GM hey we have a great engine let's stop making them

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.

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.

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.

MY BUICK LACROSSE CXL I LOVE DAT 3800 296000 MILES STILL RUNNING GREAT

Best engine ever. Had so many of these over the years.

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.

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.

I have a 2003 Buick LeSabre with the 3800 stage 2 V6. 31-32 mpg highway all day long. Love this car! Thank you for your information.

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

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

These were put in Australian Holden Commodores in the late 80’s and 90’s, indestructible for young guys flogging them all day long

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.

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 had a 94 Olds Royale 88 with the 3800.. was the best of my first 5 vehicles, loved that car

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 !!!

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

I have a 2000 LeSabre with about 51k on it, a guy at work has a 2005 LeSabre with around 170k....they run almost exactly the same. 3800 are slept on

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

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.💪🏾

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.

I had a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville SE with the 3800 V6, that was amazing, great engine, beautiful car...

I have this engine in my 96 Bonniville and 07 lacrosse bullet proof.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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 had an 88 Rivera. I absolutely loved that car. Sold her at around 260k still going strong

My wife and I had a Pontiac Bonneville SSE 1989 with the 3800 engine great engine and car.

THANKS FOR SHARING. I LEARNED SO MUCH.

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.

3800 is a great balance of power, fuel efficiency, durability, and fairly easy maintenance.

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 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.

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.

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

Back in the early 80's as a mechanic we used to call that buick engine Iron Boy . I had a 77 Skyhawk with a 4 speed stick.

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.

What a great guides, especially for everybody new in that trading world

I learned about this great engine from The Car Wizard. I have seen this engine up close and do believe what you and Car Wizard says about it!

The GM 3800 V6 is the engine that forced everyone to respect the V6 design. & I hope you do more V6 engine breakdown videos like this in the future.

I have 2 one with 42k miles and the other with 86k miles ,love these engines, so easy to fix when they break

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 .

I've had a 1992 Regal GS. It was truly one of the best cars I ever had.

I have a 2005 LaCrosse with 58k miles. Love the smoothness of this engine. I drive it very gently, but if I need some power it will deliver!

I've got a 3800 series ll in my 1998 Y87 Firebird.

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!!

My daily is a 1988 Olds 98 Brougham with the same engine. Thing is so good.

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

Gotta series 2 that's a gem with only 95,000. Plan to have it for many years.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. A TOTALLYA WSOME VIDEO AND A TOTALLYAWSOME DUCATION.

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.

I currently have a 1990 Oldsmobile 88 Royale with 41,xxx original miles,that engine still have plenty of life in it 👍

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.

Great video man.

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.

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!!

It was in all the Buick Reattas. It's a super good reliable engine. I have 4 of them.

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

GM figured 4.5 qts of non synthetic oil you would do 2500 mile oil changes. Awesome video and info.

I have a 2004 Pontiac Bonneville with a Series 2. It has 192,000 miles on it.....incredible. I call it my American Mercedes!😊

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

Excellent review of that engine in my opinion that engine is the best one that GM has ever made the LS is not too bad either but it's gotta be the ones that don't drop the cylinders Anna they do get great fuel mileage and there's so many of them running around yet around my area and haven't rushed it out yet yeah now every minute just about every mailman uses them

I am driving a 1990 oldsmobile delta 88 Royal Brougham with the same engine. Never had problem with it.

I have a 1992 LeSabre with a 178,000 plus miles on it and it still runs pretty decent and have been driving it twelve years!!

I grew up in Flint Michigan. My Dad worked at Buick City. The V6 plant was across the street.

I have 2 buicks both have 3.8 v6's love them lots of pep.❤❤❤

I've got a 2008 Buick Allure with the 3,8 Liter . 15 years old. Still running strong ;)

Had one in an Impala, it was running great and approaching 300,000 when we sold it.

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.

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 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!

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.

Great video. I have a 2008 Grand Prix with the Series 3 engine. Bulletproof. 218k and is running strong. A friend of mine had a 2009 BMW 328i with the N51 six cylinder . Spent over 4k to fix oil leaks at 70k miles. Did Willy Wonka make BMW gaskets?? Electric water pump failed at 90k. All plastic in the motor. I will keep my Grand Prix with the legendary 3800. A great book to read is:( General Motors 3800 V6 Engine: The Untold Story) BY M. Taubitz and R. Vasilow.

My 05 Buick Park Avenue SE is the Best owned engine besides my 73-74 Dodge Charger I have ever owned! My Park Avenue has over 245k miles and still running strong’ I own it now for 11years and counting’ I bought it with 80k miles had a warranty on it with the dealership redoing my intake motor mounts and replaced with a new transmission’ I remember the mechanic 👨‍🔧 say: Sir You Have A Car all over 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.

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

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 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.

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.

Changing out the oil filter... The lower control arm will never rust out! 🤣 I've since made a shield to drain around it. I have 3 Oldsmobile 88's: 90 with 296k (deer totaled), 91 with 260k, 89 with 170k. I bought the 90 with just 42k on it back in 2006!

These are great but oil pan gasket are fun and don't forget those plugs in the back I had the 98 regal

Our '90 Toronado consistently got 36 mpg highway. Awesome power and durability.

I thought I was knowledgeable about the 3800. you sir blow me away. Great video. I own a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. I have taken it to car shows, it absolutely flies. It has never let me down. Only drive it in the summer. I have a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix GT. Best car I have ever owned. Besides intake manifold issues on both cars ( Old style plastic gaskets. New style Fel Pro metal gaskets) I never really have any issues. I always have a joke with these engines. GM calls in engineer who made that engine into Accounting office. Gm tells engineer he is fired. Guy says why, it's a great design?. Gm says , its too good. They never break. We are in the business of selling cars. They are only supposed to last a few years. Customers are keeping them forever. What were you thinking?

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

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.

That's a well organized garage! Most garages look like a landfill.

You should make a short of the part where you're Explaining the startup procedure and multi port feel injection so that people have a decent reason to let their car come down out of high idle state upon initial startup

Nice job. the 3800 was a great enging and was GM's bread and butter.

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 II that GM put in the Camaros 98-02 had aluminum upper and lower intake manifolds.

Sidenote these are fun to swap into mini trucks with the motor/trans/ECU from a cheap wrecked 90's V6 Camaro, everything you need is already in the car

my cousin michael had a 92 oldsmobile toronado swapped with a supercharger on it. It was ratty and sounded like race car from a mile away. It got junked when the sub frame rotted out but the motor was still good. The odometer stop turning at 300k it had turned over a few times.

Have a 66 Buick special convertible with 225 oddfire and 3 on the tree. Supposedly extremely low production, I’ve heard 145ish total like it. Anyway, I love the lopey clunky idle it has. Super torqey too which that big ol beast needs. At one point had a 2000 gtp and kinda cool to know it was similar engine

Yes, I strongly agree, it's true that gm's 3.8 engine was great and lasted a long long time, the best out there.