Lifespan Of Ecotec engine internals? what lifespan is to be expected

[holden#1]

my VS Calais has done 225,000k's.
just want to know when to expect valve gear etc to get tired.
i've heard that under normal circumstances and 5,000k services, some internals start to get tired by 250,000k's.
when do i start saving for my high performance recondition??!!!

 

[Scooter79]

I'm up to 380,000k's and still going strong. Is using a bit of oil but other than that runs great. Gearbox is all original too and is perfect. Just look after it and it will last you a long time.

 

[VS97II]

yeah i am keen to know how long to expect internal parts to survive. I bought my VSII when it had 147K on the clock, now it has done nearly 200K. Any thoughts?

 

[hako]

If you change your oil and filter every 6 months, change the coolant regularly plus replace radiator hoses when they start to look tired you will have eliminated 90% of the reasons why engines fail before their time. Eyeball the motor at least once a week especially before a long trip and look for anything out of the ordinary. Listen to the motor at all times for a change in note which can signify something amiss. From what I've seen you can expect to reach at least 300,000km before you have any internal problem. You will have a waterpump go at 100-150,000km, the alt at 200K etc but they all give warning IF you care to take note. Good luck.

 

[Raging Bull]

My VS had 220 on the clock, lets just say in my possesion it didn't have an easy life, not that bad but I did like to give it a bit every now and then(ofcourse have no idea about the car before I owned it). The car had 206 when I bought it, at 220, I hit the rev limiter once accidently, tacho needle bounced, next thing I knew crankshaft bearing gone, there goes the bottom end. Need new engine. So if you want to keep your Ecotec alive, dont' rev it much, revs kill motors.

 

[holden#1]

interesting point, raging bull.
i've probably hit rev limiter about 15 times in three years in my VS. it tends to rev hard when you kick back at 100kph to second, foot flat!!
it would seem logical that if oil is good, internals are machined with precision, revs would not be a problem.
i think it would be safe to say that buick v6 internals do not have the fine precision of the japanese etc, motorbuilding counterparts. (reason why a japanese etc v6 motor can rev a lot higher than our good old holdens???

 

[Raging Bull]

The japanese motors are very tough, who knows why. Look at the VLs, the rb30s go for ages not to mention the high boost setups people are running on them.

 

[mattgreen]

howmany revs is it for a vs to hit the rev limiter?7000?

 

[VH commodore]

howmany revs is it for a vs to hit the rev limiter?7000?

vt's are 5500 so i would assume the same

 

[Harvs82]

vt's are 5500 so i would assume the same

I think the limiter is closer to 6000 or a bit over, because in my old VS Berlina you could take first to about 5900rpm, which was well into the redline, and second would go to about 5750rpm, and that was with the foot flat to the floor in drive, and it would just automatically upshift when necessary. For some reason the VTs do change at 5500, instead of spinning that little bit faster.