Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests olds ciera engine question- help anyone?

background- over this past week my faithful daily driver began running "funny". '86 olds ciera, 2.8 v6, carburator. running a little rough, "chuffing", seemed a little down on power. no smoke, no noises, no warning lights.does not/never has used oil. still willing.....car has 283,000 miles on it. i put on 240,000 of those miles so know the car very well.

today- my garage is 80 % sure that it could be a burned valve. will confirm monday after they use a tool to "roll" the engine forward in order to compression check the rear 3 cylinders (the suspected bad one is pass side rear).

proposal- while i could possibly replace the valves (what would be involved and at what cost?) i am considering another option and need advice. i have located an '87 3.8 engine with very few miles on it (basically a parked wreck).

question- how difficult would it be to swap in the 87 engine into my 86 car body? what might be the challenges/pitfalls?

thanks in advance......lakeside

If the newer engine is also a carburated engine, that would probably make for a "relatively" simple swap. Oh wait, I just noticed the other engine is a 3.8L. Is it really a 3.8L?

I probably wouldn't just replace the valve since no telling what else might fail in an engine with almost 300K miles.

I think the used engine install option is the best, if you know the engine is in good shape. Unless you are trying to swap the 3.8L in there, if so, that's a much more complex project.

Otherwise, if you really like the car and know it's not eaten up with rust, the suspension, brakes, etc are in reasonable condition, a rebuild of that engine is another way to go.

I guess we should ask a couple of quesitons. How long do you want to keep the Olds and how much do you want to spend?

T

Q1 How are the vacuum hoses and intake gaskets?
Q2 Plug wires still in good shape?
Q3 How long since the carb was rebuilt?

Let's add to that list.

Is the exhaust system plugged up? Clagged/Bad CAT?

T

The 3.8 was a factory option in the Ciera so it will definitely bolt up, however I *think* all FWD 3.8's were fuel injected, so if that's the case it would be a major hassle. In addition to all the wiring/electronic issues you'd need the 3.8 gas tank w/ the in-tank pump, fuel lines, etc.

If you decide to do the swap, change the timing chain before you drop it in. It's really the only weak part of the 3.8 from that era, and it will trash the valves if it breaks. And it's a very easy job while the engine's out.

yes, the 3.8 was the gt engine option on these year cieras.

as to the relative condition of things-

-the car is not eaten out with rust.

-all sytems, ie lines, vacuum hoses, plugs and wires are in good shape. car has been carefully maintained.

based upon comments here, as well as from what i have been able to gather from the local mechanics i have talked to today about the feasibility/reasonableness of such an engine swap attempt, it appears to be a non-starter.

so, what risk do i enjoy by continuing to drive it locally?

thanks for all the help and comments. lakeside

kane-

thanks for the response. i was hoping there might be a low buck solution out there which would enable me to keep her running.....at the same time, this car has been a champ and doesn't owe me a thing! never left stranded, never mis-behaved. all i had to do was change oil, keep her tuned up and do the usual maintenance- brakes, tires, filters, etc.

i had entertained notions (while she was still healthy!) of finding a gt model and swapping on the cladding and front/rear bumpers- always liked the way the ciera gt's looked. in 5 years of watching on ebay, however, never saw a gt- until last week. at just about the same time, my ciera begins to act funny. sad.

served 20 years active (armor)and retired, so no big bucks to do anything like the swaps you mentioned.

thanks for your service. good hunting........lakeside