ive heard a lot of good things about this motor but ive also heard a lot about how unreliable they are unless rebuilt every 60k miles or so-and ive seen a LOT of them that have failed at around 120-130k, my question is what makes them prone to engine failure & what could be done to one to improve reliability? also if its a timing belt engine i will look into having a timing chain set made for it if i cant find one for sale-IF i choose to go with this engine.
any help is greatly appreciated!!
2.4's are reliable. They can spin a rod bearing though if there is a lack of oil.
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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
also wikipedia says they are 3.7" stroke whereas intellichoice says its 3.'for 97 it-which is it? and arent they also prone to headgasket failure or is that the same cause as with the v6's (terrible stock gaskets)?
No, they're reliable. As said the only issue is the #3 rod bearing, but that usually only happens if you're low on oil. 2.3L oil pump swap typically solves any oil circulation problems.
Mine had 190,532 miles on it, running strong, boosted since 173,000 miles, before I swapped the engine for a built 2.4L just to be safe.
2001 Olds Alero (LD9)
650 whp / 543 ft-lb
@turboalero
Most the people that say the 2.4 is unreliable...... had a car with one in it that they didnt take care of and beat the ever living crap out of........ and when the engine went..... they blamed it on the engine being un reliable instead of accepting it was there own stupidity that was at fault..
Other then having some issues with the coils..... I've never had a problem with mine..... and really no one I've ever known that knows how to take care of them has either..... although theres always the possibiliy that something can happen with any engine... especially a modded one.
Just make sure you check the oil regularly and change it when needed....
I was under the impression that it was spinning the #3 rod bearing due to lack of oil as well but was told it had more to do with the oil channels in the block. I'm probably gonna upgarde the oil pump on the safe side once I go turbo. I bought my car because the guy never checked his oil, ran it completely out of oil and guess what it blew up! Not because it was an unreliable engine, but because he never checked the oil! I have had my car with the mp45 for about 50,000-60,000kms on my car now and never had one problem (well I lied, my alternator went
). I'm curious to know if there is a way to modify the block to allow for more oil channels to lubricate the internals to help prevent spinning a rod bearing?
set up your turbo oil drain to shoot oil right on the #3 rod bearing area lol
2001 Olds Alero (LD9)
650 whp / 543 ft-lb
@turboalero
no? dint you guys hear? the quad 4 is junk
(even though its a completely different engine)
PFFT secret cams?! pm me if you want a real upgrade.
Don't forget water pumps.
need help with tuning.
Adam Lewis 3 07/14/2009 7:53 PM
by RufusMegee
Go to first new post
i am almost ready to buy hpt
www.gmscf.com
Not sure how that extra @!#$ got added to the water pump comment.... but ok.
www.gmscf.com
Truly water pump was a issue in 96-97 mainly. Still if you plan to have a car and put at least 75k on it you should always paln to do a water pump at some point. I'm at 105k and still stock water pump. My 97 got replaced at 45k.
FU Tuning
The engine in my 97 Sunfire is a 96 model year 2.4...(not the original engine) and I havnt had any water pump problems..... maybe im just lucky.... (knock on wood)
i think its mainly due to lack of maintenance. people are lazy these days. they want a gauge to tell them when to get an oil change
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
196,000 miles on my engine and changed the water pump on it at 70,000 miles with no issues yet.
It's a very reliable engine and if you do take the maintenance on it, will last you for very long.
I drag raced this engine for 4 years on every weekend and sometimes twice a week and the engine to this day is strong, doesn't leak, and still runs the same times at the track as when it did 8 years ago.
Great engine if you keep it maintained.
Oh and Brad, the 2.4 and 2.3 are both quad engines because there are so many interchangeable parts that with little or no modification fit either/ or.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO! 
i was kidding.
its laughable how these engines get bashed because of the quad though. every backwoods dumbass mechanic shop
"OMZ hEAD GASKETZ YO"
PFFT secret cams?! pm me if you want a real upgrade.
^lol....so true
"Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience!" -Anonymous
To answer a couple of your items, the 2.4 is a timing chain engine, not a belt engine. If you want technical info, try this link...
http://www.quad4forums.com/forums/techdata.php
The design intent was that the water pump would last the life of the engine, but this assumes everyone maintains their cooling systems the same way. Most people change the water pumps (and thermostats) if they're in changing the timing set (also subject to maintenance variations). I have two of these engines currently, one with 106K and the other with 96K miles. Both are original with their original water pumps and timing sets. Both are quiet and don't use or leak anything. (The 106K engine will be getting a timing set and water pump because I have a set of "secret cams" to put in it.)
99redz24 wrote:i think its mainly due to lack of maintenance.
Bingo.
For starters, the 2.3 oil pump will not fix the #3 rod bearing. There have been at least 2 cases here of 3rd rod failure and 2.3L pump. The pump does alleviate oil starvation. IMO the only way I would do the 2.3L pump is if I was going over 6600 rpms and it sees those revs constantly. If you want something really worth wile, go dry sump.
You want to prevent it from happening, put 4.5qrts of oil and keep it there, that means check often, especially if your car eats oil. GM made a mistake quoting 4qrts of oil for a oil change as if they forgot to take into account of oil going into the oil filter canister.
Some people complain on the water pump getting shot early. Again lack of maintenance. People believe that coolant will run the same at 100K miles as when it had 10 miles on the car. And when and if they do change the coolant, they make the mistake of putting tap water to top off the cooling system. Both of these bad habits is what slowly kills water pumps. Change the coolant every 2/yrs or 15-20K miles, it is only $10 a jug and save lots of future headaches. And if you decide to top off with water, don't use tap water as it has calcium deposits. If you want to see what I'm talking about, throw tap water on your car and let it air/sun dry, those white spots is what is in the water and potentially kill water pumps.
I will say this, if it fails, like most chain driven pumps, it is a PIA to replace.
I will lastly say that the 2.4L are pretty reliable/robust and my only complaint does not involve with the engine but rather the computer. Sometimes in a blue-moon it feels as if it wants to stumble and shuts off (<2% chance) at a stop, but mostly it will catch it self. And I notice it is normal with the 2.4L and manual. Looks like GM decide to use a Intel 386 processor.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
no offense to anyone out that drives a 2.4 but the 2.2 ohv is and will always be the best 4 banger chevy ever made id put a 2.2 in my car before a 2.4 and ecotec anyday of the week much less put one in your car and ur problems will stop
dallas monette wrote:no offense to anyone out that drives a 2.4 but the 2.2 ohv is and will always be the best 4 banger chevy ever made id put a 2.2 in my car before a 2.4 and ecotec anyday of the week much less put one in your car and ur problems will stop
You are a moron!
FORGET GIRLS GONE WILD WE HAVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING GONE WILD!
mine in my 01 z24 is great, 211,500 miles,still runs great: ] knockonwood.
then i must be the only one if cavalier's were ment to have twin cams then there would be a honda badge on the front as they are the only ones that can produce a decent twin cam engine why do u think they only produced the quad 4 for a short time it sucks twin cams are for jap cars true chevy's run push rods
dallas monette wrote:then i must be the only one if cavalier's were ment to have twin cams then there would be a honda badge on the front as they are the only ones that can produce a decent twin cam engine why do u think they only produced the quad 4 for a short time it sucks twin cams are for jap cars true chevy's run push rods
Ok you are a real moron. Back when the 2.3 was first made it was one of the most powerful 4 cly made. The 2.4 was as well. The Ecotec is probably the badest 4cly in Sport Compact drag racing.
Again I am not saying a OHV is bad. They are good motors if taken care of. Still not better.
FU Tuning
