Likely Obvious 2.7L Power+Reliability Question

Yup

 

I have a '14 Access Cab with 2.7L manual transmission. In some Middle East countries, the 4cyl is the more preferred engine, with a greater resale value. I once maxed out on resale value for our truck. The mechanic saw the similar figures between manual and automatic trans.....

See ya soon!

Cheers, Paul

 

I find my 2.7L manual powered just fine. Yeah from time to time a hill slows it down, so I downshift. Tows like a champ. I just change the fluids and feed it plenty ethanol free gas when I can it.

 

That deathanol free does make 'em run better, doesn't it? They now carry the 87 octane deathanol free at Maverick where I live and it's just about the same price as deathanol infused 87 octane. I can also get 91 octane deathanol free if I want it at a different station. As a matter of fact, deathanol free is popping up everywhere around here at different stations over the last few months. I like my 2.7 as well. Yes, it's gutless, but for a DD and cruising around on dirt roads and even some real off-roading it does just fine for me. Sure I'd like far more power out on the interstate but I don't "need" it and where I live at 7000 feet the altitude takes a lot of it away. It still works.

 

The only explanation is torque. Although the 2.7 has very little torque I think the gearing "leverages" it depending on what year you own and whether it is a manual or auto. My 2004 actually has 3.90 gears although almost everyone with a 2004 that I've read about says they have 4.11 or maybe it was 4.10. If they were just 4.11 it would make this thing perfect. If I never took it on long drives 4.56 would be even better around town and off road with a slightly taller tire. However the Japs made these things work the way they do they did a pretty good job. I can run at 80 mph (except on steep grades) all day long and then climb around in the boonies with 700lbs in the back and get 20 mpg the whole way. They may be gutless but they are really quite an amazing vehicle.

A little trivia here. For those of you that don't know they exist. Anyone can Google "Mitsubishi Fuso FG4X4". Also called the "poor man's" Unimog. Those things have a 4 cylinder, twin turbo diesel with something like 161 HP and 295 ft. lbs. of torque. and that truck can haul a GCVW of 21,000 lbs! Furthermore they use the same 4 cylinder diesel and six speed tranny in their bigger trucks with GCVW's of up around 25,000 lbs. That particular vehicle is also the one of the most used expedition vehicles around the globe and the Aussies use hundreds of them for fire trucks. They are supposedly tough as nails and can take considerable abuse. Can't find much info on them over here though but they do sell them here. Minus the dual range transfer case which makes them far less of the true off road vehicle they can be, and are, over in Australia and elsewhere on the planet. They ain't cheap either because the engine and drive-train are truly "industrial grade". They are billed as competition to the F-450.

I can only imagine how long it takes to get from point "A" to point "B" in one of those things loaded down.

 

That just doesn't sound right. There has to be something wrong somewhere. That's ridiculous especially if you aren't towing or hauling anything. Your 2013 sounds like what my 2004 2.7 might be like with 500 lbs in the bed and a 2500 lb trailer behind it. I've never hauled that kind of weight. I'm just guessing.

 

Nothing wrong with it. Happened on day 1 of ownership and stayed the same for 58k miles.

Truck is gone now, so it'll remain a mystery.

 

That's weird. I've had my 2004 up to almost 10,000 feet with 700 lbs in the bed and I never had to shift down below 3rd or 4th and that was on a 9% grade. It is a manual though.

 

Its amazing how little power you actually need. The old WWII Military cargo trucks were rated for 8 tons (total weight) and were powered by a diesel that only put out 216 ftlb of torque and 91hp, all about gearing fellas. They were slow as hell but crucial to the war. Now we have F-350's with 900ftlb of torque that carry around groceries....

 

Yep and these low power engines last a lot longer as well. They aren't stressed to the max. That's why the 2,7 has the longevity it has. It's way under stressed and most people don't really work them every day.

 

The 2TR-FE has plenty of strength to hold 200 horsepower reliably for 250k miles. Toyota won't do it for one reason or the next. Besides that the dang things do have a long life expectancy. Just wish the rest of the components on the truck would live as long as the Powertrain and drivetrain.

 

I've been over 13k' twice in the last 3 months with my 2TR-FE and it does just fine on highway grades. Sure, I'm floored in 3rd gear at 4k rpm, but I'm keeping up just fine with the cars

 

Right. My 4 banger has hauled more than 90% of the fullsized monsters I've seen. Dont get me wrong I had my dually over weight a few times as well but most of the guys ive know that own 1 tons don't haul anything bigger than a fishing pole

 

You're right. Most of those that own the really big pick-ups never use them for what they were designed for just as most who buy a 2.7 never use them for what they are designed for. Try loading a Tacoma with it's full GCVW every day and see how long it lasts. It would probably wear out at around 100,000 miles especially if you live in the mountains. If any of us were lucky hauling the GCVW every day we "might" make it to 200,000 miles. That's why so many routinely rack up 300-400,000 miles. They aren't using their Tacoma's as real work trucks. They are using them as DD's or toy's. Diesel's, of course, are a different story. At least before DEF, DPF and everything else which has made them so unreliable and expensive to maintain if used as a real working vehicle.

I drive a truck for a living and 80% of the breakdowns requiring a tow are related to emissions crap and very few even know how to fix it. Including the companies that manufacture it. It's a shame. Kenworth couldn't even make a fuel gauge that worked for a few years there and they couldn't even fix it when it was brought in for repair.

 

I dont load it to the max every day, usually at least half the hauling/towing capacity right now day in and day out and 5 years ago day in and day out till i joined the army. I put about 40k pretty abused miles on it for a total of 165k
So far all the main components are holding up to the abuse. But its now almost 20 years old and some of the seals and bearings are starting to go. Rust is also a bitch.

And my next truck is gonna be M1088. I need a semi but the price of these used road tractors around here is a bit much, considering the only thing i might move with it is some junk trailers and maybe a newer gooseneck dump.