Chrysler V6 LH  Pentastar engines

V6 engines
overview
Manufacturer :	Chrysler
Production period:	3.3 & 3.8: 1990-2011  LH: 1993-2011  Pentastar: since 2011
technology
Operating principle:	gasoline engine
Style:	V-engine 6-cylinder
displacement:	3.3 & 3.8: 3.3 L to 3.8 L  LH: 2.7 L to 4.0 L  Pentastar: 3.2 L to 3.6 L
Mixture formation:	petrol injection
Valve control:	3.3 & 3.8: OHV LH: OHC & DOHC Pentastar: DOHC

Chrysler had already built in 1987 by modification of the small block V8 of the LA series, a V6 engine. Following the same model created more V6 Magnum and the PowerTech series . In addition, however, independent engine families were also designed.

3.3 & 3.8

Between 1990 and 2011, Chrysler built two different V6 engines for transverse installation. They were the first Chrysler-developed V6 engines for transverse installation. These engines still rely on OHV valve control with two valves per cylinder. The cylinder head was already made of aluminum, while the engine block was made of cast iron. With a 60 ° cylinder bank angle , these engines built narrow enough to in Chrysler's minivans with front-wheel drive to find a place where they were at home during the building work.

LH series

From 1993, new V6 engines for OHC valve control were developed on the basis of 3.3 & 3.8 . This engine family is also called LH series. To save costs, the engines had only a single camshaft per cylinder bank despite four valves per cylinder. Although a gray cast iron engine block with a bore of 96 mm was used as before, but due to far-reaching changes, the only common part with the 3.3 & 3.8 engines is the oil sump . From 1999, all engines were built with an aluminum engine block.

The 3.5 liter basic model was followed by a 3.2-liter with a smaller bore, a 4.0 liter with a larger stroke and a 2.7 liter. The 2.7-liter engine occupies a special position. The dimensions of the engine have been downsized and instead of a camshaft per cylinder head, he has two of them.

Pentastar 

In March 2010,Chrysler introduced a brand-new engine family, which reached the trade in 2011. This engine family was to replace all previous V6 engines, which allows significant savings. According to Chrysler, the number of main engine components drops from 189 to only 32 this step. The name Phoenix was originally planned, but this name was already trademarked.

As with its predecessors, the Pentastar uses six V- shaped cylinders with a 60 ° cylinder bank angle and a cylinder diameter of 96 mm. But that already ends the similarities, the new engine is much more compact, lighter and more economical. The high-pressure cast aluminum engine block alone should be 20 pounds (9 kg) lighter. With a length of 503 mm, the Pentastar is 34 mm shorter than the LH 3.5 V6 and 94 mm shorter than the PowerTech V6. It is a DOHC design with a narrow valve angle and two overhead camshafts . The exhaust manifold is already integrated in the cylinder head.

The engines were revised for 2016 and equipped with variable valve timing . In the next few years, the Pentastar should also be equipped with turbocharging .