Thoughts on 1991 Buick Park Avenue..

[Delta]

My first car was a 1987 Olds Delta 88, basically the same car. It had the oldschool 3.8, and it was a beast. Being a teenager I ran the everliving [censored] out of it and it still held together. It was an old lady driven car that had set up for about a year, so I replaced the alt, water pump, starter, plugs and wires, and flushed the radiator. Super easy to do, and being 15-16 at the time I accomplished it myself with ease. Never broke down on me except for the weak starter when I started driving it wouldn't start hot, even then when it cooled down it fired right up. Remedied that by replacing the starter and wrapping the manifold that pretty much touched it. IMO they are pretty much bullet-proof. I see then driving around here that look like they could go in the junkyard, but keep running.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Any car that's old enough to have a beer can blow a gasket at anytime. If the price is right, you buy it and hope for the best.


Any engine can "blow a gasket" at any age with any number of miles at anytime.
Most don't.


Gaskets wear out, and are a lot more likely to start seeping and eventually leaking with time. After 24 years you're on borrowed time and hoping for the best.


Every part of every car wears out.
For the important, hard to fix gaskets, like those sealing the head, failure is more a matter of design of the gasket, the cylinder block and the heads as well as the clamping force than it is age or miles.
Valve cover gaskets will often seep as they age, but this is rarely a serious leak and is usually pretty cheap and easy to remedy.
A leaking RMS is a cheap part but very hard to replace. These seals sometimes seep a bit but don't typically develop serious leaks regardless of age.
You're no more on borrowed time simply because the car is old than you would be with something newer with known problems, like the leaking LIMs on some later GM engines, or the head gaskets on certain 2.5 Subarus, or the same on early Ford 3.8 V-6 engines.

 

[chestand]

Something to always consider especially with a car this age is that the sticking caliper may be due to a collapsed or partially collapsed rubber brake hose. I had a 1990 Silverado that had that very issue.

 

[babyivan]

Ive had plenty of 3800 cars, and I can tell you it's the most reliable drivetrain I ever had. My current 87 Ciera has the pre-3800 3.8 in it and it has served me quite well.

The only thing that can be a PITA in the series I is the cam sensor pick up magnet which is plastic (which eventually breaks) and has to be popped on from the back of the gear; meaning the timing cover needs to come off... so stupid!

Ive heard of guys taking off the clips and epoxying it on from the front with no issues.

On the pre-3800, the cam magnet is metal and screwed onto the gear for lifelong capable duties.

BTW, no magnet causes "no start" issues.

But in the grand scheme of things, it's relatively minor. The series I is by far the best of the 3800 and will run forever on 3-5k oil changes. The 4T60 is a robust trans (my car has the 4T440, which is basically the same), and will take plenty of abuse.