3 cylinder turbo charged engines - Life Expectancy.

roker said:
How long will it last in the long term? Does that come under reliability?
The post heading says Life Expectancy
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Any car will last indefinitely if you keep repairing or replacing parts. What you're really interested in is the rate at which it goes wrong (the reliability) and the cost of repairing when it does. When the cost of repair exceeds the value of the car, you (should) give up, though it might make sense to give up before then if the reliability gives you cause for concern.
 
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Greetings all:

I visited this forum seeking an answer to the question asked by the OP. Didn't read the answer in these prior posts. My 1994 Ford Escape 4-cyclinder engine lasted 210k miles before it wore away and lost compression.

Yes, it could be the valve train or it could be the pistons and rings, or a combination of the two that caused the low compression. So, if I may re-phrase the original question: given normal maintenance, how many miles will the engine yield, before it wears to the point of low compression?

At 55 mph, the 4-cylinder Ford Escape's engine turned @ 2250 rpm, and wore away at 210k miles.

So, if, at 55 mph, my 3-cylinder car engine turns at 4000 rpm, is it reasonable to assume it will yield 110k miles before it wears down?

Let's not consider realities such as city driving or long-distance driving or mixed city-long-distance driving. We'll keep it simple and hypothetical, with all other things and aspects being equal, because, we all agree, there are two many variables to come to any agreement, as witnessed by the previous posts.

So the simple question, if I may ask it again, with all other things being equal: how many miles should I expect a 3-cylinder engine to yield before it wears down?
 
FrugalDriver said:
Let's not consider realities such as....
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I think you've unintentionally captured the essence of the points you raise with that particular phrase: let's not consider the realities, indeed.

I'm not sure where to begin, but just out of curiousity, why do you suggest that 3-cylinder engines rotate at a faster rate than 4-cylinder ones? Follow that logic and a V12 Ferrari would have one of the lowest revving engines on the market....

On a more positive note, I'd suggest you look to evidence based reliability information, such as that found at [broken link removed]
 
You are asking this from a US perspective not a European one. Which is where this forum is based.

FrugalDriver said:
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So the simple question, if I may ask it again, with all other things being equal: how many miles should I expect a 3-cylinder engine to yield before it wears down?
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Its not a simple question. Also its the wrong question.

You are making an invalid assumption that the materials are the same, also that two identical parts made the same will wear the same.
Its also an an invalid assumption that increasing RPM has linear, directly proportional relationship with wear.
There have high profile 6 cylinder engines with premature wear and failures. So its not about the number of cylinders.
Even when your Ford Escape engine failed. It could simply have been swapped for another engine.

The issue really is if the cost of repair exceeds the cost of buying a better vehicle, or indeed something else makes makes the vehicle nonviable like a change in emissions legislation or taxation. In Ireland its our tax regime that makes larger engines nonviable for many. Its nothing to do with reliability or failures.
 
FrugalDriver said:
Didn't read the answer in these prior posts.
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It would have taken to less time to read those than to register and post your message.


FrugalDriver said:
So the simple question, if I may ask it again, with all other things being equal: how many miles should I expect a 3-cylinder engine to yield before it wears down?
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All things being equal, it'll last the same 210k miles of course.
 
Thanks for attempting to reply to the question. Permit me to ask another question:
Please tell us readers, those of you who own, or know someone who owns a 3-cylinder Mitsubishi Mirage, the model year of the car, and how many miles are on the odometer.
 
FrugalDriver said:
Thanks for attempting to reply to the question. Permit me to ask another question:
Please tell us readers, those of you who own, or know someone who owns a 3-cylinder Mitsubishi Mirage, the model year of the car, and how many miles are on the odometer.
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Is that a serious question? What possible use would the answer be, regardless of what the figure is?
 
Thanks again for the links and ideas. My desire is to attempt to answer the OP's question, irrespective of his/her motivations. I am assuming here, that our goal is to help each other, while attempting to be non-judgemental, and assisting each other arrive at conclusions and decisions that will assist us in our individual lives.

I feel confident that the OP is aware of the variables involved in answering that original question, just as all of you/us are that have posted answers to that question.

For you, then, OP, I did brief research on the internet and compiled a short list of distance covered and malfunctions encountered by owners of the the Mitsubishi Mirage/Space Star. While we all agree that each vehicle is subject to separate, distinct and many variables, this is, I think, a starting point to answering your question. I hope it helps you in whatever your quest was when you first posed the question. Of course, the miles may easily be converted to kms, to get a better feel for distance, in countries using the metric system:-

11500 mi Passenger fender turn signal out
22000 mi Air bag sensor. Noise when the AC clutch engages; normal; just loud on Mirages.
24000 mi
31250 mi
32800 mi Rear axle out of spec
39000 mi Faulty airbag sensor, rear axle problem, stock tires worn
40898 mi Paint & body looks 10 yrs old
40000 mi
45000 mi Replaced tires
50000 mi Serpentine belt. Goodyear Viva 3 tires replaced. Front catalytic converter
55000 mi
57000 mi Cabin filter, serpentine belt
60000 mi
83000 mi
88000 mi Front struts blown, rear shocks bad, fear springs terrible, alignment off
92000 mi Blown headlamp, replaced AC Condenser
93000 mi Leaky radiator, on the seal between the plastic ends and metal
105000 mi One sensor broke inside a tire pressure measuring system
127000 mi Replaced radiator, falling apart from taxi service abuse
140000 mi New drums on the rear
169734 mi Uses 1/2 liter of oil every 3725 mi
200000 mi
232134 mi
252000 mi

In the lines where there is nothing following the distance in miles, the person merely stated that the vehicle had been driven that many miles, not indicating what malfunctions were encountered, what parts were replaced and serviced.

I think I'm going to acquire a Mitsubishi Mirage/Space Star!!
 
Chatting with my local independent garage his advice was " get a 4 cylinder" he had 2 mini/ Peugeot 3 cylinder engines in that day ". They DRINK OIL and fail"
 
Saw a lovely new 3 cylinder turbo engine car on YouTube. A new Toyota Yaris. 1.6 litre engine. 250 or 260 horse power. I don't know if it's good on petrol though.
 
I'm New at this....no PUNT intended to "newtothis"...lol.
There's an old saying...there's no replacement for Displacement!
Unfortunately, manufacturer's are using smaller engines for economy, and consumers wish to have the same power as a vehicle with a larger engine, which in turn manufacturer's design their smaller cars with smaller engines with turbos etc....
My humble opinion ( and yes...I'm an engineer, and mechanic, with vast experience and with an A&P license for the aviation industry which I have worked for the last 45 yrs), that said, in my experience, a larger engine, let us say, an old V8 which will run slower with a bigger displacement, will generate enough power to move it's carcass on the road with ease....but it definitely isn't an economical mode of transportation. Smaller engines with turbos have power and are far better on the economy side. So....it's a give or take situation....what are you striving for?
....ahh....one more thing....back in the old days ( my good'ol days), there wasn't much of something called: Designed obsolescence ! New cars nowadays have that embedded into their design....so....it may be sufficient to say....no matter what....a new "cheaper" car that can last up to 10 yrs nowadays, is lasting on borrowed time. I personally drive an old 2005 E320 Mercedes with miles coming to half a million miles, and it purrs like a kitten.( I bought it used)
Regardless....there's an old saying....you get what you pay for......so.....buying a vehicle....definitely requires, RESEARCH, gut feeling, intuition, and a lot of luck!
I agree with most posts on this forum....but, like everything else...everyone has a bellybutton...everyone has his/hers/its opinion !
My experience dictates....don't buy a brand new car off the car lot that hasn't been out for a few years, because, like everything else....it will have issues in the the very beginning. If you do buy used, beware, why has the car been sold. Was it in a flood( did it come from Florida "maybe it was flooded during a hurricane")?... hidden engine/transmission/ electrical issues? Even an old 1970 Impala I bought used by an "older Lady" only on Sunday's to go to church and grocery store, had issues....A LOT of rusted frozen nuts. It was a nightmare to service....I got rid of it, even though it looked like new! I owned a new 1994 Honda Accord made in Japan and thought I would buy another for my wife...made in the US...boy....hers was a piece of you know what...!!! Sold both on Ebay with full explanations, and I got fair value on both....mine got a lot more value $$$ in respect to hers....just because....yep you guessed it....QUALITY!....ahh...mine had a 17 gallon tank, hers had an 11 gallon tank....hummmm.....food for thought...right? Had a brand new Dodge Caravan....a TRUE LEMON. My parents bought one....Theirs was Fantastic....LUCK played on this one. Both were new from the lot. I had two Corollas....mine was 1999 and my wife's Corolla was a 2000....both were purchased used....my wife'[s corolla had issues Galore. ( These two were after the sale of the two Accords sold on Ebay. The money from both sales were enough to buy these two and the left over money was used to pay off bills incurred from a previous wife..."Called: Divorce!!!
So, bottom of the story....do your due diligence before buying, whether it be a New vehicle, or a used one....that's my opinion.
Hope this helps.
 
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USA is slightly different much harsher weather conditions, mountains, deserts, snow, heat etc. Also much longer distances. Cheap fuel.
 
noproblem said:
Going on your thinking there's no need for anything bigger than a 3 cylinder v 4 cylinder. I don't need an engineer to tell me why i'd buy a 4 cylinder over a 3 cylinder given that they're the same price, etc. Don't think i'd be too wrong or, making a mistake either. Then again, what do I base that on? Good old time gut feeling, that's what.
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Looks like I'm proving to be right give a lttle more time
 
There are 3 cly engines that are reliable and long lasting. But there are some that are not. Do your research on the car.

You really only want the smaller engine if is cheaper in tax, insurance and fuel economy (repairs). Often there's no different between it and bigger engine, in the current emission regime.
 
The thread was woken up a week ago. But in fairness 3 cylinder turbo engine are as relevant today as when the thread started, perhaps even more common.

If forums don't want old threads reincarnated they should automatically close/lock them after 6 months or so. Perhaps even delete them after 12 months for data protection.

Another forum, insisted on keeping old threads going back years. If you posted in them, they'd lock the thread. Why keep them if obsolete???. Then the sheer size of the database overwhelmed them, and have been struggling with it ever since.
 
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