what is the opinions on the 3.1 gm

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: EricF
my 2.8L Firebird was rock solid. 176,000 miles. 3 alternators, 4 starters, 3 ignition modules and 1 water pump. That motor was solid. I got pretty darn good gas mileage out of it, was able to hit 120mph all day long. Yeah, it took a bit longer, but fact is it did it and it never complained. I didn't have dexcool in 1989, I used Zerex Maxlife antifreeze at 112k.

my Mom had a 3.1L Chevy Beretta.. that motor was on the loud side, but it could keep up with anything. Had dexcool, but never had an intake manifold gasket leak. She sold it at 70k to a kid who drag raced 2 mustang 5.0's and won! of course tossed the tranny, but didn't blame us for it! Gave him a bottle of Greased Lightning Trans treatment and he was good for another year. But he junked the car after (the guy was a friend of a friend). It had a lot of guts in it, climbed steep grades like it was nothing.
tuneup and belt replacement was a . But a bottle of injector cleaner every oil change, no big deal, I didn't even put synthetic oil in it. I did use Valvoline WB though and a larger oil filter.
Oh.. replaced the coolant temp sensor and yes, 1 alternator.
All in all, it wasn't a bad car.. just hated the 2 doors.


The Beretta was a 16 second car. Was he racing pre-1986 5.0's? Because otherwise I call [censored].

Pre-'82 I would say.
Once I figured out how to force the upshift at or just before 5000 rpm, I could put down a Z24 with little effort in my H.O. CFI '85 LX 5.0 notchback

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: paulo57509
I have a '92 Lumina with the 3.1L (not to be confused with the later 3100).


I always thought they were generally called 3.1L with iron heads and 3100 with aluminum heads regardless of when they were made. They're all 3.1s to me though. I'm that crazy fool who calls a 3400 (pushrod, not the 3.4L TDC) a 3.4 liter 3.1.

I call the 3.4L TDC (LQ1) the X motor because, well, that's just what it was called back then.

 

[paulo57509]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
Originally Posted By: paulo57509
I have a '92 Lumina with the 3.1L (not to be confused with the later 3100).


I always thought they were generally called 3.1L with iron heads and 3100 with aluminum heads regardless of when they were made. They're all 3.1s to me though. I'm that crazy fool who calls a 3400 (pushrod, not the 3.4L TDC) a 3.4 liter 3.1.

I call the 3.4L TDC (LQ1) the X motor because, well, that's just what it was called back then.


My 3.1 Lumina has the GenII aluminum heads.

 

[mechanicx]

I think starting with Gen II introduced around '87 even the 2.8 had aluminum heads, and of course the GEN II 3.1 that came a couple years later did too. And they were started to be called 3100 with Gen III, but I sometimes call them 3.1 too.

 

[artificialist]

I often replace head gaskets on the 2.8, 3.1, and 3.4 GM engines.

I absolutely hate these engines because of how many head gaskets that have to get replaced.

 

[Kruse]

A co-worker gave me a '98 Monte Carlo because he had had the dealer replace the intake gaskets and it needed them again. I replaced the intake gaskets and my daughter drove it for about a year before it blew a head gasket. Since it was starting to rust out and the tranny was starting to act funny, the entire car has probably been to China and back by now....if you know what I mean.

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
I often replace head gaskets on the 2.8, 3.1, and 3.4 GM engines.

I absolutely hate these engines because of how many head gaskets that have to get replaced.


Odd that. I've had to replace head gaskets on two.

One was a 3100 that hat intake gaskets replaced at a Pep Stooges store and had threads ripped out from overtorqueing the rocker bolts. It isn't necessary to loosen these bolts to replace the intake gaskets, but some guys still do it. Thread inserts probably would have been fine, but as Peps was paying the bill it was easier to get a set of fully dressed reman heads and be done with it.

The other was a 3400 that had a chronic overheating problem. It seemed every gasket and o-ring and even rubber hose connection had been given a liberal dose of orange RTV to help it seal. The (original style) intake gaskets had gotten hot enough to melt and bubble. This engine didn't get new head gaskets, but needed them. It had been overheated badly many times over a period of two years and has been sent off for recycling since then. That's the second I "had to" replace head gaskets on, but never actually did it because the owner of the vehicle had no faith in it anymore.

 

[GMBoy]

I had a 2.8 in a 1985 Fiero SE. It was not the GT, I purposely ordered the SE with the 2.8 to be a sleeper and it was. Was a rare little car too with all the GT's around. It was almost a daily ritual to eat up a Z28. That engine sounded sweet...even in my parents Celebrity Eurosport.

But no issues ever with it.

 

[SteveSRT8]

When I think what my son did to his first car with a 2.8 in it I think it must be a better engine than anyone ever gave it credit for!

Beaten mercilessly by a 16 year old for two years without any problems at all. It was in a battered Buick.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I don't know why, but the 3.1s always had the coolest exhuast note.

 

[silverrat]

Originally Posted By: yonyon


I call the 3.4L TDC (LQ1) the X motor because, well, that's just what it was called back then.


It's called that because it's the engine code in the VIN