well first, i have an 89 firebird with a 2.8L v6 mfi engine... its been overheating and there was water in the oil so i replaced the headgaskets but it still kept overheating and i looked and there was water in the oil again... i know this usually means a crack head or block or warped head... but is that the only thing that can cause water in the oil or can something else... also just incase, does anyone have a 2.8L engine for sale i can pu in the firebird... and if i go up to a 3.1 will i have to change the tranny and all that, if not does anyone have a 3.1L V6 engine for sale i can put in the firebird? thanks so much and god bless you

 

If you're gonna do that, just get a 3.4 from any '93-'95 F-car, with the injectors, damper and flywheel or flexplate, and put that in. I just did, it's super easy. Everything just bolts right up, no challenges at all.
You'll find all the info you need in the V6 sub-forum. I can't see why you posted this in the swap sub-forum, because your proposed 3.1 really isn't a swap. It's more of a direct replacement, as is the 3.4

 

thanks and im new to this so when i saw engine swap i took it as taking out an engine and putting another one in even if its the same... but if i put a 3.4 in it will everything else stay the same (tranny, wiring harness, etc)

 

Moved it to the V6 forum for you.

 

thanks alot! that was very nice and god bless you!

 

Yep. The only real differences are the bore, stroke, and how much the injectors flow. Most everything else totally interchanges. I'm not clear when the 2.8 switched between external balance and internal balance, but it won't matter if you use the 3.4 damper and the 3.4 flywheel ( 5-speed ) or flexplate ( automatic )
You just remove everything off your 2.8L, and put it all on the 3.4.L. manifolds, distributor, mount brackets, accessory brackets, timing cover, et cetera.
Valve covers seem similar enough. My 3.4 oil pan was severely dented, so I used my 2.8 oil pan.
Bolting up the 2.8 transmission is the exact same on the 3.4 as on the 2.8L.

 

ok thanks! but i was just making sure that all we have to do is basically pull the old engine and put the other one in without messing with anything else because im fixing to start college and this is supposed to be my college car... thats why i dont want to put a 305 or 350 in it

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/v6/6...-do-3-4-a.html

It sounds easy, as long as you have some knowledge of working on cars, could take you, at most, a weekend.

 

If it is still leaking coolant after you replaced the headgaskets I would bet its a warped or cracked head. Theres really no other place the engine could mix coolant and oil unless you have a cracked engine which is quite rare. As far as the swap goes, Ive done it myself and can tell you it is one of the easiest swaps ever. If you can change out the headgaskets I would say the swap shouldnt be a problem for you. Also where are you located? I have a runing 2.8 engine I pulled from my car that I could sell you for cheap if your looking for one.

 

I'd double check the intake before anything gets too far damaged if it hasn't started knocking already. And the timing cover gasket, since the coolant actually passes through the timing cover into the water pump mounted on the front of it. I had a problem with my timing cover on my 2.8 where a bit of metal had somehow gotten removed on the passenger's side in this passage (almost looked like someone bit it). Granted, that leak was external, but if there is an internal leak here, the next stop for all of that coolant is the oil pan.

:edit: And the changeover for the external to internal balance was 88... Keep what flexplate/flywheel you have if the replacement engine has different and is post-88. You'll need the wheel on the replacement engine if the replacement is older.

 

i live in western kentucky... how much do you want for the engine??? and thanks for the other info!

 

thanks for the info... im pretty sure its the heads though because i was stupid and decided to take a chance when i replaced the headgaskets and i didnt get the heads checked... but thats my mistake so now i suffer the consequences! haha