3.5L or Hemi

The hemi variable displacement is not effective in city driving. The 300 obviously is not as aerodynamic as the Concorde and frontal area is a big factor. Low ground clearance won't help. Yes AWD is important if RWD is the other option. I go everywhere with FWD, lots of winter driving to our western ski hills.

The version in the Intrepid was de-tuned for regular, the version in the 300M was tuned for mid-grade.

Which would explain why he has seen the bent valves when the belt broke. Bent valves - free-running: mutually exclusive.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Its backyard mechanics like yourself Steve that keep me busy. The 4.7L does have ROLLER ROCKERS part #53020742AC and so please make sure you know what you are talking about before your next post.

You are correct the 3.5L is an interference engine. My apologies

I took that to be his meaning too when I first read it, but, on reflection, I think what he meant was that - yeah - it has rockers - but not the type that can pop off. IOW - I don't think he was meaning that it didn't have rockers.

Or it may be that he thinks what's there aren't technically rockers even though they are *called* that.

Kind of like the point I've made before about valve lash adjusters being mis-called "valve lifters" when technically they aren't since they aren't directly in line with the valve stems and motion. The auotmotive "culture" tends to use obsolete terminology for things that have changed when the terminology no longer literally applies.

Another example: Steering knuckles. With front drive axles sticking thru a hub/bearing assembly, the knuckle no longer itself contains a "spindle", yet mechanics (and even technical manuals) to this day continue to use the terms "steering knuckles" and "spindles" interchangeably even though the latter term is technically incorrect for the today's typical front wheel drive knuckle.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

You should listen to a Toyota or Honda 6 cylinder engine.

The 300 w/3.5L has a 5 speed. Early 06's had the old 4 speed. It's probably not as quiet as the Hemi because it has to work harder moving the 4000lb car. I had 2 test drives with the 3.5L and on one occasion it made a couple of extra click sounds immediately after starting. Is this normal? It went up to 2000rpms during starting and settled down to

Steve, I have respectfully disagree with you. They were some of the most reliable engines ever created! A head with no moving parts, solid lifters that you could actually adjust, easy to work on, relatively good mileage for their period of time(I get around 20 consistently). I had a 225 slant six in two cars: a 1970 and 1964 Dart, yes it was a great engine, but still, those old flatheads would just keep running and going with regular maintenance. As you can see, I am a little prejudiced! but I told my wife, I wish that her 2005 PT Cruiser had a flathead engine, then it would really be a true descedant of the Airflow! I also have had the 318, in a 67 Fury and it was a great engine, but I have always been a big fan of the straight engines. I had a gorgeous 52 Pontiac Chieftan with a flathead six, so smooth you could not even hear it running! However, Chrysler made its reputation on the flathead six and that engine always outsold the eights. Look at the cars that were powered by it: all Plymouth, Dodges, DeSotos and over 55 percent of Chryslers were flat sixes. Guess I was born too late, would love to have a brand new, straight from the showoom floor, 40-48 Chrysler with FluidDrive. Since that won't happen short of a Twilight Zone episode, I will drive my fully restored 40 Royal Coupe, even though it only has the overdrive and not the FluidDrive. Still looking for one with FluidDrive though!

And exactly how do roller followers "pop off?" Stud mounted Chevy-style rockers popping off, I can see (and pulling out studs, and all sorts of other nasty things typical of Chevies.) OHC roller rockers BREAKING, I can see. Valve springs breaking, I can see too. But not OHC roller followers "popping off".

I have. Exhaust-wise, they sound exactly like a Chrysler 3.5 and every other 60-degree v6- blathery unless heavly muffled. Like I said, nature of the beast, its inescapable. Usually Japanese v6s have more valve train racket than the 3.5, although the best sounding (and arguably one of the best, period) is the the Nissan v6.

Exactly. I'd love to know exactly how a roller follower ("rocker" if you will- and I'm well acquainted with them as the 3.5 also has them) can "pop off."

Plus you hear different things. A decibel meter can say one engine is quieter, and yet it can seem louder to most people depending on the type of noise. The Hemi has a pleasant 'burbly" v8 exhaust note, but all v6s have a rasp that most people find grating. The 6.2 liter Hemi in the SRT-8 has a deliberately LOUDER exhaust system, yet I find it the most pleasing-sounding of the 3. The 5.7 is a bit too muffled, the 3.5 is, well, a v6.

Not very descriptive- what kind of "click" sounds? On some Chrysler products, you can hear the evaporative emission control solenoids clicking around doing their job after startup. And on most, you can hear the variable duty cycle solenoids in the transmission working when you select a gear.

It should settle out within about 20-30 seconds of startup, just like every other modern computer-contrlled EFI engine does.

As the Geico commercial says, "its kinda like the queen asking if you want to have dinner at the palace or at the castle. Either way, you're having filet mignon." I can't disagree TOO much with you, because the flatheads are certainly rugged. And I love the fact that they're as smooth as an electric motor in the way they pump out the torque. There's a 50's vintage "cherry picker" crane in the materials yard at the lab where I work, powered by Chrysler industrial flathead and fluid drive. Still in regular use any time its needed. There are also still a lot of airport tugs running around with them.

But on the other hand, the slant-6 and 318 do have some longevity advantages. Not the least of those is a full-flow oil filtration system which the flatheads lack (flathead Chryslers are often fitted with full-flow filters, but only a portion of the oil pump's output passes through the filter on each cycle through the engine). The later engines also have stronger crankshafts (particularly the 318, which is both shorter and stronger). And just empirically, my experience is that you see more 300,000 mile plus 318s and slants than you do flatheads. Finally I respectfully disagree that solid lifters are a longevity advantage, I think hydraulics have the advantage there because you never get burned valves from a valve clearance that was either set to tight or became too tight due to valve stem stretch.

Steve, Yes, we have much more in agreement than we do in disagreement. I am just sick that Chrysler might disappear in this crappy deal, a great marque going or gone. Chrysler engines and transmissions were known as being "bulletproof" and I would think we agree on that point. My mother put a lot of miles on her 67 Plymouth with a 318 and my stepdad had a 61 Dart Phoenix, the one with the weird curved back upon itself fins. It had a 318 also, and he loved that car! My grandfather would never buy any car other than a Dodge six going back to the early forties. He loved FluidDrive because he hated to shift, but liked to use the SafetyClutch as a footrest! My 49 Windsor with a 265 c.i. six and FluidDrive was smooth as glass, I drove it down from Ontario to South Florida, it took 5 days! but it was a great trip on the backroads of America. Vent windows in the front and rear doors, comfy seats and a split windshield really brought back great memories.

Thank you Steve. You are very knowledgeable. I will choose the 3.5L because of high gas prices and the cheaper cost. How is the 5 speed automatic? I have read that it is more reliable than the

The 300C is one of the best cars on the market for the price especially since it comes fully loaded and you get autostick Mercedes transmission, steering and suspension components. It really is comparable to cars selling for $20K more. Especially suitable for lower mileage drivers who appreciates a quality ride with all the options.

It is a good value car of it's type, but not what the consumers want in adequate volume now with the increasing gas prices.

Poor Chrysler is still trying to sell new 2006 large vehicles here at about 30% off list: Pacifica, 300, 300C and large engined large trucks. It will soon be time for the 2008 models and those 2006 models are looking stuck in the dealers hands. I hope the write off of these models doesn't have to be done again at a lower value. The prices are low enough for me, but they are not the vehicle I want.

To clarify - my statement was based on the 30% off of the list price that I paid for a new 2005 300C fully loaded for $32K. - heated leather, navigation, sunroof, memory powered seats/steering/peddles/mirrors, backup sensors, Boston sound, 350 HP, mds for hwy economy.. Fine for me since I only drive about 12000 KM a year. The money saved at the front end more than pays for extra fuel consumption over the next 5 years as compared to an import with all those features. To top it off it doesn't require premium fuel. I also increased warranty to 5 yrs B/B and 7 yrs p/t for very little extra cost. Seems like a no brainer at that price. What am I missing here ?