Exclusive! Here's Why GM 2.7L Turbo Replaced V6, Oil Pan Material Change 

Awesome interview thanks Tim and Kevin! I don't know how I didn't catch this one sooner. I'm now curious if my 2023 ZR2 will have the aluminum oil pan, as Kevin says here they'll be implementing that change over the next year or so and my ZR2 has a build date of July 15th. Anyway, I'm not worried about this 2.7 engine at all and I'm excited to feel the 430 torque👍🏻

Just sell it after 70k miles or dig deep into your wallet. Check out the lawsuit's already! @@joalyincontroly4379

All engineers should be a hands on mechanical tech for Min of two years for a degree.

Before non-engineers comment on engineer's design, they should be fully versed in the insane constraints and limitations, especially automotive designers, are under. @@44coma

Good idea

I’m an automotive engineer don’t tell them I told you this, but we (employer) really don’t care. Truck blows up after the warranty. To be honest. Most cars nowadays. Have a 10 year expiration date. The people I work with every day with the smartest people I know from mechanics to former Dakar , and Baja engineers,. Trust me we can make a reliable engine Toyota was doing it back in the 2000s. There’s been multiple cases where through long-term testing we have found multiple issues but since the issues we found “most likely” happen over 200,000 miles we purposely did nothing. our customer base (likely used) who drives cars not far into the future. Don’t have the money to buy a new products so we don’t care what they think about us. And the customer basis I that afford a new truck will have a perfectly problem with the truck for 6 to 8 years. before you ask other companies do the same even Toyota now with the new turbo junk. We usually open up or competitors engines and see what we can rivers engineer or learn from )non-patented) Sooo… sorry 😢 (power train engineer in one of the big American three)

@@MLG-zu2hgno pride in your work- great to know

I agree with you on the plastics because as a firefighter, my face piece is mostly plastic and it’s definitely seen some heat. I do feel like the technology is there to make plastics withstand a lot. Idk if this would carry over to the automotive side of things though 🤷🏾‍♂️

As a lube tech, I absolutely hated any engine with the plastic pan. They all seem to spew oil everywhere but in the oil drain bucket. I was pleasantly surprised to see the new models with 2.7 turbo have a metal pan.

Not at the price point to sell an affordable car and I work on airplanes for a living the quality control won't be there on cars​@@atfireman4175

☝ Kevin's other anonymous account.

LOL

No crapy anemic engine’s and problematic turbo’s for me.

Agree 💯

​@@wilmarbarrick3194 That made me Lol thanks😂

I do no understand not having dual port injection either. Carbon build up is not a big deal though, you just need to have it serviced, cleaned at 75k

Glad you enjoyed it!

This is the worst engine possible in a truck

@@goodguysinc. No, a 3-cylinder GEO plastic engine would be the worst possible engine in a truck. That said, the timing chain and plastic guides on this one may be the Achilles Heel that makes the rest of the engine's engineering somewhat beside the point. It looks exactly like the cheesy, thin, zero-redundancy design that has left many a Chevy vehicle in the shop for expensive repairs over the last decade-plus.

Let us know how much you love it in 5 years and 100,000 miles. Most people love their new vehicle.

@@ericthompson3551 there’s people on the forums with over 200,000 miles already. Typical fluid changes and plugs was all they needed. It’s been out for over 5 years already.

Is was 11 months ago. I’ve been wondering if the 2.7 turbo max is a good or bad engine. Just wondering thinking about getting one at the end of the year.

Your turdo is sweating about 18,000 rpm’s . Everything under the hood is exposed to more heat.

Have fun having it repaired prematurely 😂

@@goodguysinc.They’ve been out for about 5 years, I’ve seen where people haul heavy loads with this engine in the Silverados and they have over 100k miles and no problems! A lot of thought went into this motor!

@@jimmycline4778 You're wasting your time on a troll.

Thanks for your input. I'm considering a Silverado with this engine.

@@gearhead996 especially with the rebates right now specifically for that engine, it’s the most cost effective way to go too. It’ll sound different, but if you think of how it actually drives, you won’t care.

Will the 2.7 turbo go 250k? I doubt it. I have a 5.3 2013 Silverado and Tahoe. Love this engine if the AFM was gone although as yet no issues.

@@alanmorrison3598 I’d be willing to bet money it will. I’ve talked to engineers on testing reliability during production and the 2.7 was one of the most reliable engines they’ve ever tested. It was built to be a truck engine for sure, not a “eco turbo 4 cylinder.

Im interested in this outcome. What motivated the smaller engines is still a question, because really, can a small engine last? Especially, if you Turbo a small engine, will it wear out sooner? Can it mitigate absorbtion and dissipation of heat and withstand extremes in freezing temps? Will the gaskets go out sooner from warpage? Im skeptical. Very.

The 2.7 ford is a good engine, not perfect but pretty good. The 2.7 chevy, it's yet to be seen. The short block is fine, I have no qualms about the block/crank/rods/pistons. It's all the complexity of systems that will the weak link after 100k miles.

Mpg depends on how it’s driven, I have a 22 Trailboss with the 2.7, so an extra 2” lift, no front chin spoiler and heavy duratracs tires all from the factory none of which helps mpg. The estimated mpg on the sticker is 16mpg city, 17 combined and 18mpg hwy, I consistently get better than all of those city driving and have seen a best of 24.8 but my typical hwy mpg traveling 70-75 is about 22-23. If my truck was a custom or regular Lt with regular tires, chin spoiler etc I think I’d be seeing an out 2-3 mpg better under the same driving conditions. My truck is still breaking in, I only have 1600 miles thus far. Most who test drive these don’t drive the truck far enough to get an accurate read on mpg.

I have a 22.5 and i tow a 7.5x14x7 enclosed trailer with it. It does not like cold weather, it gets very thirsty, but i have no point of comparison. On warmer days, 5-7 °c and higher, it gets 11L/100km on highway at 120km/h and at 100km/h with the trailer it drops to around 20L/100km. I even shift in overdrive and revs 1500rpm with the trailer wich is pretty amazing, it takes a LOT of torque to achieve that. Before my 2.7, i had a gmc canyon diesel, and on warmer days, with the same trailer, i was averaging 16L/100km. So, using 20L/100km, going from diesel to gasoline while having a bigger, heavier truck, is very good i think. City driving i do 12.5-13.5L/100km. But of course, it's mostly about the driver.

@@ProbeGT2 I agree it’s thirsty in colder temps for sure

@@thomasmcghee2468 when the engine, oil and transmission are not up to temperature, it's thirsty. Since the transmission oil is made to run at 95°c, i'm pretty sure it is quite thick below 20-30°c, even worse in freezing temperatures.

Pretty simple physics. It takes a certain amount of energy to accelerate and maintain speed--what type of engine delivers it is kind of secondary. So, if a driver drives a turbocharged engine to get the same acceleration and speed maintenance as the driver would get with a V8, the vehicle is pretty much going to get V8 fuel economy. As the all-too-true joke about the Ford Ecoboost engine says, "You can get 'eco' or you can get 'boost,' but you aren't going to get both at the same time."

The AFM system is much different in this DOHC engine than it is in the OHV V8 AFM applications. It doesn't use active lifters, the engine doesn't really even have lifters. AFM is achieved by changing the camshaft lobe profiles. It's an interesting system and seems like it should be more robust than the AFM lifters were. TFLnow has a cool video with this engine disassembled, if you're interested. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JLxeBzrhOHQ.html

Makes 50 more ft lbs of torque and 40 less hp than my ly6 6.0 vortec in my 08 2500hd idk if it will last the 365,000 miles though but I did just buy one I like it alot so far but haven't had it a week yet but I'm going to see how long this little mighty 2.7 will last

@@Trailboss22357 i think the one good thing that the 2.7 liter has going for it is the forged crankshaft and the longer stroke. The longer stroke is what gives it more low end torque. I guess time will tell.

Do you feel a big difference between the 2021 and 2023? Any difference in mpg?

Yes, the 2023 is quieter and shifts smoother. It also seems to have a little more boost than my 2021. Haven’t noticed much difference in MPG

​@@jconatyjr must have low expectations

Did you watch?

Sure did, about 25 minutes of it. Then watched the last 5 and got my answer. I'm glad tim asked because I posted question on his previous 2.7 turbo vid. This sounds like an interesting engine. Not sure i like cylinder deactivation on a 4 cylinder. I hope gm learned their lesson from the lifter problems related to cylinder deactivation they're having with the 6.2.

I don’t believe it’s the same thing as the v8’s regarding how they deactivate cylinders.

V8 engines are done. Probably not going to see much more development unless it’s in the Vette if it keeps a V8.

​@@pmscalisi LOL, GM has another truck V8 in development currently

@@twotrackjack2260 good. I thought they were ditching V8’s because of emissions standards.

The 4.3, though great, was old and in-efficient. Adding more power to it wouldn't fix the efficiency problem. If you want to blame someone blame the EPA. As much as people dislike GM at times they have to follow all of the bs the EPA tells them to.

@@Slane583 It had better MPGs than the new 2.7 turbo 4 cyl.

@@guardrail2897 I'm just relaying what I've read in recent years. That's the main excuse they give when they stop making proven engines that have been made for years. The EPA sticks their nose where it doesn't belong as always and raises the bar even higher for efficiency requirements. They're coming up with unrealistic efficiency requirements to slowly boot combustion engines off the market and to force people into EV's so they have more control over your vehicle than they already have now. But those of us who are capable of thinking on our own don't want EV's and aren't drinking the government kool-aid.

The 2.7 has 3 sets of cam lobes on each cam. The cylinder deactivation is achieved by sliding the cam back and forth.

@@Brutemandave would a afm disable device be recommended for the 2.7?

This isn't the traditional lifter style AFM you are thinking of. I would never disable the cams ability to move on a 2.7@@Day-dreamer488

From the Chevy site, max tow is 7700lbs.

@@JIPlatium I was looking at 2.7 on the Silverado. Used the 2023 towing guide.

@@brettsuydam7457 quick search online confirms 7700 every where

I would be concerned with the longevity of a 4 cylinder turbo for towing. That high speed hair blower would be in constant boost under those conditions, will it take it?

The 8 speed on my HO sucks

It's a second gen that is supposed to address the major issues. Hopefully they were successful.

@@BowTied69 It’s GM….I’ll play the wait and see card.

@@hectortoledo5914 Ford's truck 10 speed is also miserable.

I had a 2019 ZR2 with the issue but they fixed it in one hour with a trans flush and newly engineered trans fluid. Drove it for another 20K after that and the problem was completely gone. Then I traded into a new 2022 ZR2 and the transmission was flawless from the start and still is perfect. I'll have my 2023 ZR2 in about 2 months and I'm not even slightly worried about the transmission as they've made it even better since then and all the review guys are saying it's beautifully paired with the 2.7. Just my thoughts.

500HP!

Would compare maybe to fords 2.7 Ecoboost but that's a V6 & hence better

You didn’t actually watch the video did you?

310 horsepower, 430 lb-ft torque

Life expectancy is an interesting question and every automaker hides behidn the "life of the engine" statement. Why? Liability. If he said 150,000 miles and 10 years, then you'd hold them accountable. If he said 300,000 miles and 20 years, then you'd have high expectations meaning if you had an issue early on, you'd be pissed. There really is no way for them to answer that question. As for the life expectancy vs the 8.1L, I'd actually go with the 2.7L laster longer. Why? New technology, new engineering and new ways to develop engines. The old way was build hundreds, tear them apart and try to figure out what failed. Now they can use new technology to cut out problems before they come up and they do a MUCH better job torture testing engines than they used to. Oil change intervals are an interesting topic. It used to be 6 months or 3k miles and now it is 5 years going on 10 years. This is due to engine design and new oil viscosity. Now, what about the Colorado? There is no real mileage interval on Chevy vehicles. Case in point, the Chevy Silverado I bought for a long-term review and the recent Trailblazer we bought for the family don't have an oil change interval. Instead, they have a oil life percentage gauge which takes into account driving habits. So, if you tow more, drive fast everywhere and really are aggressive with the truck, then you change your oil more often. If you don't do those things, you don't have to change your oil as often. As the industry moves forward, I think we are going to start seeing more and more brands switch to oil life indicators rather than miles. It just makes more sense.

@@Pickuptrucktalk Oil change intervals are an interesting topic. It used to be 6 months or 3k miles and now it is "5 years going on 10 years". "5 years going on 10 years" oil change intervals maybe a little long.

@@Pickuptrucktalk it’s pretty hard to argue the durability of the old Chevy Big-Blocks. I always said what a Small-Block would do on the weekends, a Big-Block would do all-day, every day, for 200k miles. Your guest even states that they knew the duty-cycle for this engine going in. Towing is one thing. Snowplows and dump bodies are another. Wonder if they’ve considered testing it in a “work truck”?

@@GoFastGator You can’t use a snowplow with a small displacement turbo engine. The plow blocks too much air coming into the engine. Those jobs of hauling or plowing snow are for HD trucks, not this one.

@@Pickuptrucktalk so while the 2.7 could be reasonably expected to last 200k miles in a truck used primarily as personal transportation, saying it’s as durable or more so than the 8.1, is more than a little optimistic given that the 8.1 (and the other big-blocks before it) has demonstrated similar lifespan in much, much tougher applications.

Yet the fuel economy is worse. Kevin would have a much stronger case if the fuel economy was 15-25% better. Instead it has lower EPA ratings than the V6 colorado even with 2 less cylinders, less parasitic losses & the ability to run on 2 cylinders.

​@@EBIndyIt's not worse. Instead just slightly better. You mentioned the Colorado but I have 2 Silverados, A 2015 with the 4.3 and a 23 with the 2.7. With pretty even city/highway I've always been around 19 mpgs with the 4.3. With 2.7 I'm at about 2O. I feel like Turbos are all about how you drive them. They are quick and fun and you naturally want to feel that boost but if you drive it like that your mpgs are going to drop.

Toyota going to turbo for the new Tacoma

its more newer design so hard to tell but one could hope because its newer it has several advantages, take for example the 4 cylinder in tacoma vs this 4 cyclinder

Maybe it's designed to fail so we will be forced to buy electric crap. First step design a sewing machine motor next step design a toaster motor 😂

few have 125k+ and no issues

29 videos. Here you go: ru-vid.com/group/PL8PJw4jHcHhcuG1ZPBGWH9FZL8AZhsUEF

@@Pickuptrucktalk This is gold, thank you so much for sharing it!

87. The engineer said it.

You can run additives from the start. GM doesn’t recommend them unless you are using poor diesel fuel. You can tune it, nothing from GM. Just have to find a tuner.

Transition until they can get suppliers up to speed.