Any issues with a GM 3.8 motor
Looking at another car
97 Pontiac Bonneville SSE with 47,000 miles on it.
Price is under $5000 and room to go down. I can probably get it for $4500.
It has low miles and lots of bells and whistles including leather interior.
I have experience with the 3.1 and have one with over 200,000 miles on it but I just wonder about the GM 3.8 liter?????
Good motor or bad? Buy it or not?
97 Pontiac Bonneville SSE with 47,000 miles on it.
Price is under $5000 and room to go down. I can probably get it for $4500.
It has low miles and lots of bells and whistles including leather interior.
I have experience with the 3.1 and have one with over 200,000 miles on it but I just wonder about the GM 3.8 liter?????
Good motor or bad? Buy it or not?
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great motor. GM's been putting it in vehicles since the 80s. Bonneville, GP, chevy lumina, buick regal, you name it.
One thing I worry about though is bells and whistles 10 yrs old. Things start to go bad in wiring, so make sure all the power seats and everything work.0 -
Hey,Warpig,I've got a 96 Bonne,3800 series 2.It's got 204000 on it and still going strong.Sounds a bit much for the age but I'd bet it would be an excellent car.If I drive ours fairly nice it gets 26-30 mpg to boot.Good engine in my book.[:)] 0 -
Warpig,
I am on my second Bonneville, first one went 201,00 before a 70mph collision with a white tail uglied it up bad enough to give it to my son who finished it off doing Rockfords. My current car is a 98 Bonne with 214,000, it still handles well looks pretty good and runs excellant. Mind you it is not perfect, I had to go to an aftermarket stereo cause the OEM unit puked, the paint is starting to fall off and I had to weld the trunk latch back on but for the most part "she rocks".
Referring to the previous post that deals with bells and whistles falling off, that is a function of the second law of thermodynaics which in a nut shell states: "everything that is created starts to degrade from the moment of creation" which translated into laymans speak reads: After a while stuff starts to fall apart and not work so well if at all. If the car was well maitained, stored inside and in good shape I would buy it in a heartbeat!
I was shocked when GM stopped making both the 3.8 and the Bonneville. My guess is they last too long and that is affecting profits!
Mark0 -
from someone who usually despises GM, the 3.8 is indeed one of their better engines. 0 -
Rockfords[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
We are going to look at it this weekend. If all is as promised I will drive it home.0 -
I had the 3.8 in the wife's Buick. It got over 30mpg on a trip to Kansas. Nothing wrong with it by me. Don 0 -
The 3.8 is a solid engine. I'd just be worried why there were only 47,000 miles on a vehicle that's 10 years old. Was it just an "in town car"? If so, you're going to have problems. Was it stored for 5 years? You might have further problems.
3.8 is the way to go when it comes to a 6-cylinder engine in a sedan. I'd just be worried why the mileage is so low.0 -
I have a 3800 that is supercharged in my 98' Buick Riviera with 125,000 miles. Great motor, they do have problems with the valve covers leaking, also if the V-belt or drive belt needs replacing the motor mount has to be removed to get it in in out. Unless your handy and have a few tools it is going to cost you more than normal for belt replacement at the shop. If it is supercharged it will have the 4t65e trans in it. Good trans, few problems, the only problems they have been known to have is with the valve body. If it is not supercharged it will have the 4t60e. Good trans but is fairly weak and can not be abused. I am pretty sure GM recommends trans flushes and filter replacement every 50k. Don't wait!! Have it done when you are supposed to. I have seen these go one after another from people having them flushed at 100k or over. Other than that no other major problem that I know of. Seems to me the mileage is alomost normal. I think the average mileage on a vehicle is rated at about 10k a year. So its a little low but not much. If it was drivin in town all its life you may have carbon build up in the valves , and or also some slugging in the motor if the maint. schedule was not followed correctly. If so, you can buy cleaner to add to your oil, gas, ect. Won't hurt anything, just FOLLOW the directions.
Myself, just found a 1992 Cadillac with the 4.9 ltr. with 42,000 miles. Thing was perfect, no leaks which was suprising for a Cadillac, Also had ALL service records, one owner. Thing is in excellent shape, have been driving it off and on for the past year.
If you have any questions about Toyota's aka Lexus aka Scion, feel free to hit me up with any question guys and or girls. Have been working on them for the past couple few years and still do. Have a lot of resources on these vehicles.
Hope this is useful to you. Happy car shopping
And if you know anyone in the auto biz see if they could look the car over for you, get it on a lift and check out under the car, hook a factory (T-Tech 2 I think is what GM uses)scan tool to check for any diagnostic trouble codes, and if their are non make sure that the monitors are set, this is a clear idications that the codes have been recently reset to turn of check engine lights if the monitors are incomplete.
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The plastic intake manifold is a weak point. Ours developed a crack and sucked coolant and water into the oil, ruining the main bearings. We liked the car so we re-engined it. Mechanic said ours was a VERY common problem.
I would buy your car in a minute.0 -
my mech says all engines are solid and have been perfected for the most part. most fail due to accessory things attached to the engine. low mileage means not much use. id be more concerned about things that rot and decay from not being used like gaskets, tires, boots, mirror linkages, and plastic manifolds, etc...[;)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by bobski
my mech says all engines are solid and have been perfected for the most part. most fail due to accessory things attached to the engine. low mileage means not much use. id be more concerned about things that rot and decay from not being used like gaskets, tires, boots, mirror linkages, and plastic manifolds, etc...[;)]
i agree
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My Father in law spent thirty eight years as a mechanical engineer with Catapillar. He worked in engine design for the majority of his career.
He told me the 3800 is one of the best engines every designed.0 -
Own a '95 Bonneville with a 3.8 NON SUPERCHARGED has 194,000, no major engine trouble but needed a tranny at about 130,000. great runner and plenty of power. 0 -
"Rolling Thunder" is a 1999 Bonneville (yes I name my cars, give me crap and I'll make you pay for it)
She had 1 issue, the intake manifold got screwy at approx 65k-miles and aspirated something it was not supposed to (I think coolant). It is the only problem I am aware of for the 38000 -
had them in buicks, great motor good gas milage. last for a long time the only problem that i know about, is the newer ones have what a friend of mine called intake plenum, or plantum something like that. this thing is plastic on newer models and the hot cold hot cold, causes it to go brittle and crack. thats what happened to his mother in laws,and it took forever to track down the problem. 0 -
I have a 1995 Oldsmobile Lss Supercharged 3800. It will blow the doors off of anything its size and gets 32 mpg on the highway. 0 -
For what it's worth, the 3800 was turbocharged as well, in the Buick Grand Nationals and in the Pontiac Trans Am GTA. 0 -
I have a 1998 Olds. w/3.8 liter...Been just fine except for the Plenum/Intake (made of Plastic)...It was about a $350 fix...That is the only engine problem as of yet, after 7 years...That problem appeared at around 70K miles. 0 -
I have a 1995 regal with the 3800 in,168000 on the clock,seems a good engine to me,only get about 24 to the gallon tho.Maybe Im a bad driver. 0 -
I had a 95 olds 88 with this engine. Loved it !! cant say as much for the transmissions though traded mine in for a 94 caddy when the second trans started shuddering in OD. 150,000 and motor was perfect 0
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