this is my first car and wanted to know how well the engine reliability is. it has 88,000 and seems to run good, plz let me know how good it is. thanx

 

I have a 2.8L they kinda suck cuse they have no power

 

u need to upgrade it. smog pump.

 

yea your point it still peals out LOL

 

well at least it isnt a geo metro

 

for reliability, they are very good. If you treat it right, it can go over 300,000 miles. There are a few on this board up that high.

 

i have heard rumors of them throwing rods at 100,000, dont know 4 sure but when mine warms up it makes a rattle at 2,000 rpms. dont know if thats a knock or not?

 

a rattle? A rattle and a knock are very different. If it's a high pitched buzzing rattle it is most likely some sort of heat shield that rattles when it gets hot. A knock is a very deep, reverberating sound.

 

its almost like a diesel sound but only makes it when it gets hot. maybe a lifter?

 

My 2.8 lasted until 179,000 miles but..the previous owner, My cousin, beat the crap out of the car!! didnt washed or anything like that which destoryed the body and no egine routine maintence,which is probably why it spun a barring, but 400 bucks i can't complain! I think they are pretty decent engines.

 

mine has 88,000 and my cousin would peel out with it all the time and now it has a broken engine mount.

 

Two bits of bad news for you (sorry!)...

1. Your '84 2.8 has smaller main crank journals than the '85-newer 2.8/3.1/3.4's. I think on the 81-84 2.8's, only the #3 journal was large, and the #1, #2, and #4 were smaller (with smaller bearings). So this means that your '84 crankshaft is weaker than '85-up.

2. The tranny in your car is like mine; it's one of the "bad years". When the 700r4 came out in 1983, it had a bunch of problems that didn't get fixed until 1985 (such as the weak 83-84 input shaft). They found even more problems that they fixed for the 1987 year (such as the 83-86 poorly designed trans fluid pump). So eventually, your 700r4 might decide to stop working... keep up on those fluid changes! (The 700r4 runs hotter than other transmissions "by design" and heat destroys trans fluid...)

 

do u know if the people who remanufacter engines fix the problems with the crank on these motors? if it does throw a rod i was planning on getting a remanufactored engine.
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also is there any way to have the trany fixed if it goes out?

 

If you get a remanufactured engine, stay away from mass-producing companies such as jasper. Also, are you sure it's rod knock? It may be anything. I know on my s10 the ratlle dieseling noise was caused by a worn out timing chain tensioner.
edit- Also, you can have trannies rebuilt also. However, if the tranny goes, by the newest non computer controlled 60 degree 700r4 you can find, to take advantage of all the revisions of the later years.

 

i was told it was a knock by my dad but it only makes it when it gets warm. He didnt know 4 sure but i dont really if it is 1. when its cold u dont hear a thing. my friends car makes the same noise when it gets warm but not as bad. i have no idea what it is. ive heard of the 82-84 2.8l throwing rods at 100,000.

 

I would double check that b/c i thought I had a rod knock and it turned out to be the main bearings. Did a rebuild for nothing but was good that I did.

 

i noticed today it sounds like its coming from the driver side. btw, does anyone know if this year had a computer in it?

 

does any one know the normal oil presure 4 the 2.8 motors?

 

i notice a couple of days ago i was under the hood listening to the noise and it sounded like it had some play in the motor, so could it be the timeing chain?

 

1. If you had that engine rebuilt, they'd still put an 81-84 style crankshaft in it because thats what the engine block is drilled out for. So if you wantd the stronger crank, either put in an 85-89 motor from a junkyard, or you could bring an 85-89 engine block to a rebuilder. Your engine's pistons and rods and etc would still fit.

2. Yeah if the trans goes it can either be rebuilt ($1800), or you can buy a transmission thats already rebuilt ($1200), or you can put a junkyard one in from 87-92. But the tranny will have to come from a V6 car with a 2.8 or 3.1 in it!! If you take the tranny out of a V8 car, it won't fit your V6 (different bolt holes).

If you take a junkyard tranny from an S10 truck, you'll also need to take your tranny's tailshaft (the f-body one is longer) and governor (shift points are higher for your f-body) and speedo gear (calibrated for your wheels/tires) off of your old tranny and put them onto the S10 trans. Those three pieces unbolt easily... dropping and installing the transmission is the hardest part.

3. If your car was made in the USA, it has a computer. (We had someone on these forums with a Canadian 1984 2.8l, and it didn't have a computer.) Your carburetor is an E2SE with an electric choke, commonly known as a "CCC"- computer controlled carb. Computer is inside the dash, above the passenger's feet, near the door. The 82-92 Haynes Firebird Manual shows how to rebuild it; kits are $25-$40.

4. Not sure about normal oil pressure on an '84...

5. 88,000 miles is around the time you would change the timing chain & sprockets... an 82-92 Haynes Firebird manual ($15 at Pep Boys) would show you how to change it, parts would be around $50 or so. But if there's a knock and lack of power... you might want to spend that $$ instead to put in a junkyard motor that has some kind of warranty.

 

thanx 4 awnsering my ?'s, well the car still has alot of power 4 its age so im thinking it may be a timing chain. also if i get a motor from a 85-89 2.8l can it be swapped to a carb.