GM 252hp V6 hidden gem

https://austin.craigslist.org/cto/d/austin-2008-saturn-aura-xr-not-running/6974734048.html

So this little Saturn has an all aluminum GM 60 degree  V6 putting out 252 hp...

seems like great candidate for RWD swap on the cheap

Looks like a G6 GXP in disguise. 

I don't think I'd touch an early 3.6

In reply to Suprf1y :

I would.  There's nothing different about it vs. the later ones as far as the horrible ways things can go south.

How bad are the electronics to deal with in a swap? Do tgey swap the same way a 3400 does? Like, other than the electronics, is a 250hp 3.6 a bolt in for the 3400 cars?

Dusterbd13-michael said:

How bad are the electronics to deal with in a swap? Do tgey swap the same way a 3400 does? Like, other than the electronics, is a 250hp 3.6 a bolt in for the 3400 cars?

Bellhousing is different, and the "High Feature" has its own unique pattern.  You are limited to automatic front drivers, or any transmission used in a High Feature-engined CTS or Camaro.

GM is usually very good with electronics, anything the engine or trans needs to know in order to function WILL be wired directly to that component's control module.   They don't trust the CAN to transmit vital data.  If the instrument cluster or body control module E36 M3s the bed and takes the high speed CAN bus offline, it won't keep the vehicle from driving and running clean.  That's why, for instance, the fuel level sender and the vehicle speed sensor go straight to the PCM, and the instrument cluster gets that data via CAN from the PCM. 

In reply to Knurled. :

I thought they fixed the timing chain problems after 10/11 or so

Suprf1y said:

In reply to Knurled. :

I thought they fixed the timing chain problems after 10/11 or so

 

Not really,no.

At least, the "problems" are endemic to having tiny sprockets, and people not changing their oil often enough and/or training their engines to run low on oil.

if you change the chains on an older engine, you're installing updated components, or at least the same stuff that goes in the newer engines.

Either way, changing the chains is really simple compared to doing an engine swap, so I don't see why anybody who is willing to take that on would be hesitant to remove some covers and line up some dots.

Knurled. said:

 

if you change the chains on an older engine, you're installing updated components, or at least the same stuff that goes in the newer engines.

I thought the 'updated components' fixed the premature wear that the early ones were notorious for.

Suprf1y said:

Knurled. said:

 

if you change the chains on an older engine, you're installing updated components, or at least the same stuff that goes in the newer engines.

I thought the 'updated components' fixed the premature wear that the early ones were notorious for.

Granted... if that's true, then this engine by nature of existing will have the updated components, yeah?

The engines with problems will have eaten the chains by 15-20k miles, and will now have the updated components anyway.  The "good" engines generally make it to 90k or more depending on if they changed the oil every 3k or if they followed GM's recommendation or worse, which is on par with every other manufacturer who uses fine pitch timing chains (VW, Honda).

No matter what, I figure it's a non issue.

In reply to Knurled. :

I think i was thinking about the 3900 vvt engine. The one that came with the impalas in cop spec. Not this one. Tp replace the 3400 in my miata ....

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

The 3900 was in a lot of things, not just Impalas.  They were also in Malibu SSs/MAXX SSs, Uplanders, etc.

Be aware that the 3900 and the 3500 destroked version of the 3900 (as opposed to the 3500 that was a larger 3400) have splayed decks so the engine is wider, and also the exhaust ports' bolt pattern is different than the one used on the 2.8/3.1/3100/3400, so whatever you have for an exhaust won't work unless you built it around front drive manifolds.

In reply to Knurled. :

My whole setup is buolt around an 04 Buick rendezvous 3400. Wiring, headers, everything. 

So, will the late fwd 3400 oil pan/headers fit? Or am i pretty much topped out at an early 3500 being a bolt in, no bigger to be had easily 

Oil pan maybe, exhaust definitely no.

In reply to Knurled. :

Well, crap. But at least its cheaper this way!

Knurled. said:

 

Granted... if that's true, then this engine by nature of existing will have the updated components, yeah?

 

The engines with problems will have eaten the chains by 15-20k miles, and will now have the updated components anyway.  The "good" engines generally make it to 90k or more depending on if they changed the oil every 3k or if they followed GM's recommendation or worse, which is on par with every other manufacturer who uses fine pitch timing chains (VW, Honda).

 

No matter what, I figure it's a non issue.

I wouldn't make that assumption. Not all of them failed, and if it's like a lot of GM stuff with issues, it only seems to be a really big problem because there's so many of them on the road.

They scare me enough that I would avoid an early 3.6 if at all possible, but I'm probably falling for the above and overreacting .