I got offered a great deal on a Concorde and don't know if I should take it. Was wondering what goes wrong with the 2.7 V6's. I have heard they are junk. The car has 140,000 miles on it and was adult owned. THANKS!

if it is junk how did it ever get to 140K miles?

The timing chains are a bear to replace and they chew up the covers. The oil passages get plugged up and it destroys the bearings. They don't ALL go bad but they have a bad rep-where there's smoke there's fire...

http://www.dontbuyone.com/

My 1999 died at 51k with the famous oil sludge problem. Battled Chrysler for over a year since all service was done by them every 3000K miles. Loved the way it drove. Has to be one of the best driving cars I have ever had.

Finally donated it to the kidney foundation to get rid of it.

They have a crappy reputation for being such a recently produced (97?) all alum deal. I picked up a 2000 intrepid cheap with broken rods, found I could not fix it as cheap as I'm used to fixing blown up stuff, so I unloaded it.

I used to work at a dodge dealer when they were younger and they were terible back then. Most of them were blowing smoke before 100,000. Many of them simply blew rods out the side at low miles. Lots of timing chains broke and took out the front of the motor and I saw two that had busted cams. The dealer I worked at kept smokeless oil on hand just for the 2.7s when someone traded them in so they could sell them

140,000 is not high miles for most modern engines but it is very high for a 2.7.

Will any other Chrysler motor bolt in (even if tranny swapped too)? Just wondering...

the crank dampner goes bad and wobbles

The better title for this thread would really be:
2.7 V6 What DOSEN`T go wrong with them?



In reality anything after `02 has for the most part, been ok...But in the case of this engine, ALWAYS check maintence history before plunking down coin. just about everything on this disaster design is expensive to repair and typically over the head of the average "driveway mechanic"
As with any 2.7...Your mileage may vary

Rick

keep the pcv system clean and working, and that should alleviate the risk of sludging.

Isn't the 3.5 swappable into a 2.7 car?
R.

Thanks! Thats good to know. I would suppose alot of (non Mopar) people would give up on a 2.7 vehicle and dump their cars (cheap). 3.5 has been around long to pick-up inexpensive and is a good motor.

Been thinking about trying this...

I have seen more than a dozen 2.7 dead-motor cars on craigslist here in the last 2 years. All under $1000, all in quite nice shape. I just don't have the inclination to try to do one. But they are out there, for sure.

R.

2 years ago my moms 66k Intrepid started knocking , tore it down and found sludged oil in pasagways and one spun rod bearing and piston on same rod scored . Cleaned it up real good , put reground crank and fited bearings in it from local speed shop, one new piston/rod assembly from mopar ,and a new set of rings , new oil pump and PCV and hose too . Cost about 1300 in parts . Runs real nice now .Using synthetic oil in it now .

I'm really itching to try the 3.5 HO route in one of these...

From what I understand you will need the H.O ecu for a H.O application.
The stock 2.7 ecu will lean out on the H.O 3.5.
Lots of info here http://www.dodgeintrepid.net/

Ah, in the "How to" section. I wonder if Peter C. Sessler is the same one who wrote the Dodge & PLymouth Muscle Car Red Books...

The early 2.7 were trouble prone and gave the engine a bad name. I think there were a few changes made in 2001. There were a number of improvements made in 2002. The oil pressure was increased, oil coolers were added, some oil passages were enlarged, and improved timing chain & tensioner were added, etc. So the newer 2.7s are considerably improved.

The 2.7 has a forged crank and rods and 4 or 6 bolts on the main bearing caps. Some (maybe all) had a girdle on the main bearing caps. These engines were assembled with some good parts. Unfortunately, the early models had sludge problems combined with weak oiling and timing systems.

I'm not sure how true it is, but from what I've read, the 2.7 sludge problems were caused by excessive oil temperatures. I'd definitely make sure a 2.7 has an oil cooler.

I have a 2002 Intrepid with a 2.7 engine. It's got over 130,000 miles and has been trouble free. Last fall I decided to pull the oil pan to look for sludge and found a VERY clean, sludge free, engine. My wife and I have driven this car since it was new and we are particular about oil change intervals. (Ignore the absurd recommendation in the owners manual and change it every 3,000)

My cars recieve better than average care. This year I'm planning on changing the water pump and timing chains on the Intrepid. I habitually change timing chains at 130-150 thousand miles. I'm also going to touch up any chips in the paint on the floor pans, change the brake fluid, transmission and differential fluids, etc.

My Intrepid will consistantly get 30 mpg on flat interstates with the cruise control set at 70+ mph. (This is better than the EPA estimate) In the hills it will typically drop back to 28 mpg. It's a decent size car, economical, reliable, a great daily driver!

A few things to consider. The 2.7s do not have much power at lower RPMs. Drivers in a hurry will have to rev the engine to get ANY power which at the minimum is irritating and at worst may shorten engine life. Secondly, the front wheel well interfers with leg room in the front seats. The brakes overheat to easily. And lastly, parts for 2.7 are a bit pricy as has already been mentioned.

Because of the bad reputation, 2.7 cars can sometimes be bought cheap. IF it's been well maintained, these cars can be a good value. If the car can be bought cheap enough, it will either be a great deal or a good deal after swapping in a 3.5 engine in the worst case senario.