2001 Sebring 2.7 V6 (As bad as you think )

[inplansight]

Yep it is , this :censored: car has me BENTout of shape. This all started with the coolant housing leaking then the "T" stat slamed shut with the (drum rool please) the Water pump :censored: the bed two weeks later.

After repalcing the W/P the car has been on a tear of eating timing chain tensioner , first the pimary ,rear secondary and now two front seconday tensioner's . The engine has some sluge but not that bad.

Since I have had it with the 2.7 (LOTS of hate on the internet by the way) Has anyone ever swaped in a 2.4 ? just checking.

I know I will need lots of parts but I have seen a few 2.4 (wrecks )car come up forsale cheap in the last year or so
Thanks Paul B

[RoadWarrior222]

Pennzoil or Castrol High Mileage oil will clean out the sludge, dunno about the rest.

I'd figure tensioner issue is something to do with angle of water pump sprocket, either coz your old one went so far out it wore everything else funny, or the new one isn't sitting right.

[inplansight]

This has come up before (Main chain ) but the last two (in the head ) are not related to the main chain ,in the past I have seen a few tear stuff up but not like this.

Paul B


Pennzoil or Castrol High Mileage oil will clean out the sludge, dunno about the rest.

I'd figure tensioner issue is something to do with angle of water pump sprocket, either coz your old one went so far out it wore everything else funny, or the new one isn't sitting right.

[1FastCSX289]

The 2.7 is the one that blows up all the time, right? They sludge up and then its over, johnny. Lights out. A 2.4 with a turbo would be a great upgrade though......and probably cheaper than a 2.7. Those things are about a million bucks at the junkyard b/c they are like unobtainium.

[inplansight]

This is my train of thought too , the worst part is the car has very little vaule about $2K tops (not this car) and the bad part is the 2.4 is worth almost the same amount of money.

A 2.4 turbo would be nice (maybe a PTGT set up :eyebrows:) but due to my lack of time that is not in the cards.

Paul B


The 2.7 is the one that blows up all the time, right? They sludge up and then its over, johnny. Lights out. A 2.4 with a turbo would be a great upgrade though......and probably cheaper than a 2.7. Those things are about a million bucks at the junkyard b/c they are like unobtainium.

[shadow88]

I'm pretty sure it would take a different transmission case to bolt up to the 2.4L overall, far too much work in my opinion.

Lack of maintence is the cause of the sludge, and things usually just get worse from there. I have a 2001 sebring with a 2.7L and it's been perfect for very close to 300,000 kms (186,000 miles) This car has seen oil changes before it's due for it's whole life. It's not a bad engine.

[ljbprrfmof]

Overall the engine is good. The ones that received constant fresh oil and filter changes seem to avoid the issue.

One problem is the maintenance schedule calls for a new timing chain, I believe at 70,000 miles. If this were an import, it would have been a requirement. Change the timing chain, tensioners, and throw in a new water pump because you are already there and it will go before the new chain, taking out the chain.

I believe the design problem was twofold. One part being the oil journals were undersized for the job and poor maintenance the engineers should have foreseen. And two, the design of the tensioners was a bit off. Chrysler has two different upgrade kits and it depends on which series of engines you have.

If you have not ruined the valves, you may be able to save the engine. I chased one that we used as a company car where the damage got into the valve train, and finally gave up and took my loss when I wholesaled the car.

[Matt86]

The 2.7 is only good for scrap. It's a terrible motor, soo fragile. I've replaced over a dozen in both LH's and clouds. If it's not the timing chain, it's the weak head gaskets, or the sludge, or the weak bottom ends.....like I said...these motors are crap.

I bought a 2002 Intrepid SE that has a knocking 2.7. One of these days I'm going to stick a 3.5 V6 in it and be done with the crap 2.7. I originally bought it for the wheels, but the car is in too good of shape to scrap.

In your case, I'd stick a 2.4 in there. Just get the transmission, wiring, and PCM. You'll loose a few horses but gain excellent reliablity.

[shadow88]

The 2.7 is only good for scrap. It's a terrible motor, soo fragile. I've replaced over a dozen in both LH's and clouds. If it's not the timing chain, it's the weak head gaskets, or the sludge, or the weak bottom ends.....like I said...these motors are crap.

I bought a 2002 Intrepid SE that has a knocking 2.7. One of these days I'm going to stick a 3.5 V6 in it and be done with the crap 2.7. I originally bought it for the wheels, but the car is in too good of shape to scrap.

In your case, I'd stick a 2.4 in there. Just get the transmission, wiring, and PCM. You'll loose a few horses but gain excellent reliablity.

What do you have to say about the ones that have been well maintained? The ones that are still runnning, not full of sludge and have had the chains/guides replaced when the service schedule suggests doing so?
Weak head gaskets? MLS aren't weak.

[inplansight]

This car is my mothers and she has a long track record of missing oil changes, even when I was a kid I recall my father getting bent out of shape about this, so I am not shocked this day has come.

But I have also seen cars that have come in at or before 3K miles and still sludge up. I think it has to do with the humidity the Baltimore area is know for a high % for most of the year.


What do you have to say about the ones that have been well maintained? The ones that are still runnning, not full of sludge and have had the chains/guides replaced when the service schedule suggests doing so?
Weak head gaskets? MLS aren't weak.

[Matt86]

What do you have to say about the ones that have been well maintained? The ones that are still runnning, not full of sludge and have had the chains/guides replaced when the service schedule suggests doing so?
Weak head gaskets? MLS aren't weak.


I had one come in back in June, a 2003 Sebring convertible with 44K on it. Owned by an older couple who took great care of it. The timing chain broke going on the interstate. Their insurance company totalled the car out for that-thanks to the 2.7 still being expensive from Jasper or Mopar.

Granted most of the 2.7s I've seen fail are in Buy here Pay here cars, and generally the crowd of people who buy those cars never really take good care of them, but they should at least last just as long as the 3.3/3.5/3.8, I've seen those motors driven to hell and back and still run fine, but run a 2.7 a few quarts low and it's dead like mine.

My 2.7 has 123K on it and its leaking from every gasket, the thermostat housing is dissolved, knocking like crazy. Same goes to the six I've replaced this year. It's a terrible motor that gave Chrysler an even worse reputation to anyone who had a 2.7 equipped vehicle.

They are junk-plain and simple. I'm a Mopar only person but I'd rather drive a 3.8 V6 Ford or an intake eating 3.1 GM over a 2.7.

[1FastCSX289]

What do you have to say about the ones that have been well maintained? The ones that are still runnning, not full of sludge and have had the chains/guides replaced when the service schedule suggests doing so?
Weak head gaskets? MLS aren't weak.

Id say those examples are few and far between. ;)

[Matt86]

Oh and having the timing chain/guide replacement as scheduled maintenance? Just plain stupid...especially on a 2.7.

The only two engines I ever see timing chains break on are 2.7s and 2.2 Ecotechs.....don't get me started on that stupid rebuilt relic of a Quad 4...ugh

If they suggest it at 70K, chances are the motor is toast by then anyways. The average replacement I do is from 70-120K. They just “expire” around that mileage.

Maybe a timing chain replacement would have made them live longer? Maybe but who knows on a 2.7. If the timing chain isn't messed up, theres something in the bottom end knocking, something in the top end leaking, and a whole bunch funk fumigating from the tailpipe. Oh and can't forget that flickering oil light at idle! The super undersized oil pickup sump gets clogged easily, you can drop the pan (which you have to do anyways to replace it since the drain plug hole is stripped), clean it out. But by then the damage is done-the lifters will tell you that!

If they were smart and ran a conventional timing belt/water pump on it I’m sure many would have lived a bit longer, and cost a lot less to replace. Of course they should have just kept using the more reliable, cheaper to build and easier to work on 3.3/3.8 V6 and stuck those in the 2nd gen LH’s and cloud cars. Pushrod motors are still cool, according to GM who still uses the circa 1980 60 degree V6s.

[mike mckay]

Well, I've got a 2006 Sebring 2.7 V6 with 128,000 miles. I guess I have had it; I haven't changed any timing chains/tensioners gaskets or whatever.
I've done one thing with it since new. I put synthetic oil in at oil changes with a Purolator or Mopar oil filter.