3.8l questions

[notsonic]

i think i know more about ls1's and lt1's than i do the 3.8l.

a friend of mine is looking to buy an fbody, and hes not the performance oriented type. the v6 is plenty. he drove my car (3.4l) and thought it was fast (his current car is a century with a 3.1l,) so i can only imagine that 40+hp and 5 less years will be more enough.

first i have a stupid question. drive by wire. what years? how does it feel compared to a traditional cable system? what kind of resistance is there?

what year did they stop with the angled throttle body?

are there any major common problems? (i feel like ive read about coolant leaks.)

anything engine specific i should look for? common leaks or what not?

do some years have better exhaust manifolds?

are there packages that i should look for? im guessing y87 would be one of the few.

[Shodown]

Re: 3.8l questions

first i have a stupid question. drive by wire. what years? how does it feel compared to a traditional cable system? what kind of resistance is there?

99-02 = electric throttle body.

what year did they stop with the angled throttle body?

98

are there any major common problems? (i feel like ive read about coolant leaks.)

Coolant elbow on the front of the lower intake manifold leaks a lot, alternators dont usually last longer than ~80,000 miles, window motors always fail, random misfires (usually the ICM or coil packs cause this), and Im sure there are more that I am forgetting.

anything engine specific i should look for? common leaks or what not?

The engine is pretty stout, I wouldnt worry too much about that.

do some years have better exhaust manifolds?

Yes. 00-02 came with tubular manifolds instead of the traditional log style.

are there packages that i should look for? im guessing y87 would be one of the few.

Y87 and RS were the only 'special' packages offered.

[ViperRider]

Re: 3.8l questions

Y87 and RS were the only 'special' packages offered.

W68 for the Firebird.

[notsonic]

Re: 3.8l questions

thanks for the replies.

is traction control fairly common?

[Shodown]

Re: 3.8l questions

I have no idea about the traction control.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the infamous rear main seal oil leak too.

[Fred]

Re: 3.8l questions

I still have my original alternator at 107k miles. The front turn signal bulbs also go out a lot on 98-02 Firebirds.

[Firebirdkid96]

Re: 3.8l questions

Look for a 99-02 Y87 Vehicle. Expect it to leak oil, coolant, and have a lifter tick.