I'm not trying to dog the 2.8/3.1's as I own one, but it seems almost every thred is the v6 sections is about a car not running right or dead. I know my car had some running issues right out of the gate and even with some work I have done I would not say it runs 100% good, I don't trust it like I do my LB9 nor does it run near as smooth. So does anyone have some good stories about good running v6 3rd gens??? I know you turbo guys run good LOL! I mean every time I come in the v6 section I get depressed LOL!

 

Mine runs great. Now. It was my son's car and it was dead for a while. I started reading the manual and learned to diagnose engine control issues. I replaced the injectors, fuel pressure regulator diaphragm, iac valve, cleaned stuff and run Sea Foam in the gas for a while. Now that the Sea Foam has done its stuff the engine runs great. Starts hot or cold runs very smoothly and gas mileage is up from what it was. I auto-x it and folks at the track tell me it sounds great even with all stock exhaust. It could possibly be even better with a rebuild and tune but for now it's spot on.

 

cause mostly only people with problems they can't solve show up to post.

 

Used to before the hybrid conversion/rebuild... Put 20+K on it in one year with only having to replace the ignition module. And the ECM a couple years later shortly before a MAF and the rectifier bridge in the alternator. Hit 30 MPG throwing a code 45...

Hopefully no more MAF issues or ECM issues, but we'll see about the alternator for a while before I upgrade that as well.

90-92 cars have the most issues, I'd guess. Seem to be a lot more popping up lately. Lot of guys who had decent running cars have tossed their V6s for V8s... Wonder if any of them regret it yet with the price of gas .

 

Mine runs fine. Purrs like a kitten. Had some issues here and there but thats because its pretty extreme at the moment for being what it is.

 

Mine runs good for the most part. I believe I have a faulty MAF. Either way, I haven't had that many problems with mine.

 

After sitting in a field for 5+ years we got mine running with a few things that i figured out. Had to sit down and think about them for awhile but now it runs great.

 

This.
It's primarily people that never post, suddenly remember this place and ask about their pos that they never do any maintenance on. I don't post much because I know what is wrong with my beater.

 

Well great I have a 92 LOL. My car is not a DD so it's not like it's getting a ton of miles or street time, but still want it to run good as I'm putting work and money in it. Well I guess time will tell.

 

as gas prices continue to climb i suspect we will start seeing some of the older in age guys starting to do turbo installs and 4 banger swaps

the younger guys 16-22ish will prolly continue beating the crap out of the 6ers and breaking stuff

mines always run great except for a few oppsies like poping freeze plugs and other misc stuff but stuff like that is expected when u have a 140hp engine making 3x more power then it came with

 

since ur over in ohio if ur close to fasteddi id see if hed let u go take a look at his car , his car is a fine example of a well running modified street car

 

 

hey how is that swap comming man , i stoped checking ur thread when that whole bitchfest started a while back

 

It's still coming along, slowly. Been collecting a lot of parts over the winter. As the weather starts getting better in the near future, more physical progress will ensue. Also, the main provocateur of the bitchfest has been MIA for a while, and I've returned to updating the thread here on ThirdGen.org.

 

Yeah I would love to see his car, but he is about 3 hours west of me so it's not like I can just run over there. I know the 660's can run good, i was just paoing out that it seems ever post in the v6 section seems to be a problem. I can tell you that having both a LB9 and an LHO the LHO is much better to work on.

 

big part of it is alot parents wont let kids buy the v8 cars, and most of the younger v6 owners are only on there first or second car and they beat the snot of out them, or they buy 500$ v6 cars that have been thoroughly abused and already needed work before they get them

or the cars they buy have stuff like this done to them
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...-post1108.html

thats my 89 iroc the day i brought it home , that wa soriginally an tpi l98 car and thats what the previous owner did to it

 

Yeah, nobody goes "Hey, my car is running great! I just have to log on to TGO and tell everyone that it is working as intended!"

 

Sealing the vacuum leak at the heater control made a massive difference in how mine acts.

I can't make it stumble in third gear anymore, and it has way smoother low-end acceleration in every gear.

Driving that thing with a stick shift still reminds me of riding a psychotic go-cart. But, that's why I got into in the first place!

 

The thing is that, when most of us with V6s try to post in other forums, like, say, the Tech/General forum, we either get no response or the standard V8 beat down of "Just get rid of that V6 and put a V8 in it...". Which is why most of the problems are redirected here.

 

Pretty much this. I know of a few of us V6s guys that would make the V8 boys cry.

 

BTDT, works as long as the drivers license holds up...

RBob.

 

Mine runs great.. just doesn't go anywhere with the spider gears sitting on the ground under it.

 

Holy S**T your car was a mess under the hood. Yeah one nice thing about my RS is that the PO loved it and was in his 30's-had the car like 15 years and was his toy. I mean it has surface rust, some dents, and did not run supper well when I got it, but he did try to take care of it, but started slipping on it before he sold it. Like I said I'm not ******* our cars, just was wanting to hear about some good running cars like some of you have. Hey I have a v8 car as well and half the time I get no response in half the sections here. Lucky for me my LB9 has been running good, but then again it has only be started once a week and not been out of storage since Thanksgiving.

 

lol yeah it was but i got a deal and a half , i p[aid 1,500 for that iroc and an 88 firebird . for that price the guy even towed both cars the 600 mile round trip to me

 

That is a good deal delivered.

Well one thing I can say about my 3.1 is she night not seem to run 100% all the time, but so far she has never no started and idled so that's a plus right there.

 

Well I own a 1991 3.1 auto. Bought it with 183K miles in july 2011. It now has 207,4## Miles on it. Its my only car And it Ventured me from Maine to NC last july. Its kinda quick Ive driven slower cars. and at 100mph smooth and steady to WOT it'll surpass........... But at 50 to WOT its not special.. I dont drive it Hard. but theres always some *** hole who wants to race. Im Too old for it most days. I just like Driving 3rd gen here she is:

 

True, true. My 3.1L doesn't run 100%, but she still starts everyday and gets around 24-26mpg combined city/highway(est close to 30mpg after I remove cat). The reason V8 guys don't post as many problems with the engines: well that's because all their problems are transmission or axle related. The 700-R4, that comes stock in our thirdgens, is a very weak transmission. Even a stock V8 can produce enough torque, to tear up the front pump(which is the weakest part).


Some important points to remember, concerning our 6 cylinder platforms: First, these engines were built for a Camaro lover that wanted good gas mileage and a lower priced sports car. These engines were neither meant to last as long as they do, nor were they designed to do 0-60mph in 4 secs.(I'm sure somebody has built one, before you all trash my opinion).

Personally, I'd rather have the 3.1L. The engines offer better overall weight distribution, and the engine itself has forged connecting rods, from the factory. (V8s have cast). The small piston diameter and small stroke length allow these engines to be revved up to almost 7000rpm, without a lot of work or parts. Simple physics here, the rotating assembly has less mass. Our engines don't tear up the drivetrain as quickly, either.

 

Most of the problems on here are electrical, which is no surprise to me. I know some of the people, who used to make those electrical components. I have a Delphi-Packard Electric production plant, 15 minutes from my home.

Everytime you have an "SES" light, just repeat after me, "Pride of Delphi...."

 

This one runs good....

The reason I believe that more problems show up on here then a V8 board is because less people modify or make race cars out of these cars. They are more likely DD cars, so more issues arrise and less preformance is chased down in engine mod threads.

 

Weaksauce !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jk

anyways heres mine doing a burnout up into overdrive
http://www.streetfire.net/video/v6-t...out_724561.htm

 

Just wait till racing season in 4 weeks. Ill make sure I show you one raw a$$ burn out....lol.

BTW nice john force burn out.... love it. We starting a contest...lol

 

lol i wish i had the video of that run after that burnout , i heated the tires so much in the box that the car spun the entire lenght of the track . ill have to ask rob i think he still has the video

 

lol my ex doing some burnouts in the car

 

Nice! I can never get enough of seeing fast V6 thirdgens.

 

my old 2.8 firebird ran amazingly, until i sold it, now its a pile of ****, which i guess you could say sums up why most of them run badly, bad owners

 

These motors with turbos sound oddly close to Neon SRT-4s.

 

My '84 2.8 still runs perfect. It was rebuilt about 20k miles ago and would still pass emissions if it were still required here (it's not). The whole reason why I've been concentrating on getting my car to look great is because it runs so good and I haven't had to worry about it. Performance will come in the future. I don't race, so it's no biggie.

 

Racing a stock V6 is a joke, turbos? That's another world.

 

The first time I drove a 3.4L Camaro, I admit it really impressed me. Certainly more fun than a stock LG4 / LO3. It's all you need for commuting. But you're risking an irreplaceable shell for a task better served by a 4-door rice appliance. Add boost or spray, it'd run with more V8s. But I'm still in the V8 camp because a boosted 4.8L can do 1200 HP and offer 35 MPG if done precisely right. How many V6 guys can claim that? Only those with GNX 3.8s, or 2Jz or RB26DETT swaps. And it takes a far bigger investment to get them there. If you're gonna have a fast toy, make it truly fast.

 

not everyone wants or needs a 8/9 second street car though

no matter what engnine u chose be it an v6 or v8 in one of these cars they are all capable of being modded to run 10's which is more then enough for alot of ppl


if it came down to a choicei would rather own a 10 second v6 turbo car then a 10 second n/a v8 car . its just going to be more street able

now if it was a 10 sec turbo v6 or a 10 second turbo v8 , the turbo v8 car is going to prolly be the better choice depending on how it was built

 

If I had the money and time I know for damm sure I could make this car a 10 second car. Its not above a 3.1L thirdgen engine to make that sort of power IMO. Just would cost alot but it would cost alot to make any thirdgen a 10 second street car. Granted it would cost a substaintial amount more to make a 600 Hp V6 then a V8 but its just the idea that I know it can happen.

Roughly 1600 bucks now into my preformance adders on the car and thats mainly because I broke that piston ring and ringlands last year and had to get a new block.

This car I have is very streetable. I know its only a 12 second car at best right now but still it gets 20+Mpg on a open loop tune and is just fun to drive.

 

Hold up, that's neither right nor fair. You can't go 10s with any 2.8 / 3.1 / 3.4 and a full interior and all the emissions controls. Not at any price. For running 11s, the very cheapest way to do it consistently and reliably and emissions-legally is a rear-turbo 5.3L LSx. For running 12s clean, dependable and cheap a cammed 5.3 is still the choice. Nitrous will get a bolt-ons 3.1 into the 13s, until you get a batch of bad gas and hole a piston or 2. I'm old enough to be okay with 13s, but I'm not too old to manage 11s safely.

 

umm itcan be done we already have amember here with a v6 car going 11.2's iiirc and he was just getting started and thats with a bone stock engine an gt42 turbo, car should deff be into the 10's this season.

my car was knocking on the 11's door before i moved and had enough mph for mid 11's, now i live 6,500 ft above sea level so it will be harder to get there but at sea level it will do it no problems


fasteddi should be low 12;s this year and maybe break 11's with his stock 3.1 ,his car will deffinatly go 11's with some more time and work. and to make his car truley emissions legal alls he has to do is put the egr valve back on it

 

I'm going to add one last thing and the V8 discussion stops, or the thread gets locked. If you want to keep harping on V8s and swaps, go to the engine swap forum.

I've never understood the idea that it costs more to get an engine with less cylinders to make the same power as one with more cylinders, if anything the cost should be less, if it isn't the same.

In a V6 to V8 comparison, you have 2 less pistons and connecting rods to buy, 4 less rockers, rocker studs, pushrods, lifters, and injectors to buy. Machine work costs the same or less, depending on how the machine shop prices their machine work, either per engine, or per cylinder. Turbos cost the same, exhaust work costs the same, engine control costs the same, transmissions cost the same, so where is the added cost coming from?

The answer is there is none. If it costs $10000 to make a 1000 HP V8, it'll cost $10000 (or less, depending on how parts are priced comparatively) to build a 1000 HP V6.

At that level, your talking custom pistons (usually) for either engine. Sometimes there's enough interest in common engine combination that for some engines what would start off as custom pistons become a stocked part number for some companies, this happens in both the V8 and V6 world, and surprise surprise, it hapens with other cylinder counts as well, 4 cyl, 10 cylinder, 2 and even 1 cylinder engines. I haven't priced a custom piston in a while, but last time I did it was going to cost me around $100 per hole for pistons, the 8 cylinder pistons were the same price, so savings of $200 right there. Custom cams will usually be needed in either case, and this is the only area where some V6s might have a slight disadvantage. Coming up with cam blanks can for some companies be expensive, but the same thing can also happen in the V8 realm.

There are times when big power can be made for cheap, but reliability is either straight out compromised, or in question. Take a look at all the "1000+HP Junk yard build on the cheap" articles that many of the periodicals endlessly publish. Many of which either don't make it through testing, or say right in the article that the combination is on the edge of reliability.
Other "big power but cheap builds" are done using used parts that are bought for good prices or deals passed on by shops and suppliers that can be difficult to reproduce.

The V8 discussion is squashed now, or thread gets locked

 

Mines did run great but lately it has been a nightmare. I changed every gasket down to the intake...took my time and put down plenty of RTV. Now everything and the kitchen sink is leaking. Leaking oil in the front of the intake, the timing cover is leaking oil at the bottom of the cover, leaking antifreeze from the waterpump...etc. UHHHH

Decided to spend $300 on a new exhaust, gaskets, and PLENTY of GOOD RTV...been using the blue RTV...**** that ****.

 

stop using the rtv were ur not suposed to and it wont leak

the only place rtv should be and it should be blacl/ultra black is the corners of the intake gaskets and the china wall

 

don't tighten past factory specs, SNUG not as tight as possible or you ruin the gasket, also what he said ^

 

most oof the engine gaskets should be coated with oil before install , dip ur finger in engine oil and rub it over the gaskets on both sides then install ( thermostat housing,waterpump/timing cover, oil filter adapter, intake gaskets )

 

It is only placed on the china wall...and corners...it is black RTV...and it was torqued to specs and super clean.

The timing cover was also super clean, and I put a thin coating of blue RTV on both sides of the gasket as well as a good bead on the oil pan gasket where they meet.

Everything was done properly...it just decided to leak...why who knows...poorly designed gaskets and engine.

 

Give me a nice V8 and I'll accept it. But, I don't think it will be as fun to drive as my 3.1 Firebird with a T5. With some relatively cheap suspension mods, it takes the corners so fast it scares the crap out of my friends (AND myself sometimes). And I get a smile every time some kid yells "nice car" as I drive by.

If I meet someone with a V8 Third Gen car, I tell them "nice car" and mean it. I just happen to love my V6 baby.

True, right now is one of the rare times it has stranded me, probably with an electrical problem. On the other hand my car and I have a lot of miles and age on both of us. Besides, it is relatively cheap and easy to repair. I can't begin to imagine how much it will cost to repair a 20 year old, high mileage Prius or what kind of electronic messes will develop. Yike!