I was a Pontiac dealer tech when these were new. Intermittent stall complaints were a constant problem. I was even sent to a special class that trained us what to check and parts to change. I still have the 40 page pamphlet that was issued. Transmission were another huge problem, and 100's of service bulletins to address changes and updates. Disabling the TCC solenoid to stop the stalling, will overheat the trans and burn it up. Instrument clusters also an issue. Honestly these were a nightmare for the owners, but I made a boat load of money on them.

This was one of the best engines GM made at the time. 200,000 was not uncommon if the timing chain was replaced. The only frequent problem I saw with them was timing chain failure when they exceeded 100k miles. It would sometimes clog up the oil pick up if the pan wasn’t removed and cleaned out. The water pumps were super easy to change. It was a LOT more reliable than the previous gen distributor equipped version. As you stated, the 3800 was even better.

I had a '87 3.8 L Oldsmobile 88 Royale. It had the fastest engine in an Olds that year. The 3.8 in those years were blow by 80,000 miles. My Olds was on its 2nd engine, and it has about 50,000 miles. The reason the 3.8 were gone by 80,000 miles was the timing chain sprocket. These sprocket were coated in Teflon by GM, in order to make them quiet. So I bought the car, and change the timing chain. I got 200,000 miles out of the car. It had a 4 speed hydromatic. Olds hadn't had a 4 speed hydromatic since the 50's. The car was fast. I never knew how good 4 speed hydromatic. Although I had a 4 speed hydromatic in a '57 Cadillac. It was fast for its day even though it had 300 hp & weighted 5,000#. Both cars I had to replace the 4 speed hydromatic. I had the Cadillac replaced in '68 for $450, and the Olds in '95 for $2,500. I drive a Toyota now, and like it.

My mom had a 1985 Buick park avenue with the 3.8, you are right about mass air and egr valves going bad! It eventually got to the point dad kept an extra one of each in the trunk! Other than that the 85 still had a GM HEI distributor that loved to eat ignition modules like the Cookie Monster loves to eat cookies! Still it was a great car though, mom got it in 89 and drove it until 99 when the original owner bought it back, never left us stranded either it would always make it home!

very accurate review, the only thing that I would add that the crankshaft position sensors and idle air control motors were also a common issue

I had an '87 Bonneville for 19 yrs and 276,000 miles. The Timing chain was the biggest weakness, I replaced mine 3x. Overwise a very dependable driveline. I still drive an '99 Lesabre as a work car , now at 189,000 miles. I have owned 7 C/H cars with the 3.8 or 3800 and wish the engine was still in production. All combined, I have close to 800,000 miles of good experience with this engine. Todays High Feature V6 is overly complex and gets the same mileage.

My daughter had the Series III engine. A lot of changes to address the Series II shortcomings. Namely, the use of plastic elbows in the cooling system. This indeed is a very accessible engine and won't break the bank! Parts are plentiful/cheap!

My 1989 Pontiac Bonneville LE was an excellent reliable car and it did get 30 mpg on the highway or climbing up to a 10,000 foot mountain pass! The styling was really beautiful, before GM starting adding on tons of ugly body cladding.

You're 100% correct. I've only driven old Buicks since I've gotten my permit and drivers license and one Mercury Sable (If you buy a Taurus/Sable get it with the DOHC Duratech 3.0L) and I gotta tell ya. These 3800 engines are some of the best engines you can have. Since high school I've owned a combined total of 15 of them, still got 2 and as long as you keep the engine and transmission oil clean these things just keep on going. Although the series 1 I'd have to agree is the best, neither of those engines from that engine family are bad. Unless you get one that was constantly rammed at 80mph with only half a quart of oil in it... and even that's debatable with these engines

I had an 86 Grand Am Se (3.0l v6, cousin). Had the water pump start leaking, the solenoid issue, maf was replaced as well. I was 16 and first car, total beater when I bought it but I learned how to fix things, get it running and in the end it turned into an almost reliable car. I had it around 1994, with 86k when I got it, sold a few years later with over 110k. Was still running ok and looking ok when it went onto its new home, that said i feel like once we moved into the new millennium I just did not see those at all anymore. At least here in metro Detroit with bad roads, winters, etc.

That's a swanky Olds you've got there! And a nice, solid engine there.

I had a 1987 Bucik Electra with the 3.8 and drove it for over 200,000 miles with almost no issues and 27 mpg. Great engine. Mine developed a top end tick around 150000 miles and my mechanic told me not to worry so I just let the engine tick until I sold the car.

Thank you for sharing. It thought it was informative. I have the 3800 Series II and a 3800 Series I in a Toronado. What you say is true about the engine. I like the fuel economy, reliability, and ease of repair as I do most of my own. I have learned a lot on the engine. Thank you sharing and hope you share more of the Ninety Eight.

I’ve had 2 vehicles with these. A 89 Olds 88 and an 88 Olds 98, both with the Pre-Series 1 3800s, and I loved them. One was my great grandmothers, the other a $500 pickup from marketplace with 120k miles. Neither one of them ever gave me any issues at all. They weren’t exactly “fast” cars/engines but I remember them being rather smooth rather responsive and free revving engines. Any 3800 powered vehicle is my second recommend cheap, reliable transportation.

My first car was a 1985 Pontiac Grand Am with the 3.0L MPFI V6 and 3 speed auto, which looks very similar to this engine. I bought it from the original owner back in 1997 at 158,000 KMs and drove it until 2004 at about 250,000 KMs. The engine had bee rebuilt about 1000 KMs before I purchased it, so I didn't have to touch any engine internals and the timing gear was fine. The catalytic converter had been removed and the EGR valve bypassed, and am not sure if this was done due to them failing or when the war was newer, following oldschool pollution control bypassing, as the original owner was an an oldschool car guy with no knowledge past about 1978. :) It would rev up and down when transitioning from fast to slow idle and sometimes stall, so at the recommendation of the engine rebuilder I replaced the MAF and the PROM, but with no change in the problem, and being I was 17-18 and still learning about both cars and discerning good from bad mechanics, I took a lession from Click and Clack and figured I was just making his boat payment, so I moved on. It would built up carbon in the throttle body and idle air control, which eventually lead to stalling, but annual cleaning solved that. One of the things I always wondered about with the idle surge was when the idle air control was unplugged and then plugged back in, that first restart would transision smoothly between fast and slow idle, then sucessive restarts would surge again, so mayve it was the IAC solenoid? Interesting enough, a K&N airfilter solved the stalling. I replaced the electronic ignition module in the first couple months I had the car, replaced it again in about 2003, the replacement MAF failed in 2003, the water pump leaked in 1998, the alternator seized and the plastic fan caugh fire on the highway so replaced that in 2000, that alternator failed again in 2002 so I had it rebuilt, the starter died in 1998, the transmission lock up solenoid failed in 1999, and replacement MAF failed in 2003. For a time it went through anual fuel pumps (not engine related) but an AC Delco pump solved that. It would get about 20 MPG US in the city and upwards of 30 MPG US on the highway.

The buick 3.8 was put into the holden commodore in Australia during the early to mis nineties.I had one in a company car and it went hard and was very strong but it was extremely harsh, noisy and would vibrate to the point that it became a very uncomfortable car to drive.I could not wait to get out of it.I believe they eventually put oil filled engine mounts in order to dampen the vibrations.

My grandpa had one in his 88 delta 88. Threw a connecting rod at 65,000 miles in 1991. Warranty was only 60,000 miles and he said he was too smart to get an extended warranty when he bought it

We had one of these engines in an '87 Cutlass Ciera; had a timing chain installed at about 150k and a couple of mass air flow sensors. Gave the car away with 260k and no other problems, no oil consumption or leaks. Great Car! Do a video on the Ford 3.8 and see how that stacks up.

HAD THE SAME POS IN SILVER....NICE INTERIOR...AND THE REAR DEFROSTER WAS NICE , IT KEEPS YOUR HANDS WARM WHILE PUSHING YOUR CAR TO THE SERVICE STATION

I've had a number of Buick V6 engines from new. Our first was a odd fire 76 231 in a Buick Century 4 door. It was rough, slow and ate timing gear and chains about every 15 thousand miles from new. The next was a LC9 3.2L in a 79 Chevrolet Monza. This engine was smoother but suffered sludge even with 3k oil changes. Suffered rod failure at 37k miles. Next was a LK9 3.0L in a 1985 Century. This engine suffered head gasket failure at 48k. After that I swore off GM until 1999, when I bought a new Oldsmobile eighty eight with a 3800. Much smoother and powerful than the earlier V6's. But not trouble free. Had to replace the plastic intake manifold, plastic coolant line and plastic fuel lines.

Back in the late 1970s, I had a friend with a Pontiac Sunbird that had a V6. It vibrated a lot more than I expected. Kind of like the 4 cylinders of the time. I had a Ford Falcon with the inline 6 which ran pretty smooth in comparison.

Electronics aside, which plagued so many GM vehicles of the time, the only problems the 3.8 had pre 3800 were burned valves because they were run so lean. On RWD cars, in very heavy snow and subzero weather, ice and snow build up on the exposed oil filter would starve the mill, and many have lost their engines that way.

Had a 75&76 odd fire 3.8,@ a 93&2000 Park avenue, I can't tell you how much I loved those last two

Another super helpful video. Thanks Adam.

Another great overview, sir.

Adam, great review of the 3.8. To add to your information, the mass airflow sensor used on these engine was manufactured by Rochester. The reason the tap test will reveal a faulty unit is the circuit that controlled the hot film fixed temperature would overheat and open intermittently. This was partially caused by turbulence over the film which the Venturi and honeycomb grate would virtually eliminate. BUT, Rochester also didn’t have robust enough heat syncs on the circuit board, causing soldered joints to fail. Vibration would open the circuits, thus the stumble and stalling. Cars that live in hot climates will experience this more often. Some aftermarket companies identified the problem and corrected it. The EGR sticking problem occurs from carbon build up on the EGR pintle. There are aftermarket companies that offer a product called “Clean Screen”. It’s a replacement base gasket with a screen over the inlet opening. The screen catches carbon before it gets into the valve. Unless the car is driven only on short trips, the screen will get hot enough to fry the carbon and turn it into ash, which will harmlessly pass through the EGR valve. Most of the time if the valve sticks, it will be in a partially open position, or enough carbon on the seat where the pintle rests will keep it from sealing when closed. Rough idle, stalling when cold, and stumble on light acceleration are tell-tell signs. Hope this information helps someone.

A engineered version of the V8 even won a formula one world championship in 1966 as the Repco Brabham. Australia loved the GM 3.8 in our RWD Holdens. 🦘

Interesting! I have one of those Rover V-8's in my Land Rover. I knew they were from Buick and an older design however I did not know this engine was derived from that engine! Love the videos man!

I had the supercharged version from 1995 in a Park Ave. Replacement superchargers were $6,000.00 here in Canada. When the replacement one went (around 2010) I travelled to Cleveland where I could exchange mine for a home rebuilt unit for $500.00. Did the install myself, took 8hrs in total. Shop time around 5.5hrs. Great running motor but slow to warm up (had it check by mechanic) and would not shift into 4th until around 50MPH. And the transmission was starting to lose the crispness of the 1-2 shift. And then I hit a deer and it was all over. I think my mechanic was more distraught than I. The car, not the motor, was a money pit.

I had a 1991 Pontiac Bonneville and a 1993 Buick LeSabre. Both were beautiful cars that ran great and got 30 mpg on the highway!

Awesome video. Very interesting. I'm in Australia and I own a 1989 Holden Commodore it has the 38000 V6 Buick engine. Awesome engine. Mine has done 460.000 kms . And still goes Awesome. I love learning about these engines.

Love watching your vids

If memory serves me well the manual actually told you to do tap tests on certain electrical components. Worked on a ton of these cars.

Don't recall ever seeing that funky GND. extension wire from the hinge bolt on the Alt. to the intake manifold. Nice and clean.

My 3800 powered 94 Regal was most reliable car Ive owned. Im a big gm critic but the 3800 is shining star even today. Powerful, fuel efficent, and reliable its what you want on an engine. The 4t60e transmission is a different story. Gm programmed it to upshift as fast as possible for better mpg. 4th gear at 40. With the 3800s torque this was fine and it was a great transmission for that car, but on my 95 quad4 powered achieva it didnt have the torque to handle 4th gear at 40 and it would literally buck like youre driving a stick and let the clutch out too fast. Why gm programmed it the same is beyond me, or maybe mine was flashed wrong at some point. The achieva was available with the 3.1 v6 afterall.

Timing gear. Did it at 100k with gm phenolic set. Then again at 180k with same failure. 2nd time it got a Napa all metal set! Not a bad job to do really. Had to be the slowest power windows ever made on those cars though!

This engine with a "single-pin" engine reminds me of the Harley-Davidson "single-pin" engines. The difference is, Harley made the vibration a positive thing. Thank you for clarifying the 3.8 vs. 3800 V6 engines!

I have an Olds 86 Toronado, an all original 73k mile car. It has the engine in this video, the LG2 3.8l. It's amazing and drives great, the 4th gen Toro interior is surreal & over-all look is badass, but the stalling and starting issues are horrible. It namely occurs when coming to a stop/slowing down below ~18mph, the engine simply dies, tach drops to 0 rpms and the car has powered brakes & steer but it's never a real issue for safety since it happens at a low speed. Forums said this issue starts then progressively gets worse to where people have stalled on the highway.

My Aunt got a new one in 1989. I remember it had the optional driver's air bag. When I told her how neat the air bag was, she got upset and didn't know it had an airbag and wanted to trade it for one that didn't. She was fearful of an air-bag due to all the media frenzy against them. A few months later she was hit by a speeding mustang and the air-bag popped out and she said it "probably" saved her life, even though the accident was really "minor" in my opinion. They even fixed her car and she drove it to 90,000 miles and got a new 1996 Oldsmobile Silhouette... I remember her 89 had an ice cold AC and such soft seats. Before that she had a base trim RWD 85 Delta 88 4 dr.

Two items not mentioned. 1. Harmonic balance, the rubber separates and makes a clunking sound. 2. Crank sensor, for some reason the harmonic balancer shifts enough to break the sensor. This will happen before rubber separates.

I worked as a Pontiac and Olds tech when these engines were in warranty. I can vouch for the comments on the MAF sensor and TCC solenoid failing. Other issues include the crank sensor, ignition module, ignition coils, and injectors failing (occasionally in the open position). The timing chains on these do start to slack after 90-100K miles, and the OEM timing sets are junk. If you have one of these and are looking to upgrade, Cloyes does make a replacement timing set for these 3.8L engines. Cloyes produces high performance timing chains and I'm pretty certain their replacement for the 3.8 comes with metal gears.

If you ever feel the car shiver or chuggle when going into torque converter lockup don't condemn the trans yet, check the plug wires for opens first.

Awesome engine series 1 in 1989 Buick LeSabre. Had this engine myself.. Series II 3800 ate thru coils and ignition control module once a year....

I had the series 3. Yes, I had the coolant elbow issue. Not a big deal. However, the timing chain cover leaking was. Trying to get that balancer off was a nightmare. GM put lock tight red on the bolt. Had to get a 3/4 drive impact gun to get it off. Then force 1/4 fine thread bolts into my balancer remover. Not fun.

I had one of these in my 1983 Pontiac Bonneville station wagon. It threw a rod bearing at 55,000 miles and blew a head gasket at 86,000 miles.

I have a 90 buick riviera with 85,000 miles, I've had it for a year and a half and it's been pretty reliable besides a stalling issue i had which turned out to be the crankshaft position sensor

i had one of those in a 1987 bonneville. it spun a rod bearing on the way home from the used car dealer. they ended up replacing the engine with a autozone reman. it ran great the rest of the time i owned it.

Used between 1986-1988, there are two versions, flat tappet "B" (8th digit of Vin) and a roller cam "3" engine.

I had a 3.8 Series 1 in a 1992 Oldsmobile 88 Royale. I liked it!

About time someone mentions the elephant in the room. Experienced a spun rod bearing at 93k miles even after meticulous maintenance. That was the nail in the coffin for GM with me.

My mother bought a new 1990 LeSabre Limited with that engine, white with red leather. That engine functioned flawlessly for her for nine years until her death. What she had hell with was the a/c part of the auto climate control. I can't remember how many times the a/c went out on that car. Other than that it was a great car on the highway and around town for her, and I loved that funky hood action...

My God, even for an 80's car, that is very nice

The V8 version was also enlarged to 4.4 litres or 269 CI and was fitted to an Australian made car called the Leyland P76

Hi Adam; Wondering if you would consider doing a vid on this 86 Olds. Would like to see more of it.

I have a 1986 Toronado with that V-6 engine and you were right on the mass airflow sensor! Tapping on them with a screwdriver handle will cause them to stutter. Also in 1988 I believe, the timing gear went out and I replaced it with a metal gear. The oil pump is in front as well so I ended up replacing the front housing while I was into it that far. The fuel pump in the gas tank went tits-up and was a major pain because I had to remove the fuel tank to get to it. If GM had put a removable panel in the trunk to access the thing it wouldn't have been so bad. Leaking fuel injectors were replaced but that was a NICE car! I still have it but it is parked out next to the barn now. The 1986 Toronados have the electronic dash clusters and I can read all the OBD codes via the radio keypad! Mine came with the Touring Package which included aluminum wheels, different steering rack and I was told, a different camshaft. I still love that car!

I've always loved these and the 3800 (and it's other series). Only issues I've had with the 3800 series are some of the plastic pieces breaking with age or for whatever reason 2 of the 90s regals I owned would occasionally have a noticeable lag in acceleration when putting the pedal all the way down while already in motion. Aside from that I can say the mpg is definitely not nearly as good as a modern v6 and the first regal I owned starting at 60k miles was a PITA with getting mpg that the LT1 would get without it being a v8

@5:27…exactly what my 88 Park Avenue did and drove me nuts. Dealt with it for years.

Dang ! i always loved the gen2 3800's but now i drive a 94 chevy s10 2.2 with 642,000 miles on her ! original unrebuilt eng trans and rear end !

I still drive a 2000 Regal with a “3800” … Runs great. Hope it keeps it up …

So many different versions of the 3.8L engine!

I absolutely love this engine. I daily drive a 1988 Cutlass Cruiser Brougham with the 3.8 and It's a very dependable engine, love the raspy sound and the gas mileage. Mine have around 155k kms and I just got a all metal timing set to have mine replaced. It's been five years of trouble free ownership. The only time I took It to a mechanic was to remove the harmonic balancer bolt, which became noisy after my AC compressor seized on a road trip. All the other repairs like water pump and alternator were easily done by me. It sometimes throws the code 32 when driving gently in town. I will eventually take the EGR out and have it cleaned up.

I wonder if you could modify it by putting a series two in it or series one.

Pretty good engine. The transmission, not so good. Numerous problems with it. I think that car had Multec injectors, but I could be wrong, maybe Multecs were later. Multecs didn't age very well and caused other driveability problems, some of them kind of interesting.... Such as if the engine was running terrible and you unplugged the alternator it ran fine.

I have Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera International 3.8v6 1988r and i love it

I daily my 96 olds 88 with one of these and it runs great and it’s straight piped and sounds pretty good

You should do a video on the Ford Vulcan

Oh wow...this really brought me back to my childhood...my dad had a black with red leather interior 88 Regency... I loved that car...along with Pontiac 6000 sse-i fwd

I used to chase tornadoes with one of these, very robust. Great storm chasing vehicle.

I had an 89 Riv and it had a problem with the balancer/pulley,the connecting rubber broke and it started making a noise as if the engine had blown,like a hammer. 15 years ago it was $90. for a new pulley,pretty reliable afterwards. Engine was mushy and slow though.

This video is killing me. My first nice car was a 1987 Ninety Eight Regency. This is really making me miss it badly.

Great video... I wish it was one year older and 4.3 V6 Olds diesel!!! What a beautiful car!!!

I can’t wait until you do a review and Drive on this 98 Oldsmobile. My grandparents had an 85 Maroon one. Their’s would talk if the lights were left on or if the door was open. Does yours talk?

The electrical connector on the ignition module/coil pack can warp and then the end pink wire will make intermittent connection. It will leave you stranded and then restart later.

I’d like to see a ride and drive of this 98.

The 90degree banked Chevy 3.8L 229cuin was referred to as semi-even fired and the Buick based engine(i believe a 60 degree bank), you describe a similar off set crank, so IMHO the semi-even fire designation would apply on here as well. The Chevy version was a dog power wise(have one in my first car, B-body Impala) but great gas mileage and reliability.

Hi, how did you get the engine to run with the newer ICM? I have an '87 Toronado with this engine and wanted to convert it to the newer ignition system as well, but it wouldn't start.

That is a Olds 98? What a far cry from what I think is the peak year, I feel, being the 1970 98 with the 455. That was a 98 and after that, in the 80s, we are getting imposters. My father had a new one and got to drive it many times when 17. My car was my 68 Cougar but this 455 Olds was something else. You had to drive one. I actually keep looking for one.

I just saw one of these last week. Lots of rust but still rolling down the road. I had to do a double-take

Do you have a video about the gm 3.1L engine?

I have had 2 3800’s…a ‘95 Series 1 and a ‘96 Series 2. Both had a plastic cooling tube elbow fail and it was an expensive repair for an inexpensive part. It would have never been an issue if they made the part of metal. Otherwise great engines.

26 is good mileage? My '94 mustang w/ a 302 gets that on the highway.

The 84 (A body) and 85 versions of this engine with a distributor were not sequentially fuel injected. They didn't have the driveability issues the carb versions had but they were rather gutless by comparison. The engines equipped with the Magnivox ignition (singe coil pack) were problematic. The TCC sticking was far more an issue with the THM125c transmissions. I replaced a lot of the TCC solenoids back in those days. All of the other transmission issues you can think of belonged to the THM440T4. We were installing reman units in brand new unsold cars. I think most of the issues were worked out by 88? 89?

I used to live in Roseville Utica rd in a stationary motorhome but a 454 chevy in that beat up wiring 20amp to run the air

Great content! I had an 86 delta 88 that i loved, but I scraped it cause It was super intermittent about running poorly. I bought a 2003 impala recently for super cheap that had similar problems as my old delta 88, but I was able to use a scan tool to diagnosis the problem as a maf sensor and save this one from the scrapper. My question is- if I bought one of these 88-91 cars is there a scan tool for them? I found an 89 with over 200k I can get for pretty cheap that runs great(gmas car, perfect shape) but if something goes wrong is there someone who can scan it and make a diagnostic or am i going to have to throw parts at it? Thanks dude! Love your channel! these cars deserve as much love as any other classic car.

Hey there, I was wondering if you know of any good resources for learning how to maintain these engines. I have a '86 Buick Electra Park Ave with this engine and am about to dive into a major tuneup. Hoping to get it back on the road.

good ol' lg2/lg3. basically the 89 tta engine without the turbo. had one in a 88 olds cutlass ciera. the maf failed, couldnt find one, then the balancer rubber failed and it never ran right again(i think it broke the cam magnet off) so it went to the junkyard...i should have kept the engine to turbocharge...

I just saw the passenger side shock tower. Is it me or does that look like just beat up / poorly assembled?

Mine stalls sometimea when engine braking.any idea what it could be?

Did you do the quad 4

Is the MAF in this car a hot film, or a hot wire? I thought hot film sensors didn't come around until the early 90s? The little trim panel at the back of the engine cover really dresses up the engine bay. Everything is quite tidy looking.

I got 380k miles on 2004 Chevy venture 3.8 best van I ever had never broke only minor probs.

I had an early 3.8 in a Firebird. The uneven firing was very noticeable. I bought it cheap because the cam chain and associated sprockets were so shot they were audible. The distributor was shot too, being driven at the front of the engine. Replaced everything in the front including the oil pump. I drove it about another 60 thousand miles and the chain was going again. I've always thought it was the uneven impulses that stressed the cam drive mechanism. Gave it away. What was GM thinking?

Do replacement timing chain set still have nylon teeth or can you upgrade to an all steel set? Can you swap an 86 MAF with an 1987? Can you swap tour 3.8 with a 88-91 3800? Have transmission kits of today included upgrades makining them stronger when rebuilt? If you want to swap a3.8 with a 3800 should the transmission be included?

0:50 What a dilemma. Each 90 degree pair could be perfectly balanced with one crank weight when the engine had shared crank pins, since the horizontal motion of the pistons had both paths and phases that were 90 degrees apart. The only fly in the ointment was the "machine gun" timing of the firing pattern. But, offsetting the crank pins, while it could make the engine even-firing, threw each pair off balance. As far as I know, there is no way to get both perfect balance and even firing with a V6, of any angle, unless balancing shafts are added. Yet, there are still some respectably smooth V6's without balancing shafts; maybe they have just enough crank pin offset to minimize firing irregularity and imbalance.

Not as much room in a Cutlass Cierra. My EGR went bad and was fixed to no avail. Turned out the catalytic converter was plugged which created backpressure and 'blew open' the EGR valve.

I had a 1990 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight royal, the cam sensor broke and the plastic intake manifold gasket broke. After I fixed that, it was fine for a while. I gave it to my ex and started intermittently dying at a stop while in gear. I never got the opportunity to diagnose or repair it, so I don't know what caused it.

Not sure what my Mom had but it was a 6 cylinder 1990 Cutlass Supreme. It was a great car. Engine was good and it felt heavy and handled good. The only pain in the rear was the ignition system with the added anti theft.

That's one of the best engine ever made

The engines are ok, but it doesn’t matter because the transmissions are junk. I had 3 rebuilt between 95-115K. None were abused. I had the grandaddy 3.8 V6 in my 1971 Jeepster. It was rough but very dependable without all the electronic controls. The manual transmission was bombproof.

3800s were probably the best v6 ever made. The 3.8 was good also.