Start the 6.4 and it sounds right, tight clatter, crisp idle, no smoke. Then the coolant drops, the oil level climbs, and regen locks you into a 30-minute idle while the turbo cooks. The 6.4 Powerstroke was built under pressure. EPA targets loomed. The 6.0’s failure record haunted Ford. So Navistar cranked out a block … Read more
Roll into boost. Lose power. Pop the hood and find a hot gauge, hissing idle, and oil where it shouldn’t be. That’s the 1.4L Ecotec in the wild, GM’s small turbo four built to stretch fuel and pack torque into compact cars like the Chevy Cruze, Sonic, Trax, and Buick Encore. Two versions ran the … Read more
Shudders. Slips. No reverse. The 6L90 (RPO MYD) rarely quits without a warning shot; but when it goes, it goes loud. GM built it to handle big torque from gas V8s and 6.6 Duramax diesels. It runs a long case, six-pinion gearsets, and wide-ratio gearing for highway mileage. That strength comes with pressure. Heat, friction, … Read more
Burns a quart in 1,500 miles. No leaks, no smoke; just gone. Subaru’s early FB engines weren’t worn-out beaters. They were fresh off the lot, loaded with low-tension rings and thin 0W-20 oil that slipped past the cylinders and straight into the chamber. Owners kept topping off. Dealers called it “normal.” Lawyers didn’t. This guide … Read more
Lose the camera, lose the job. That’s how it goes when a ProMaster flashes blue instead of showing what’s behind. No mirrors help. Not with a steel wall in the cargo bay and rear doors sealed like a vault. Rearview camera failures in these vans triggered a storm of recalls. Hardware cracks in early units. … Read more
Rattle the lifters, then eat the cam; that’s how the 6.4 Hemi knocks itself out of service. This V8 was built to bridge brute torque and gas simplicity, but the longer it idles, the louder it ticks. Trucks snap manifold bolts under heat soak. Cars stress lifters at redline. And both lose metal into the … Read more
Boost hits. Temp climbs. Then the exhaust turns sweet and steamy, your 2.3 EcoBoost just lost its seal. Early blocks flex at the deck under pressure. Ford chased cooling gains with an open-deck design, but that left thin spots between cylinders where head gaskets sink, crack, and let coolant slip into the chamber. Some 2016–2019 … Read more
Ticks cold. Burns oil. Throws low-pressure warnings. The 6.0 was supposed to be bulletproof. So why does the dash light up like it’s on life support? Start with this, not all 6.0s are built the same. Gen III iron-block LQ4s and LQ9s run simple and strong. Gen IV LY6s and L96s add VVT and sensor … Read more
Drop the hammer, hit the throttle; overdrive flares, then a gut-punch shift into limp. Again. That’s the failure loop on tuned Cummins trucks running the 68RFE. Chrysler stretched a gas transmission to do diesel work, then masked its weakest link with software. The overdrive pack warps. Valve body cross-leaks drain pressure. The converter shudders, sheds … Read more
Spec a 2024 Super Duty with the base 6.8 and save $1,500 over the 7.3. Sounds smart; until cam tick starts at idle, oil pressure drops in traffic, or the 10-speed kicks out of 4th on a grade. Early buyers thought they were getting a smaller Godzilla. Some did. Others got PCM updates, fuel pump … Read more