already produced cars to this day. The latest generations of 3L and 5L are quite successful, they do not have significant problems and premature failure.

Older generations turned out to be less reliable, they are more likely to encounter childhood illnesses of various types. All L units suffer from a cooling system, only in 5L-E it has been changed and corrected. But all engines of the family easily reach 500,000 km without significant problems and repairs. This indicates high reliability and excellent quality of power plants.

Among the most attractive cars in the world, Toyota constantly appears. This is a brand that really deserves respect and can offer you unique options for equipment. At each stage of development, the manufacturer had his own ideas about the quality engine and the normal technical support of the machine. There were periods in the history of the automotive industry when many manufacturers in the world aspired to the developments of a Japanese company. Today we will talk about Toyota engine models, which have received the fame of millionaires. Note that among modern units there are very few such representatives. The company began to produce so-called disposable engines that are not subject to major repairs. This is a generally accepted fact in the automotive world, as all manufacturers follow this path.

Considering the best Toyota engines is very difficult, as the company offers really many interesting powertrain options. Over decades of successful work, the Japanese have developed and successfully put into production more than a hundred models of units for their equipment. And most of the developments were successful. The company began to fill the main set of engines with huge advantages in 1988 and later until the very beginning of the new century. This is the era that brought fame to the manufacturer and made him world famous. The set of power units is so large that it will not be easy to choose a few of the best among this army of vehicles. However, today we will try to consider only the most famous and successful installations that the corporation has released in its life.

Toyota 3S-FE - the first millionaire with excellent performance

Prior to the introduction of the 3S-FE series engine, there was a perception that reliable powertrains could not be efficient. Always indestructible engines were considered rather boring and not very attractive in terms of performance, voracious and noisy in operation. But the 3S series from Toyota managed to change all perceptions. The unit was released in 1986 and existed without any changes until 2002 - before the global change in the company's lineup. Now a little about the characteristics:

• the working volume is 2 liters, the standard design is built on 4 cylinders and 16 valves, there are no technical exceptions and frills in the design of the unit;
• the injection system is simple distributed, a belt is installed on the timing system, the metal of the piston group is simply magnificent, which affects the excellent operation of the unit;
• the power of various modifications ranged from 128 to 140 horsepower, which at the time of the development of the power unit was actually a record with only 2 liters of engine capacity;
• the installation even with poor service maintains up to 500,000 kilometers, many car owners have not done major repairs to the power unit since the late 80s;
• after the overhaul, a rather high resource and excellent operation also remain, so such an installation can reach up to 1,000,000 kilometers without any problems.

Interestingly, the followers of this unit in the 3S-GE models and the turbocharged 3S-GTE also inherited an excellent design and a very good resource. During operation, this engine is not particularly worried about the quality of the oil and the frequency of its replacement. There is no problem in changing filters or using bad fuel. The motor was installed on almost the entire model range, except for SUVs.

Unique unit 2JZ-GE and its followers

One of the best Toyota engines ever made is the JZ series. The line has a 2.5-liter unit with the designation GE, as well as a 3-liter unit with the name 2JZ-GE. Also, turbocharged units with an increased volume and the GTE designation were added to the series. But today we will pay attention to the 2JZ-GE unit, which became a legend and existed from 1990 to 2007 without reforms. The main features of the engine are as follows:

• with 3 liters of working volume, the unit has 6 cylinders in-line - the design is very simple, classic and can serve for an incredibly long time without breakdowns;
• when the timing belt breaks, the valves do not meet and do not bend, so even with poor service, you will not be forced to spend a lot of money on car repairs;
• a large displacement has caused quite interesting characteristics - 225 horsepower and 300 N * m of torque do just a unique job;
• the metals used are not sharpened for lightness, the unit is very heavy and bulky, so it was used in large company cars with the need for power;
• operation up to 1,000,000 kilometers may well occur without additional repairs, the design is very reliable and produced with excellent detail.

There are no flaws in the line at all, as the reviews say. In our latitudes, the most common engine is Mark 2 and Supra. Other models are not so common. American models of Lexus sedans were also equipped with such units, but in Russia there are only a few of them. If you decide to buy a car with such a unit, then you can safely take a mileage reserve of over a million kilometers, this is a perfectly acceptable resource for an engine.

Legend and base engine from Toyota - 4A-FE

One of the legendary and first successful developments of the company can safely be called the 4A-FE model. This is a simple gasoline power unit that can simply surprise the owner with its durability and quality of service characteristics. The unpretentiousness of the motor would have made it popular today, but the company decided to move on to more modern economical series. The unit is still well operated with the following features:

• the classic design with a working volume of 1.6 liters produces a rather modest 110 horsepower, but at the same time it always works at the maximum of its capabilities in a car;
• torque is also not surprising - 145 N * m cannot be called an excellent combination of dynamics and power, but the unit behaves surprisingly decent in heavy vehicles;
• when the belt breaks, it does not lead to bending of the valves, there are no problems even with poor maintenance, and this indicates the unpretentiousness and quality of the product;
• there are no requirements for expensive gasoline - you can safely fill in 92 and drive without any problems, without losing a single kilometer of the resource (the consumption will be a little more);
• a million kilometers is not the limit, but only a few units reach this figure without a major overhaul, it all depends on the quality of service and operating modes.

For the most part, there are no problems with cars. When servicing, the only important factor can be considered the requirement for timely replacement of candles. This approach will help to get real benefits in operation quite simply and reduce fuel consumption. It should also be noted that the motor has no design problems, it can really go as many kilometers as you like and not provide any trouble to the owner.

Indestructible motor for crossover 2AR-FE

The last engine that will be discussed today is another representative of the Toyota segment, which in its operation can give odds to anyone. This is the 2AR-FE line, which was installed on the Toyota RAV4 and Alphard. We know him best from the RAV 4 crossover with its incredible operating capabilities. The engine is made with high quality and can offer its owners simply amazing operating benefits:

• with a volume of 2.5 liters, this gasoline unit is enough for 179 horsepower and an incredible 233 N * m of torque, the characteristics are suitable for a crossover;
• cars with such installations are completely unpretentious to gasoline, there is no need to look for the best fuel, you can even fill in 92 gasoline without a twinge of conscience;
• the chain on the timing system eliminates problems with valves, it needs to be replaced every 200,000 kilometers, but the engine life goes far beyond 1,000,000 kilometers;
• there are great benefits of transport operation in terms of fuel consumption, maintenance costs - there are practically no requirements for service, but its frequency should be normal;
• undoubtedly the most striking example of the use of the unit is the Toyota Camry, in which this engine played a special role during the long period of production of the car.

As you can see, this power unit also deserved the attention of the world community. All motorists who have encountered the capabilities of the power plant speak of its incredible reliability and simply excellent operating options. In the worst case, this engine will have to be sent for overhaul at 500-600 thousand kilometers. It remains only to periodically go to the service and enjoy the reliability of this unit. We offer you to watch a video about the top five engines from the corporation:

Summing up

On the market you can find a really large number of different representatives of millionaire engines. But for the most part, these units ended their existence in 2007, when the company moved into a new era of power plants. In the new generation, the cylinder walls are so thin that repairs become simply impossible. So the old classic millionaires are only available on the secondary market. Nevertheless, many models are sold today in used form with mileage up to 200,000 and with a huge residual resource.

However, when buying a car, you need to look not only at the engine, but also at all other features of the car. Sometimes mileage does not mean anything, but the quality of service and normal operation when buying is worth evaluating. You can find unexpected data about Toyota engines, which cause not very successful operation. For example, the use of extremely poor fuel with impurities can disable the newfangled VVT-i system and lead to other problems in the system. So not always a millionaire remains so during his life. Have you come across in your experience with the models of engines presented above?

The engine is the main and most expensive unit; its reliability largely determines whether the maintenance of the car will be costly. This is especially true for buyers of used cars. If only because, usually, motors begin to require attention after the warranty period has expired - more often from second or third owners. It is to them that our rating is primarily addressed, prepared jointly with the Moscow company INOMOTOR, which has been engaged in professional engine repair for about twenty years.

We have planned several comparative materials in which we will consider engines of different sizes. Let's start with atmospheric two-liter gasoline engines. Since a solid overhaul is not a cheap pleasure, they almost never bring units of smaller cubic capacity to minders: their restoration will cost more than the so-called contract engine with mileage brought from abroad. Therefore, statistics on such motors are too scarce for comparative analysis.

The ranking includes well-studied and popular engines that debuted 10-15 years ago. Around this time, there was a significant drop in quality - the resource of motors and their reliability decreased significantly. For the most part, these units were installed on cars of the penultimate generation, many of which became bestsellers in the secondary market. They put on solid runs, giving enough material to think about reliability.

The main criterion for the distribution of seats is the total resource of the engines. In addition, we evaluate the reliability of their individual systems and elements, as well as the quality of parts manufacturing. We considered repair technologies in detail in the material “Second Life” (ЗР, 2015, No. 1). Almost all elements of motors can be restored - the only question is economic feasibility. The approaches to the repair of engines presented in the review are identical, the difference is only in the number of parts that require treatment. Therefore, as an additional comparison criterion, we consider the cost and availability of spare parts.

In general, atmospheric gasoline engines with a volume of 2.0 liters are a fairly resourceful and not the most problematic group; many engines of the same families, but with a larger volume, for example 2.3–2.5 liters, are much more capricious. This is true for the "winners" of our rating.

8th place: BMW

BMW engines of the N43, N45 and N46 series belong to the same family, although they have structural differences. Their main carriers are the 318i, 320i (E90) and 520i (E60) models - representatives of the penultimate generations of BMW of the third and fifth series.

The average resource of engines in terms of wear of the cylinder-piston group is estimated below 150,000 km - the quality of the parts is not outstanding. Engines are technically complex for their time - perhaps even too much. They have many systems and components that begin to act up even before the onset of natural wear of cylinders and piston rings.

Motors are structurally prone to oil consumption, and some malfunctions exacerbate the situation. Due to the failure of the rubber diaphragm of the crankcase ventilation valve, oil begins to enter the intake pipeline - the car smokes like a steam locomotive. By 100,000 km of run, due to wear of the guide bushings, there is an increased backlash of the valves of the timing system, as a result, oil through the valve stem seals enters directly into the combustion chamber. In addition, incomplete closing of the valves leads to misfiring and interruptions during a cold start of the engine in winter.

Up to 150,000 km, the timing chain and variable valve timing clutches usually do not survive. Due to uneven elongation, the chain begins to make noise, even a break is possible, and then the meeting of the pistons with the valves is inevitable. But more often it only jumps a few teeth without catastrophic consequences. In addition to mechanical wear of the phase change clutches, by about 100,000 km of run, oil deposits clog the solenoid that controls them - the motor goes into emergency mode.

Capricious and the system for changing the height of the intake valves (Valvetronic), which works instead of the usual throttle. After 100,000 km of run, an expensive electric motor is clogged with oil deposits, and eventually it jams. Due to frequent driving through traffic jams, soot builds up on the valves, which turns into their incomplete closure. At idle speed, the sensitive system perceives this as a serious malfunction, the engine starts to work intermittently, the Check Engine warning lamp lights up.

These BMW engines, like many of their contemporaries, do not have factory overhaul dimensions. In the event of critical wear of the cylinder walls, minders bore and line the blocks, while maintaining the nominal size of the piston group. Alas, original spare parts for BMW engines are the most expensive among others from our selection, and there are practically no analogues to them. Overhaul of these motors is the most expensive.

7th place: Volkswagen

2.0 FSI engines were installed on many models of the Volkswagen concern. The most common are Golf V, Passat B6, Octavia and second generation Audi A3.

The average resource of engines is 150,000 km. Motorists assess the quality level of their elements as average. Like BMW engines, Volkswagen 2.0 FSI units do not shine with reliability due to the technically complex design, but the scale of the disaster is smaller.

Direct injection fuel equipment is capricious. Expensive, but short-lived injectors and injection pumps die after 100,000 km of run. In addition, due to a design flaw in the power system, uneven wear of the cylinders occurs: the nozzle sprays gasoline on almost the opposite wall of the cylinder, thereby washing oil from it. Already by 120,000 km, the cylinder in this zone has a distinct barrel shape due to wear.

Another disadvantage of direct injection: the fuel does not clean the intake valves from carbon deposits. Sooner or later, this leads to their incomplete closure and unstable cold engine starts, especially in winter. The situation is aggravated by the rapid wear of the valve guides (as in BMW engines), which in addition leads to increased oil consumption.

FSI engines were also noted for the frequent occurrence of piston rings. A noticeable decrease in their thickness significantly affected the stiffness. By the way, this is one of the trends in modern engine building: weight reduction affects reliability. Less rigid rings lose their original geometry faster, coke up and actually stop working. One of the harbingers of this is the difficult cold start of the engine in the winter.

Repair dimensions for FSI motors are not provided. Original parts are not cheap. Fortunately, there are plenty of substitutes on the market. In general, the cost of overhauling FSI engines is high, only BMW units are more expensive.

6th place: Ford/Mazda

The joint brainchild of Ford and Mazda is the Duratec HE / MZR family of engines. These identical engines are widely distributed, they were installed on such mass models as the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 of the first two generations, Focus and Mondeo of previous generations.

The resource of motors is 150,000–180,000 km. Structurally, they are quite simple, but, alas, the quality of the parts leaves much to be desired. In addition, these engines are especially sensitive to oil starvation and overheating.

With active driving, oil consumption increases significantly. If the owner did not keep track of its level, there is a high risk of turning the connecting rod and main bearings of the crankshaft. On these engines, the liners are made without locks and are installed under tightness - they are held in place only due to the elasticity of the metal. Unfortunately, today this is another common solution. A short oil starvation or a slight overheating of the motor is enough, and the liners lose their geometry.

When turning the liners, the crankshaft journals and its beds in the cylinder block suffer. When they are repaired, mediocre workmanship emerges. There are frequent cases when the shaft necks crack: an expensive shaft is thrown away. And when unscrewing the bolts of the main caps, threads spill out of the holes. It is obvious that during assembly it will no longer withstand the required tightening torque. We have to restore it with the help of futorok.

Engines do not have repair dimensions. At the same time, spare parts are not available separately for engines of Ford models - only as a short block (cylinder block assembly). Fortunately, there are similar Mazda parts on sale. There are also non-original spare parts on the market. The cost of overhauling motors is average.

5th place: Renault-Nissan

Renault-Nissan engines of the M4R / MR20 families are more familiar from Japanese crossovers. The MR20 unit was armed with the X‑Trail of the previous generation, and Qashqai has not parted with it to this day. The French counterpart was on the third generation Megane and is still available for Fluence.

The resource of motor brothers is 180,000–200,000 km. The quality of the parts is better than that of the closest competitors - engines for Ford and Mazda cars, but there were also some weak points. Sometimes cracks appear on the necks of the crankshafts and deformation of the fourth cylinder occurs - as a rule, when servicemen overtighten the mounting bolts when installing the gearbox. The timing chain is short-lived: it stretches to 80,000 km.

As usual, repair dimensions are not provided. Original spare parts are available separately. At the cost of overhaul, these engines are comparable to a pair of Ford / Mazda.

4th place: Mitsubishi

The Mitsubishi 4B11 series motor opens a subgroup of engines devoid of serious diseases. It was installed on the previous generation Outlander and Lancer X of the first years of production.

Engine resource - 180,000-200,000 km. The workmanship of its elements is good. The overall reliability of the motor is largely due to the simplicity of the design, devoid of capricious systems. As a rule, engines get to repairmen due to the natural wear of the cylinder-piston group.

The motor is oversized. Original spare parts are available separately.

In terms of the cost of restoration, the Mitsubishi engine is comparable to the engines of Renault, Nissan, Ford, Mazda.

3rd place: Honda

The Honda R20 series motor was installed mainly on the Accord of the seventh and eighth generations and on the CR-V of the last two generations.

The resource is about 200,000 km. The workmanship of parts is slightly higher than that of the Mitsubishi motor. The R20 engine is reliable and structurally simple. A simple “screw-nut” valve adjustment scheme does not require the selection and replacement of valve lifters. Subject to the regulations of this operation (every 45,000 km), R20 will not cause trouble until the occurrence of natural wear of the cylinder-piston group.

Repair dimensions for the engine are not provided. Parts for Honda engines are not cheap, so the overhaul is one of the most expensive in the Japanese subgroup.

2nd place: Toyota

The resource is about 200,000 km. The workmanship of the elements is very good. In our list, two clear leaders in this indicator are Toyota and Subaru. The 1‑AZ engine was ahead of the Honda R20 in another way: original parts for it are among the cheapest. The 1‑AZ engine rebuild price is the lowest in our rating.

1st place: Subaru

The most reliable and “long-playing” engine in the group was called the Subaru boxer unit of the EJ20 series, familiar from the late 1990s. It is still put on some models intended for the Japanese market. In Europe, the era of this opponent ended in 2011, when it was replaced by an updated FB series motor with a timing chain drive instead of a belt. Among the latest common Subaru models, the Forester and the third-generation Impreza are armed with the EJ20 engine.

Resource - 250,000 km. The quality of the parts is as high as the Toyota 1‑AZ, and in addition, the EJ20 has another trump card. This is one of the few engines on our list for which at least one factory overhaul size is provided - a rarity for engines of the early 2000s.

However, the Subaru engine also has its drawbacks. Although there is an alternative to the block sleeve, original spare parts are expensive, and there are very few analogues.

Among Japan's Big Four, Subaru's engine will require the highest overhaul costs. High resource and reliability cost money.

We are grateful to INOMOTOR LLC (Moscow) for their help in preparing the material