i like the 04+ 3400 that does not have a tendency to eat intake gaskets. 3400's have been on my radar since forever, when i swapped a low mile 2002 engine into my 94 lumina in 2003.
the best 60* i've ever heard, though, was my 90 turbo grand prix with magnaflow cat and one race bullet resonator, no real mufflers.
trucke wrote:Knurled wrote: And also WTF GM WHY DID YOU MAKE IT SO HARD TO GET TO THE POWER STEERING FLUID ON THE 3800??? You need to grease up your arm to dig down behind the engine to get to the P/S pump. And then you have to rig up some sort of twisty funnel if you actually have to add fluid. Which you probably will, because GM is a leader in EPAS technology sicne they realized they can't make a hydraulic rack/lines setup that dosn't leak a lot.The power steering fluid fill is at the top of the engine on my DD LeSabre (upper left). Now the pump on the other hand..... And yes, they will ALL leak multiple fluids. Stupid plastic heater core.
Unfortunately the older ones, like my 99 Bonneville, have the reservoir on the pump. The cap is down below the alternator, and the alternator is where your ps reservoir is. Difficult to even see it, much harder to add fluid.
81cpcamaro wrote: Unfortunately the older ones, like my 99 Bonneville, have the reservoir on the pump. The cap is down below the alternator, and the alternator is where your ps reservoir is. Difficult to even see it, much harder to add fluid.
Ditto on the 2000 Grand Prix we have. Not like it needs to be accessed all that often, but it is definitely a pain. It's not super hard to reach (once you find the damn thing in the first place, took me a while the first time) but I highly recommend not trying it unless everything is sufficiently cool.
Unfortunately the older ones, like my 99 Bonneville, have the reservoir on the pump. The cap is down below the alternator, and the alternator is where your ps reservoir is. Difficult to even see it, much harder to add fluid.
Mines a '95. Looks like the photo.
trucke wrote:Unfortunately the older ones, like my 99 Bonneville, have the reservoir on the pump. The cap is down below the alternator, and the alternator is where your ps reservoir is. Difficult to even see it, much harder to add fluid.Mines a '95. Looks like the photo.
Maybe they changed it in 96 with the Series II. GM could at least done an extended filler tube. Keethrax is right, you don't want to mess with it while hot, unless you have those firesleeves and gloves.
My son's 96 Regal GS has the 3800 Series II. It has the reservoir down by the pump where you it is a pain to get to.
Otherwise it is really a pretty decent car, I have been driving it since I sold my BMW and it is waaaayyyy nicer than a $1400 car has a right to be.
Avoid anything with the 3.6 liter "High Feature" V6. Biggest nightmare I've ever owned was an 05 CTS
I wish the motor in this had stuck around longer (and its manual trans!)
I had a '91 and it was a total sleeper.
Storz wrote: I wish the motor in this had stuck around longer (and its manual trans!) I had a '91 and it was a total sleeper.
I test drove one of those and loved, LOVED it. If one came my way at the right price...
trucke wrote:Unfortunately the older ones, like my 99 Bonneville, have the reservoir on the pump. The cap is down below the alternator, and the alternator is where your ps reservoir is. Difficult to even see it, much harder to add fluid.Mines a '95. Looks like the photo.
The change happened sometime in the '96-98 timeframe, somewhere around there. Certainly all of the ones still on the road around here are low mount pump. Our shop loaner vehicle is an '02 Impala and it has the low pump, for instance.
Storz wrote: I wish the motor in this had stuck around longer (and its manual trans!) I had a '91 and it was a total sleeper.
I love that engine. The induction sound is amazing, especially with a short runner I intake. I have one in my Fiero:
series8217 wrote:Storz wrote: I wish the motor in this had stuck around longer (and its manual trans!) I had a '91 and it was a total sleeper.I love that engine. The induction sound is amazing, especially with a short runner I intake. I have one in my Fiero:
Oh hell ya! I wish they would have continued developing it further. Other than the Z34 what did it come in?
cutlass and grand prix gtp. nothing else.
i had also swapped a 3.4 dohc into same 94 lumina euro sedan. and had a z34. probably my 2nd favorite engine sound ever, and it was fun spinning it way past the redline on the pushrod cluster.
I had a 3100 in a candian lumina once, 66k mile cream puff and it was the best daily I ever had. That said ive worked on ton of 3800s replacing intake manifold gaskets and head gaskets. But about the power steering pump reservoir even my friends 08 3800 has the reservoir down low but get one of those long bendy funnels and its not a problem.
I had the 3.1 in my 92 Lumina Euro. Had decent torque down low, but quickly ran out of power above 70mph. That was a big ass two door car though. Just gigantic.
patgizz wrote: cutlass and grand prix gtp. nothing else.
The 3.4 DOHC also came in the Monte Carlo Z34 and Monte Carlo SS until the motor was discontinued at the end of the 97 model year.
I think it's super ironic we have a thread where people are saying the 3.8 is annoying to work on, the 3.1/3.4 OHV is not, and also pining for a 3400dohc which in some if not all ways is the worst of the bunch to service.
series8217 wrote:patgizz wrote: cutlass and grand prix gtp. nothing else.The 3.4 DOHC also came in the Monte Carlo Z34 and Monte Carlo SS until the motor was discontinued at the end of the 97 model year.
just Z34. was counting those as luminas. same thing.
Vigo wrote: I think it's super ironic we have a thread where people are saying the 3.8 is annoying to work on, the 3.1/3.4 OHV is not, and also pining for a 3400dohc which in some if not all ways is the worst of the bunch to service.
I really, really don't miss the Twin Dual Cam. Gotta love an engine where you have to circumcise the motor mount bracket if you want to pull the front valve cover off in under three hours, and you CAN'T replace the failure prone dummy shaft O-ring without removing a cylinder head, because 'oopsie! we forgot it was there when we made the heads'
Yes, I know about lifting it up high enough to glob a bunch of silicone in there over the old O-ring. No, I've never had it actually work.
My DD is a 2004 Grand Prix GTP car, 3.8L engine with a S/C that I have owned for many years and the last 160K miles (coming up on 200K miles) almost are all mine. My quick review.
Overall nice car to DD easy to see out of and park, no one (including the police) seem to notice it, looks nice in most areas, handles well enough to pass many other "nice cars" on the road and on ramps, paint is holding up well, inside is not doing bad (some buttons are worn), factory radio and speakers sound nice, and has been reliable as gravity but has taken some work and money to keep it on the road and I know the "BIG one" is coming.
One of the things that caught me off guard was the amount of light bulbs this car eats, like potato chips at a football game.
Oil leaks, just fix the big one's.
Change the SC oil every 50K miles
Flush the cooling system every other year.
Coolant tubes last about 65K miles
Outer tie rods last about 80K miles
Hub bearings J.F.C 
, around 178K miles three of these berkeleyers checked out within 3K miles of each other (one of each for noise, play, ABS) and good hub bearings are not cheap. The fourth one seem to be hanging in there.
A few say what repairs:HUD spring, thermostat (EVAP code!), and wheels. Yes wheels, the factory wheels leaked air, in the winter I did not mind (twice a week) but the summer I was putting air in at least once a day sometimes twice. Save you time and money just buy new ( non GM) wheels.
This is not a complete list but some of more expensiveness and reoccurring repairs.
According to the interweb the 3.8 eats head gaskets, intake gaskets, water pumps, radiators, steering racks, and drive belts like candy. All of mine are original.
The "BIG" repair will be the transmission as after you drive for an hour or more and come to a stop the car takes about four seconds to engage first gear with a nice little bang. This started about 18K miles ago but seems to be occurring more and more, this maybe where I get off.
Overall I have been please with the way the car drives and has held up over the long haul, I was coming off my third in a row foreign turd and just needed something that was not going to leave me on the side of the road/ parking lot/ my driveway for the zillionth time in three years, no tow truck for this car. Good car for the money and I have seen a few nice ones for around $3K.
Paul B
Knurled wrote: Yes, I know about lifting it up high enough to glob a bunch of silicone in there over the old O-ring. No, I've never had it actually work.
What does work is just using an SBC distributor gasket. You have to cut a slit in it to slip it under the distributor cap, and put a bit of silicone on it to seal the slit. No big deal. Works great.
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