In the jmcGarage we go over arguably one of the best GM engines of all time and that is the 3800 Series One V6. #3800 #v6 #review #bulletproof #reliable #durabledesign
It boils down to being "overbuilt and NOT over stressed". Unlike engines today everything is "under built and WAY over stressed!". Simple and reliable.....rare as can be.
Thats the way it goes. Its not broke it works great for your needs but some college morons with nothing to do sit around trying to make themselves relevant thinking of ways to ruin good things to justify there WORTHLESS degrees
Moved to Canada from in England in 2008, my first car was a 1990 Olds Toronado with the 3800. That car would start in -30c no problem. I just bought a 2000 Lesabre as my second vehicle, the 3800s are reliable and give Toyota engines a run for their money.
I just lucked out and bought a 1997 Park Avenue out of an estate sale and I'm in love . It only has 31,000 miles and clean from stem to stern. I think practically this might be my last car. the money I paid for it made a lot more sense than the brand new overpriced garbage they sell today. I'm glad I came across your channel, I think the younger generation needs to know they're being sold alot of nonsense today. It seems that they're more excited about electronic accessories, when what countis dependability, performance and pleasure of driving. I just subscribed. thanks
Man I thought I was completely alone in my 3800 obsession, nice to have a kindred spirit! Personally owned 4 cars with all 3 versions and it's easily my favorite daily driver platform ever from any manufacturer, what I call the "mechanic's car".. Working on other people's stuff all day for a living and for not much money, the very last thing I wanted to waste weekends on was working on my own junk and these things just WORK! And work and work and work some more, all while easily pulling 26-29mpg with the AC running, all packed in a very soothing comfortable vehicle package.
@@staresce06-08 buick lucernes. 04-05 buick lesabres and park avenues. Then Pontiac grand prix 04-08 would be what I'd recommend. Those are the series 3 3800 and were the most updated version until 2008 when they stopped making them
Oh, I'm with you dude. I complain a bit about the economy & installation of my 1997 supercharged Series II, but my mother's normally-aspirated 1992 LeSabre got 29 MPG hauling four of us with all of our luggage from San Francisco to Auburn, just before you really start climbing Donner summit. And that was with the optional city-driving 3.06:1 final drive ratio...
I have a 2000 Park Avenue with the supercharged 3800. Such a great engine I absolutely love it. Power, smoothness, reliability, cheap to maintain and repair. I think it goes to show what can be done when an already good design is continually improved upon over a long time. I'd like a newer car to use as a daily but there's no good reason for me to get rid of it for something newer and more expensive.
It's good because it's not a Chevy! While I would prefer a small Buick Pontiac or Oldsmobile V8, including that little 215" aluminum job that this one was based on, the 3800 had all the kinks worked out over 40 years...
Some of the newer cars with new engines, like a little 1.4 liter 4 cylinder - have no history. They will never be as durable and reliable. I had a broken water pump on my 3800 V6 - Monte for a month or two. Filled it with water, still drive 120 miles every weekend no problem. You can't do that with an aluminum engine, they don't last as long.
@@marko7843 i guess you're right. I would never knock the 3800 V6, i have one.in monte SS. I was referring to the last part, when the manufacturer's release a new unproven engine. It doesn't make sense to get something new, when the old ones last over 200k miles. I was trying to say how good they are. My water pump had no blades, but it didn't affect the 3800 lol.
I have a 1993 Holden Commodore ute with this engine mated to a T5 5 speed rear wheel drive. Super reliable, easy to work on, plenty of power and very fuel efficient. Drove from Adelaide to Melbourne 450 miles, got 33 mpg or 7 liters per 100 km, sitting on 68 mph most of the way.
VP? I have one too, factory auto. Just done a head gasket recently, pulled the motor for a full rebuild. Going to pass it on to my grandson. Can't kill these buick motors with an axe
For all you Americans, that's 33 miles per imperial gallon, which is 27.5 miles per US gallon. An imperial gallon is 4.54 litres. A US gallon is 3.78 litres. Also, 33 mpg (imp) is 8.5 litres/100km. 7 litres/100km is 40 mpg (imp).
Economy is amazing! From browns Plains to Coffs harbour and over halfa tank of fuel! I thought the fuel gauge was stuffed so when I filled up in the vx I was surprised at how little I put in?
Just bought a 2005 LeSabre limited with 42K miles. So lucky. Saw it 4 sale and jumped right away. Paid up a bit but giving it to my son and he will drive it t/o his 20's for sure. Awesome engine, great ride.
Awesome video. I'm in Australia and I own a 89 Holden Commodore, these Commodores has this engine ,only difference is we had rear wheel drive and we don't have that plastic cover, oh and our version has 3800 cast on the intake manifold ( I can send pics if interested) my 3800 has 460k kms on it as does the car (original engine) and it still goes and runs Awesome.
Im from Australia too and own a 94 VR executive with the 3800 engine. May I ask, what sort of maintanence have you done and failures have you have had while getting up to that mileage? My VR is still quite young at 219K kms, and I have no plans to get rid of it as I just love the car. How did the inlet manifolds hold up on yours, and was the kms yours has done mainly highway or stop start? Sounds like yours is good for another half a million. Cheers
we have a feb 89 commodore wagon - 338k on engine so far main issue is thermostate/ at rear of engine - hard to replace. recently replaced coil pack , crank ignition pickup , and suspension bushes/springs/shocks, brake discs and pads, fuel injectors - all original except coil pack and shocks. on 3 rd auto trans - original lost 1st gear at 280k , replacement was rough , current had 170k and seems good - regularly now get between 470 - 509kms from 50 ltrs. ran on log gas between 80 - 270kms, now only 98 ron and always used mobil1 oil ( since 1990)
Great information. My 3800 (series 2 version) story begins after my older son bought a beautiful 2000 Park Avenue. Then I needed a car so I bought a very low mileage 2000 LeSabre. A year ago I did the gaskets (lower intake and upper intake plenum, and the actual resin intake plenum too) on the PA and now I'll be doing mine. But once you do them, you're Golden ! The old plastic GM gaskets failed due to the Dex-Cool breaking down the gasket carriers. That, I'd say, is the Achilles heel of this motor. But if u address it, you are fine. Plus the kits have improvements, too, like preventative steps so the resin intake is not damaged by the hot EGR pipe (stove pipe). The gentleman in the video says these are easy to work on. I can attest to that. I'm not a professional mechanic and I've never pulled an intake on any car, until I worked on the 3800. So take ur time and have a little patience and experience the joy of working on this engine and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Just be careful to follow the torque sequences on the lower intake manifold and the upper plenum, and use the right thread treatment for the lower intake bolts to prevent leaks. Don't wait for engine damage to occur. Do ur lower intake manifold gaskets and ur upper plenum and gaskets if they were not done, or if you are finding coolant pooling up on top of the lower intake manifold, or see white smoke out of ur tailpipe in conjunction with loss of coolant. Or oil/coolant mixing together. These are telltale signs your gaskets may need replacement. I like the metal Felpro ones for the LIM gaskets. Also, upgrade ur plastic coolant elbows to the metal ones too. And if they haven't been done, replace your valve cover gaskets. These engines are crazy smooth. I start my car and I don't even know it's running. That's why they put a tachometer in these cars. So you know they're running !!!
I worked in the dealerships when the 3800 was born, until then, I favored the 348,283 and 300 Ford truck 6....all tough engines. This 3800 V6 was probably one of the best engines that GM put on the street!! That and the 3.1
Those were the days....I always thought Ford GM and Dodge did large cars well and then they stopped making them in the late 90's. They should have let Japan have the small car market and focused on the larger cars with proven drivetrains imho.
Yes those 300 were great. I have a 97 grand marquis with the 4.6l v8 and it has done very very well for me. I had several gm cars with the 3.8l and they were all very good. @@OleSevers
@@OleSevers nod iron crank..stiffer valve springs and a 2 barrel carb. We put this in a 1 ton truck to haul wood with. It was still pulling loads years after we sold it
I have a 95 supercharged riviera. This dude ain't lying! I've had 2 newer cars since I bought the rivvy in 2017....and it outlasted both the other cars. This thing refuses to die.💪🏾
I have a 97. Many years ago, a mechanic I knew gave me a strange look because I still had it. Well, I still have it! For the cost of replacing a part every now and then, what would I replace it with? And why would I replace it? It's fast enough and has buttons instead of LCD screens. It continues to do all the legal car stuff perfectly well. Why get rid of it?
I have a series 1 Holden VN with this engine. Paid $500 for the car, pulled it out of a paddock full of cows. That was like 8years ago. I’m still driving it daily. Second VN I’ve had, great cars and good engines. I’m 54 btw lol!
Started with what he called the Series one in VN's. Then in the VS model Holden changed ot the Ecotec (what he called the series two. That lasted up to the VY (2004?). I have a VX S pak in factory Devil Yellow. One of 6 made... 352000 k's on it. Engine is original. Compression check (today) shows 165 to 180 PSI. Doesn't use oil between changes (10,000 k's) Still gets 10 to 11 litres per 100 k's in city driving, low 8's to high 7's on a trip. In Aussie gallons that's mid 30''s in MPG. I bought it in 2002 with 17 thousand k's on it. And it's roomy! I am 6 ft 4 inches. I don't have the seat right back. I can set the front seat at my prefered position, then get out and sit in the back without adjusting the drivers seat, and still have plenty of legroom.
@@courageous-schools Just doing a rebuild on my '93 VP at 281,000 klm (174,605 miles), it's worn but not real bad considering mileage.Bought in '98 as a daily, been on blocks in the shed on and off for last 4 years. Worth mucho $$$ in Australia now.
Love your content about the 3800 as a used car dealer I've had many of the 3800 it is the best motor an easy to work on you're 100% correct.. sad that they don't make them like that anymore
My parents had this engine in their Olds 88, and I had a couple of supercharged Series II versions in a couple of Grand Prix GTPs... and I remember how smooth, reliable, and quick they were for their time. Great indeed!
Was just talking about the 3800 being one of my favorite engines. Then poof it shows up on my youtube feed. The only draw back to the 3800 was the transmissions that came with them
Wife bought a brand new 2008 Grand Prix, and is still driving it today. Just turned 100,000 miles and runs out like new. Grand Prix is a solid car and it's a great car. Solid on the road as it's the wide body.
I also had a 1989 Buick Riviera from 1997 to 2003. The engine, transmission and the GCC were the only things that didn't break. Although the harmonic balancer needed replacement at 120,000 miles. After a flatbed backed into me I got rid of it.
My wife and I at one time had a 98 GPGTP and a 99 GPGT. THey were absolutely phenomenal. Got 38 mpg in GT on a trip from Spokane to Eugene at 70 mph, decnt HP for its time, and actually very comfortable to drive. VERY underrated car.
3800 v6 is a bad ass engine my 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix have 254000 miles still runs like a champ gotta wonder what gm was thinking when the quit making this awesome engine
Had an 1995 Oldsmobile Delta 88 i bought in early 2000's with that 3800. Very reliable and excellent fuel economy. I bought used but that was such an reliable running car and the interior was so comfortable. The downside is it is reknown for weak CV axles and transmission. Ended up purchasing an new upgrade GM transmission and the car was amazing
I have owned three cars with 3800 engine. One reason they are the best is because of IRON block and heads. Not stupid dissimilar metals and stupid variable valve timing or stupid overhead cams. Best engine ever.
Another plus for these engines, particularly in Australia is that because Holden made so many, every mechanic from back-yarders to highly qualified know the Ecotec V6. And because they were so simple faults were (are) easy to fix. And parts are still readily available, and cheap.
i have a 89 park ave with the 1st gen 3800 and i love it and it gets 31 to 32 miles per per gallon on the highway and about 22 in town i do all my own work on it
Great piece on the 3.8 liter V6 from GM..............bought a 1998 PONTIAC Grand Prix GTP in late February 1998 brand new................Logged over 430,000 plus miles before i finally sold it because of strut tower rust.........The best car ever owned. After having owned 2009 and another 2012 Chevrolet Malibu LT and the latter a LTZ both with the 2.4 Liter 4 cylinders. Went looking for another PONTIAC Grand Prix GTP and found one in Dubuque, Iowa in April 2017 with 36,000 original miles.....................These engines are the BEST............BEST running V6's from GM. Heard they discontinued them in 2008 or 2010 because they weren't making enough bottom line money on them...........TOYOTA doesn't operate that way. A shame.............Rod Maloney........Rmaloney.56@gmail.com
Great video. I inherited a 1992 Oldsmobile Royale from my dad. I believe it was a series II with 2 piece intake manifold. It was always a pleasure to work on this engine due to its simplicity and because used parts were very easy to come by at the junk yard.
Your oldsmobile didnt have a series 2 for a 92 you had series 1. Series 2 didnt come out until like 95. They were alright motors but they known to have common problems with the manifolds and gaskets sometimes. The series 1 was the best they ran forever.
Love the Series III in my 2004 Monte SS. M90 supercharger and all. 160k miles on it and still runs like new. Then again I know how to take care of my own engines. I don't like other mechanics touching my stuff. :)
Ive had a number of vehicles with the 3800 in the power barn. Im actually in the middle of tearing down a series 2 right now and Im going to rebuild it. Not sure what I want to use it for yet, but I know I dont want it to go to waste so Im saving it. Im going to hang onto it. I drive a 95' C1500 for my daily. It has the 4.3L V6 in it. That is a great engine as well. They dont build them like they used to thats for sure.
My dad and I drove a 88 1500 2WD with 4.3 with 1,088,000 miles on it. Most miles I ever seen on anything. Drove several WT 4x4 with 4.3 with like 300k on them and they ran perfect.
I currently have 3 Buicks with 3800's. An '05 Lesabre (Series II), and 2 "07 Lucernes (Series III). The Lesabre has about 160k. The 2 Lucernes have less than 100k. I'm 59 and trust these engines so much that I don't plan on buying any more cars, EVER. This was a very interesting video. Thank you.
Buick designed the 215 aluminium V8.. When they re-designed it as a cast iron V6, (198ci) it was over-built and under-stressed. Designed to make more torque than HP to get those big buicks, with the triple turbine hydra-matic transmissions down the road. When buick increased the V8 to 300ci cast iron, the V6 increased to 225ci. Then when buick increased to 350, the V6 became 231cu or 3.8L. So these V6s were under-stressed and didn't rev very high. This increases the longevity of the engine. The only short coming for these was that buick used high volume oil pumps to make good oil pressure at lower RPM. This can cause oil starvation at sustained high RPM. I had a 94 pontiac bonneville with the super-charged V6 that had 15k when I bought it and over 325k when I sold it, and it still ran very strong and used 1/2 a quart of oil between oil changes. Of all th cars I have owned, that is the one I would like back in the condition I bought it in.
Wonderful review of this engine's history! Thank you! In the 1960's, the Buick Fireball 3500 V8 was sold to Rover for its cars, Land Rover's and MGB-GT V8. Fantastic, all-aluminum, lightweight, super-reliable engine. The MGB-GT V8 engine weighed 40 lbs. less than the cast iron I4 1.8L engine. Unfortunately, the USA's emissions standards would not allow it to be sold in the USA. Wonderful engine.
Another big improvement was the cranshaft drivin oil pump.That was one of the weaknesses of the early 231s was the aluminum timing cover,with the steelgears oilpump and if you were one of those owners that didn't regularly change oil with the carburated 3,8s the engines didn't last.
I wanted to add the same oiling issues were common with the Buick V-8s,an example,340,350,400,430,and 455s.Oil filter quality is absolutely critical in particular drain back valve is important,good filters allow quick pressure buildup after initial start up,lesser quality filters with marginal drain back valves can cause delayed oil pressure buildup which can cause undue ware which can shorten engine life.Bad oil change practices can take their toll,bottom line good maintenance good filters,older Buick engines last for hundreds of thousand of miles.
Oh boy, how right you are... I changed the guts of the oil pump on my 430 Wildcat convertible, but didn't realize that the oil filter did not have a check valve...😮
I agree about those damned aluminum timing covers, especially when it comes to the tiny bolts for the water pump! However, I think the big improvement on the oil pump was not how it was driven, but rather the fact that it is a Gerotor-type pump. I love how quickly my Series II oil pressure light goes out!
I've had an issue with 3 of mine (89, 90, 91) with the CPS (Cam position sensor) 2 run fine with the "bad" sensor, but 1 won't stay running 😢. Sadly a deer took out my 90 just shy of 300k miles!
The ONLY problem was the 2 piece plastic intake manifold that kept cracking and puking coolant every 70k miles or so, other wise great engine. I had one in a 2002 Impala. The torque of that engine was fantastic!
I have this car. Same year. Only 80k miles. Grandads. I love it. Keeping it running, Ive driven it from IN to Cali, to Idaho, now back to TX soon. The motor is bulletproof.
👍 EXCELLENT commentary, JMC. Well said / explained. Your practical knowledge is much appreciated. Master mechanic. Mine is an original '94 Buick Regal, that is, L27. It has 207 k miles, runs just fine (granted, installed a remanufactured 4T60E two years ago). I keep the oil CLEAN and healthy. Truth be known, I drive the vehicle while babying the engine. Again, many thanks for your professional, friendly presentation. Sincere kudos. From a Buick diehard fan since 1957. 😉
We have a 1998 Buick LeSabre with the Series II 3800, and a 2004 LeSabre, also with the Series II. They are great cars and run like tractors. Being older vehicles, they need a little maintenance from time to time, but the engines are rock-solid. I am not planning on letting either one go at this point. If you get a vehicle with the 3800, you will not be disappointed.
I've owned 3 cars with this engine variation, 86 Park Ave, 90 Grand Prix, 04 Grand Prix SC, all were great, reliable, in fact besides routine maintenance nothing else was needed, great engine indeed
I agree with the durability assessment of this engine. I have a 2002 Lesabre with the 3800 with 209K miles. In its younger days it got 31 MPG. Right now the only problem I have is a lifter that taps when the engine is cold, but it has been doing that for about 2 years and I don't intend to fix it. The rest of the car is pretty rugged. Trans is fantastic. Interior is very good except that the dash has pulled away from the windshield. The only problem with the engine which is really not an engine problem, but a common problem I experienced was the plastic water elbows on the left of the engine like to break. I had problems getting new ones to seal, but once installed correctly they have been fine for about 75,000 miles. The other thing is the body does not have any rust and the paint still has some shine to it. Uses about a quart of oil for 5,000 miles and does not use any water. The only issue I have is it is damn hard to replace the rear spark plugs. I replaced all of them once and the front three twice, but can't seem to get the back ones out again. But 209,000 miles on one plug change is fantastic.
What an awesome, informative video!! Definitely earned a sub.. I 25 years ago i had an 89' "88 Royale", and i LOVED that car. My first good car.. Sadly a wrecked it after 6 years and a ton of miles, but i just bought another 89' 88 Royale, the Brougham this time.. 107k miles and really clean. I loved the smoothness and comfort of this car back then and I'm enjoying reliving my youth.. in my "old man car" lol. I knew these engines were great, but now i actually know why, thanks to you. Great video!
Nice video. I own a 2003 monte carlo s.s. i absolutely love my 3800. It has 134,000 on it. Its my baby. It gets 28 mpg average. I've got 35.5 mpg on long trips. The 3800 is no doubt a GEM. Oh and for 200 hp. It realy rips.
have a 2002 Buick Regal GS that I bought for $700 with a blown L67 3800 that's the supercharged motor. I went to Summit Racing and bought a new 3800 L67 long block. Their last one and installed it with an intercooler and Cold Air intake and took out the brand new cam and threw in a XP cam kit. ZZP headers, switched out the 38# injectors for 42# Put a smaller pulley on the supercharger, and a bunch of little mods and had it tuned. After break in took it to get in on the dyno at 368 HP at the wheels. Then to our local drag strip here in Charleston SC and it beats 396 Chevelles and Road Runner and GTX's all day long the best pass was 13.3 on street tires. With better flowing heads and better traction it could be a 12 second car...3800 are bulletproof, only weak spot is the input shaft on Transmission. I'm at my limit without a beefed up input shaft, that Intense Racing sells. Best pushrod engine out there and Buick was the first to build them
93 lesaber 189000 runs and drive like brand new. Just general up keep and preventative maintenance they’ll live forever! And yes 30+ mpg on the highway 25 or so in town
I used to have a 1990 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with the 3800. What a cool motor. I love em. Now i just have 2 Oldsmobile cutlass supremes 1992 and 96. 3.1 multiport and a 3100. Both very reliable besides the intake manifold gasket issue found on 3100. Ive owned these 2 cars since 2000, Cheers
Another Aussie here... I have a couple of cars with these motors... one is a 2000 VT Calais (like a Commodore) with the L67 (supercharged) 3.8L automatic (rear wheel drive). It is awesome, surprises a lot of people how hard it launches and how fast it is. Not bad economy (unless I stamp on it obviously)... It is awesome. The other vehicle is actually a Ford Transit T350 (2001) with the diesel removed and a 3.8L auto fitted (making it a GOOD Ford van)... the van is very thirsty at the moment (about 25L per 100km) but this is becausr the O2 sensors have become unplugged... I have some new O2 sensors to fit (and connect) when I remember to do this... great motors! greetings from down under
@@jmc6000 It is a common swap because the diesel Transit Vans are so unreliable... the Commodores that have the 3.8 were so plentiful and cheap... there is a wiring loom available to plug a V6 auto directly into a Transit van... just need a bit of fire wall surgery (with a sledge hammer) to get the V engine in and 'voila'... a very reliable van (just a little thirsty on gas) haha
@@LevyHappyClapper You must mean a 1999 VT or a 1989 VN? Yes, some people don't do maintenance and they last forever... others do maintenance and they don't last? I guess some are lemons and some are good? Maybe the old saying 'Friday motor and the Monday motor' is true haha
Thanks for all that great info !! I have the series 2 supercharged in my 98 grand prix GTP coupe , 100,000 miles , no leakage yet . I don't travel in the slow lane EVER .
My dad had multiple Bonnevilles with that engine, both naturally aspirated and supercharged. I still have a late 90s Grand Prix GTP with the supercharged version of this engine. I truly agree that it was one of the best engines GM produced and I love the very distinctive sound that it makes. I added to mine by putting dual Magnaflows and a high flow res. on it.
Two of the best ever engines, 3800 series ,and the k24 honda. Thanks for sharing and schooling me on the history of my old/new 2001 series 2 monte carlo SS.😊
96 Gran Sport 2 door coupe, 120,000 miles. My mother(85) bought this car new, and now has given it to me(61). The car is spotless, absolutely beautiful, and meticulously maintained. At first I thought I would just sell the car. But after seeing numerous videos like this one, I think I'll keep it. It runs and drives fantastic and is very comfortable with those thick cushioned seats. Believe it or not, I get a lot of thumbs up while driving it. Kinda surprised me! Now I just need to learn more about the maintenance and repairs for it.
I had a 98 Buick lesabre that I reached 238,000 mile's with! The nicest, smoothest running and riding vehicle I've ever owned. I did have to have the engine replaced because of that ridiculous intake coolant leak issue. But the reason I finally scrapped it was several issues with the TDS . It just completely died on me as I was driving just as I was approaching my driveway. But other than that a great, very comfortable car!!
I have a 89 Pontiac Bonneville with this engine i have had the car for many years it has 278,000 miles on it car has only had one tranny rebuid plugs oil changes and one time that coil pack blew up other than that the car refuses to die and yes it still gets like 30+ miles to the gallon
Had a Holden VT Commadore with the 3.8, my son has it now, still going strong with no issues with 260,000 km, a better car than my Holden VE with the much less reliable 3.6 engine.
Great engine only drawback is it is an interference design that timing was prone to jumping , the series 2 and 3 are non interference which is a huge plus, liked the video, also subscribed ❤
I needed a used car unexpectedly…..my 2 mechanic said, no 2.4,3.6,3.9…not buying new…they said 3800 or next a 3.5 since I wanted to stay in GM. That was like finding a needle in a hay stack but zi did. 2009 Buick Allure/LaCrosse, 70k miles and looks like it came off the assembly line, red jewel. Hope it lasts couple years with help from my 2 mechanics.
I purchased a GM product new in '08 with the 3800. I changed the oil every 3500k miles and flushed the trans every 50k miles, religiously! It's 15 yrs old with 230k miles, and both are still strong. GM, in their infinite wisdom, decided to install that 4" bypass hose located on the back of the engine in "plastic!" Yes, GM decided to pay 2 cents for this item, which lasted 12 years instead of paying 4 cents for this item lasting, whenever. Luckily, it cracked at home instead of on the highway. All of my hard work would have been lost. That's GM for ya. 😊
I have a 04 compg GTP series III L32. Its got some bolt ons (full exhaust, 180 tstat, pcm, intake, headers, 1.9 rockers). This thing pulls hard on the highway. Embarrassed a golf R and an Evo X a few months ago. One thing he does not mention is that these engines are low compression, meaning there is less strain on it. So even after 20 years, this engine still runs almost like new.
1987 Pontiac Bonneville. Smooth ride, seamless acceleration. Great highway car and still economical enough to run around town. It quit on me a few years ago but something told me to hang on to it. It's probably a sensor. I need to track it down and get it going again.
I have a 03 lesabre with 240k miles. its been. great. over time the upper and lower manifold were replaced. also, I replaced the ignition control module. I had to find a used unit because we were in Mexico and the mechanic couldn't locate a new one. I bought an ac delco unit for future use. but the wrecking yard ICM from Mexico still works fine. Finally I replaced the transmission in Mexico.
Wow. The Ole 3800. I had a 1979 Buick regal turbo. . After it was rear-ended. I placed the 3800 in my 1964 chevy pickup. It would move on down the road. Plus ut was pulling 10's on the quarter mile. Not bad for a old work truck.
I had two of these great engines in my Holdens, the first was in a new VG (weren’t called a VN) in my S pack commodore ute, an absolute fantastic bullet proof engine, I did hundreds of thousands of kilometres in that beaut vehicle and then bought a new Holden VT SS Commodore in 98 that had the supercharged 3800 and auto only ( yes there was a six cylinder SS commodore) that was another damn good car with that venerable Buick derived engine built in Australia in the tens of thousands, what a shame it was replaced by that shocker overhead cam unit with its crap cam chains that replaced it, GM-H went from a super reliable cast iron masterpiece to that aluminium scrap metal piece of detritus, unbelievable!
I had the series 3 in my Pontiac Grand Prix. 263K when I got rid of it. Rust up to the door handles and a haunted transmission. The engine repairs were a rear main seal and cover under warranty, and a timing chain cover gasket done by me @ 167K. Upon disassembly, the timing chain was tight. I didn't replace it. The engine was clean inside. Cover cleaned up with solvent. I was hoping to push it to 300K, but the transmission was haunted, and I'm on call with my job. It was best to say goodbye.
Thanks for the run down!! Have always liked GM products. Seems they have routinely taken the road less traveled. Untll late 70's at least GM engineers would tell you not to run multi weight oils because they didn't like the plasticizing agent saying they'd hang up in the rings. When in college we built a stovebolt motor 235 that as long as it stayed together, it ran at the front of the slow V8 races in Colorado Springs with a single barrel Rochester carb. The MPG you reported was amazing!!
Ive had several cars with this engine. I never had any major problems with them. Hitting 200000 plus with little issues. Im really surprised the performance minded circle never really adopted this engine for modifying. The GNX is proof of its potential.
The series 1 is the one that's the most indestructible and most reliable engine that ran infinity and beyond. The series 2,3, and supercharged seemed to have some common problems such as intake manifold and gasket problems.
On my 3rd one never had engine or trans problems. Always something body related. Stay on top of that dexcool and oil changes and you're pretty much golden
FYI the Series II's that were in the Camaros/Firebirds had aluminum upper and lower intakes, not plastic. They don't have the leak issue. BTW, my 1997 Firebird 3800 Series II automatic with 360,000 miles gets 33mpg with cruise control set on the highway. Combined average around the house and to work is a much lower 22mpg. Still great, I love the car.
