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909 Posts
Never denied the 3.0 had issues as well, merely pointing out that the misnomer that only 3.0s suffered oil issues is 100% false as all 3 engines share the same part that contributes to the issue.Never once said the 3.3/3.8 did not have issues, only noted the 3.0l also had valve stem seal issues which you appear to confirm without acknowledging the 3.0l also had valve stem seal issues.
But then again, I have not blown up 4 engines, in fact not a single one in over 40 years (knock on wood) and have had 3-5 vehicles being maintained at the same time. Had a '97 that went over 290,000 miles, and '04 over 240,000 miles. Have an '02 with 180,000 miles and an '06 with almost 200,000 miles. Totally anecdotal, you bet, but my reality.
I take all of these forums as advice and opinions offered with good intentions to help the DIY'ers to maintain, trouble-shoot and offer real-world tips and suggestions on repairs. Yes, some offering advice may not know where the panel dimmer is but we were all there at some point.
The 4 engines I've lost have been due to poor design/common failure points, not due to poor maintenance or abuse. Experiences do differ and no, not everyone will experience these issues, but they do happen. The 3.0s I've owned have always given reliable service for 2-3-400k miles, even under hard abuse. My big question is why the 3.0 gets all the hate while the 3.3/3.8 suffer the same types of issues, along with others?
The 4th gen 3.3/3.8 did sort most of the issues out, this sorting started with the revamp of these engines for the 1998 model year, which makes the 4th gen engines more stout that the previous iterations.
And yes, many here can offer great advice/experience and a few have tackled things some "experts" say are impossible. Unfortunately, when you tell the "experts" they're wrong, they tend to get bent out of shape and give you a ban instead of listening to experience that might go against their own and learn something.