Scotty
the transmission on my 2009 Chevy Avalanche LTZ with 114k miles failed and needs to be replaced. So I’m looking at a newer pre-owned truck. I heard horror stories about pickups with the Ford 3-valve V-8 and the GM cylinder deactivation V-8. Any truth to these horror stories or are they engines to stay away from.
What year ranges are you looking at for your next truck?
Yes avoid those engines, the 3 valve (especially the 5.4) is a bad engine and cylinder deactivation wears an engine out. Get a Toyota truck if you can.
The stories are true. And the 5.4L 3V motors are terrible.
You can find more information about cylinder deactivation in the FAQ.
Had a 2008 Avalanche LTZ and it had cylinder deactivation, so pretty sure your 2009 LTZ does as well. Must be quiet if you've never noticed. 5.4 Triton were terrible engines.
It’s already been documented on this forum, so I will leave it at that. The exact percentage of failures will never be made known to us by the manufacturers - why would they even reveal that to us? Some owners of vehicles with these engines may go far (mileage-wise) and have no issues while for others it’s the opposite and they have problems. You have to decide if the risk is worth it to you, and if the worst happens are you willing to pay thousands of dollars for repair or a new engine? Or what if it leaves you stranded someplace? When I hear the warnings from reputable mechanics that have experienced first hand these issues time and time again to avoid these engines, that’s when I know “Ok, I better heed their advice and not deal with the potential headaches.”
Thanks everyone. I went with a 2014 Nissan Titan. My brother, sister in law and niece all have them and love them. one has clocked 330k miles with only routine maintenance and Mobile 1 oil