supercharger maintence on 2000 Buick ParkAvenue

[willys54wagon]

Looking at two Buick Park Avenues. One has the supercharger and the other does not. What is the long term record on the super charger? Mileage is a litte better w/o and I am not much of a hot rodder these day.

About $1,000 more for the supercharge but it is suppose to have a heavier duty transmission also.

Any thoughts of wisdom?

 

[NYEngineer]

The ONLY thing I know about those cars is that my Mother has a 93 Pontiac Bonneville without the supercharger. It's got the 3.8. That car has never given her an ounce of trouble.

 

[CBDFrontier06]

I've heard more than a few instances of failed bearings in these S/C fairly early in life....but there are success stories too, so it's really a - - - - - - shoot. Personally, I don't think the S/C in this particular applications adds enough performance to be worth the hassle. My numbers may be out of date, but doesn't it bump the 3800 from 200hp to 225hp? If it were me, I'd go with the N/A Park Avenue and enjoy a long trouble free life with it. Great engine...not great supercharger.

 

[terminaldegree]

Well, the upside of the supercharged 3800 is it doesn't have the failure-prone composite upper intake manifold of the naturally-aspirated 3800 [which in my opinion is the only significant flaw in the series II engine].

Downside is premium fuel recommended w/ the SC, but still returns decent highway MPG. You want to make sure the transmission is acting healthy and happy as well. I'm sure the extra power and especially low-end torque is a welcome addition on this large car.

Check the date code stamped on the upper intake manifold on the non-supercharged car to see if it has been replaced. Look for low coolant levels or leaks of coolant under the throttle body area. If this has been taken care of, you're probably in the clear. If it hasn't.... keep an eye on it!

 

[terminaldegree]

Forgot to mention our '99 lesabre [related car], which we bought with 69k, has been an ok car-- not bad, not great. Repairs I would consider not routine included:

-upper intake manifold
-front brake calipers
-replaced climate control box [thank god for junkyards!!]
-left front hub bearing

Other than that, it's been only "typical" maintenance. Did all of it ourselves except the hub bearing... wouldn't have like to have paid for the labor on the intake manifold job! Car is comfortable for long highway hauls and has a huge backseat.

 

[Merkava_4]

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My numbers may be out of date, but doesn't it bump the 3800 from 200hp to 225hp?

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240hp and a lot more torque. Being that the Park Avenue is heavier than the Lesabre, I'd probably opt for the Ultra.

 

[ATS-V]

The supercharger model actually gets the same or in some cases better mileage since it has a higher gear ratio than the non-supercharged version.

Also as others have mentioned the LIM gaskets as less likely to fail on the supercharged versions. The SC version gets 240 horses and 280 ft-lbs of torque, very V8 like for less gas. My L67 (SC version) runs like when I bought it 10 years ago.

 

[defeated]

I don't have much to add, but you really should drive both cars and just pick the one you like the best. Are these new cars or used? I traded my NA 3800 Grand Prix for a supercharged 3800 Monte Carlo, and I like them both. The GP seemed like it was a little quicker off the line, but the Monte goes like a bat out of - - - - - - on the freeway. The non-supercharged 3800 did all right by me - it's nice to have the superior passing power of the Monte, but the Grand Prix never left me hanging when I floored it to pass. I did get better mileage in the Pontiac than the Monte - average of 28-29 mpg in the Pontiac to 26.5 in the Monte. Changing the oil in the supercharger frazzled me 30,000 miles ago - when I found a dealer who knew what I was talking about they stuck me with an $80 bill, so I'm going to have to try changing it myself this time. The air filters in both are a monstrous PITA to change. The L67 fanatics will probably hang me for this, but it might be worth it to you to save $1000 and just a little extra maintenance and go with the non-SC car - if you can, try them both, one after the other, and pick the one that sings to you.

 

[DMC]

I tend to agree with your comment - I have an L67 in my '95 Olds LSS. I've driven non-SC'd LSS's, the extra grunt is nice, but the base 3800 produces enough low-end torque that I don't think the SC is necessary for what's really a highway cruiser. I know I'd much rather be buying regular gas and getting a couple more MPG right now. My LSS pings like an SOB if I try to cheap out and get 89 octane.

Best MPG for me has been 26.2 - usually I get between 23 and 25. I drove a Bonneville SSE (non-SC) rental for a couple of weeks and was getting 28.

The 4T60E/4T60E-HD transmission is a reliable unit, but it really needs an external oil cooler if you're really pushing it. If you do mostly highway cruising like me, it's fine.

 

[JustinH]

For the actual eaton supercharger, GM sells the oil right over the counter. Its not expensive.

They say change it every 100k miles, I would say change it sooner.

You need a hex key to get to the oil, and a turkey baster to suck the fluid out of the supercharger.

Very simple change.

 

[Spector]

I have a 2000 3.8 SC Buick, actually this is my second. First the 3.8 is a warhorse of an engine, one of the best GM has ever built with or withouot the SC. it actually raises the HP to 240 from 200 in my Buick. Due to a great overdrive I consistently get over 30 mpg on the highway and low to mid 20 around the city. maintenance,. easy to change the oil yourself. thie first time I did it the oil was cloudy but since then fine. GM charges a fortuen for the oil, $8-$9 for 4 ounces and it takes about 2 bottles to do the job. I have also used Amsoil 10W30 motor oil in my previous one and that worked just as well as the Gm SC oil.

In summary, the SC are well built IMO, do add some performance without sacrificing MPG and maintenance is easy.
I would definitely buy another

 

[dwendt44]

Used SC oil smells to high heaven, it's a animal fat bases oil, not a petroleum fluid.

 

[Merkava_4]

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The supercharger model actually gets the same or in some cases better mileage since it has a higher gear ratio than the non-supercharged version.

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My Lesabre with the L36 has the 2.86 final drive gear ratio. The same year Bonneville with the L67 I believe has the 3.06 final drive gear ratio. I'd like to have the shorter gear ratio that the Bonneville has, but I'd have to change to a different transmission and Powertrain Control Module.

 

[Schmoe]

Ditto the love on the 3.8. Which I had that in my boat.

 

[Shaman]

I'd be driving one right now if they were sold here. If I remember correctly, the l67 GPs got 2.93 final gears, and the L36 GPs got 3.08 or 3.20 something. I would take the SC version, and just take the belt off if you are gonna be going for a long highway cruise, or just keep your foot out of it, and run a lower octane.

 

[JustinH]

The eaton supercharger uses what is basically a jet turbine oil, I wouldn't use amsoil motor oil in it. I'd spend the 16 bucks every 50k miles on the eaton fluid.

Quote:

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I have a 2000 3.8 SC Buick, actually this is my second. First the 3.8 is a warhorse of an engine, one of the best GM has ever built with or withouot the SC. it actually raises the HP to 240 from 200 in my Buick. Due to a great overdrive I consistently get over 30 mpg on the highway and low to mid 20 around the city. maintenance,. easy to change the oil yourself. thie first time I did it the oil was cloudy but since then fine. GM charges a fortuen for the oil, $8-$9 for 4 ounces and it takes about 2 bottles to do the job. I have also used Amsoil 10W30 motor oil in my previous one and that worked just as well as the Gm SC oil.

In summary, the SC are well built IMO, do add some performance without sacrificing MPG and maintenance is easy.
I would definitely buy another

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[alanu]

The SC 3.8's are still prone to intake gasket issues. The composite inferior product is still to this day being installed even though Felpro has the newest metal intake gaskets with rubber seals.

Another typical problem is the Mass air flow sensor. Very common to spend alot of beans to replace them.

If your a "doityourselfer" you will not like doing a common leaky valve cover gasket. You will realize it when you look closely in how that engine has been slapped together.

Not certain on the Park Ave's but GM has had 2 different ratio rack and pinion systems. Cannot recall but one of them will break your bank in a brutal way. A GM rep was whining that his was leaking and fortunately Lucas "stop leak" swelled up the seals enough to stop his isssue.

 

[cfromc]

Its a question of whether the additional power is worth the extra up-front money, the additional price of premium gas, the loss (in my experience) of MPG and the increased engine wear caused by the supercharger (if you plan on using that power a lot). Both engines are fine but if you want the best MPG, lowest operating expense, and longest life, the N/A version is the way to go. If you want more power, go with the S/C. I have a S/C 3800 and my mother has an N/A 3800.

P.S. a simple trick to change the S/C fluid is to get an old window washer bottle (or anything else) that uses a spray head. Take the head out and get rid of the rest of the product. Put the hose into the S/C fill hole and spray out the S/C oil. It does take a "few" squirts but is easy and quick. If you move the hose/tube around you can get just about every drop of old oil out. Unless you take the thing apart, there is no way to get more out. You should use a little over 1 bottle to get the fluid level back to spec. The new cars don't specify (at least mine doesn't) an interval but just say to check it. I'm doing 30K intervals. Some people never change it, others do 50-100K intervals. For the price, 30-50K seem like a reasonable interval.

 

[Racerjk]

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Used SC oil smells to high heaven, it's a animal fat bases oil, not a petroleum fluid.

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Yes it does! It's hideous. Changing it is no big deal, and you can get the oil at a GM dealer or PFYC.COM It takes about two bottles.

I love my wife's GTP. I didn't necessarily want a GTP, but we had trouble finding a white 2 door Grand Prix with no leather,no sunroof, and no tan interior! Our GTP was the first one we found that fit the bill.

To be honest,I couldn't tell much difference in my wife's GTP and my mom's old non supercharged Grand Prix performance wise. They were the same year model too. Either Mom's car ran really well, or my wife's car is not up to snuff.