Pentastar V6 engines reliability
Hi All - looking for comment and examples perhaps of this engine being used for competition. We are off road racing fanatics and are looking at this engine to use in a class which limits engine size to 3.5l/3500cc. Not turbocharged or Supercharged as this does not suit application. Trying to achieve only 300hp and 300nm Torque with mild improvements inc' re-mapping ECU and possibly fuel management/injectors upgrade. Ideally no engine strip down for improvements to be made so stock motors can be used to maintain budget and be sourced/interchanged easily when failure occurs…..
Pentastar on paper looks good base as its all alloy construction makes it light, its Quad Cammed and bolts up to some usable transmissions as standard…
But we have no reference of they're reliability and tunability so hopefully you will all have some good and bad points to air so we can make an educated decision.
Also will be looking for a supplier to the UK once we know what we are doing…
I am definitely no expert in the racing world, but I can tell you the weak point we have experienced on these engines. The main things would be roller/rockers going bad and wiping out the camshafts. The other things we see a lot of is the oil coolers leaking under the intake….As far as the base engine, meaning crank and pistons etc. We have not seen problems. Hope this helps!
Honda 3.5L all the way, speaking from experience, user friendly, low operating costs. Personally I would never consider the Pentastar engine.
You are in U.K. I am in U.S.A. so I cannot speak for prices over there but these engines fail often in the real world.. They can be fixed but, due to high failure rates, used engines are expensive to me. You have a better budget if you are racing so it may not matter.. Timing chain engine and the oil pump is timing chain driven. It has been in service for a while now so there are upgraded parts…
I think you have some things crossed here. The “Pentastar” engine is a 3.6l engine, not 3.5l. It already makes 305HP to start with, no mods. These engines started in 2011 and on to current day. Now, before 2011, they had the 3.5l V6. It was 255Hp and 275Tq. Very reliable engines. The main issue with them is poor PCV functions. This caused sludging mostly on the passenger head. This was because…
Thankyou both for that - I thought there was a 3.2l version in the Jeep which i was hoping could be tuned to get the 300bhp or more somehow - info taken from Wikipedia 3.2 L; 197.7 cu in (3,239 cc) 83 mm (3.27 in) 2014– 271 bhp (202 kW; 275 PS) at 6750 rpm (Cherokee)
I checked out your reference. Apparently they do have a 3.2l. I'm sure the 3.2l & the 3.6l are based off of the same design. From what I saw the bore & stroke a different between the two. I know on the 3.6l engine, the exhaust manifold is integral to the head. Exhaust pipe bolts directly to head. On the 3.6l engines, they are bad about the roller bearings on the roller rockers failing…
Price,availability,durability,power. everything points toward a Toyota for me. The 3.5 is right at 300 HP as it sits, and it is readily available. I believe looking at the overall picture, transmission options are better, also.
Thanks for your time. Toyota v6 is cast iron block so too heavy for application. Can't see anything online in Toyotas range with aluminium block v6
you may want to look again. Honda=360# , Toyota 2GR-FE =360# aluminum block light enough for Lotus to use motorreviewer.com/engine.php?eng…
Honda J35A8. Hands down one of the most reliable engines that will take constant abuse without a single complaint in the world.
I would also consider the Nissan VQ35HR from the late model 350Z. I'm not sure if you got the Infiniti G35/Nissan Skyline V36 in the UK, but that car has it too. It has an aluminum block, there would be great tuning market support for it and makes a hair over 300hp out of the box.
Thank you for your time tor ead above - looks like a cast iron block so will be too heavy for application - thank you. Currently pursuing 2GR V6 engine options - all Aluminium engine - need to now identify a flywheel and possibly 9" or 9.5" twin plate organic clutch arrangement…