New to the forums. Looking to get some advice on my 3100

[72cuttysupreme]

Hello everyone. I just picked up a 94 olds cutlass supreme in pristine condition. It has the 3100 V6, and I was looking to get some advice on the motor. I have never owned one before. I know the older 1st generation 3.1 motors have a good reputation for being reliable and getting high mileage without breaking down. And I was just wondering if the 2nd generation motor that is in my car is a good reliable motor like the early ones. And I know different engines respond differently to different modifications. Spark, airflow, exhaust, head porting ect... So what kind of modifications do these motors respond well to? I'm just looking for enough extra power to make it into a fun strong running daily driver. Any advice/comments would be appreciated thanks!

[RobertISaar]

actually, the 3100 is 3rd generation....

 

when it comes to 60V6 engines, iron-head are gen1, largely phased out by 1987, only the F-bodies, S-trucks and the oddball FWD TBI application(U-bodies and some isuzus) used them after that.

 

gen 2 are aluminum head and all MPFI, includes the LH0(3.1) and LB6(2.8). the LQ1 is a subset of gen 2, though obviously it's quite different since it's a DOHC engine.

 

gen 3 are aluminum head and all SFI, including the 3100, 3400 and the non-VVT 3500s(those are actually 3.5 if you want to split hairs), commonly referred to as the 3x00s.

 

 

 

really, the only common killer issue with the 3x00s are the junk LIM gaskets that GM insisted on using and ignoring until the end of production(get some fel-pro permadry plus and it will never be an issue again). if you overheat them badly, expect headgaskets(though this could be said of any engine). otherwise, if you notice high oil consumption, mostly from leaking, expect the oil pump drive seal to be bad.

 

otherwise, nothing really bad is a common occurence. you may have some piston slap/lifter tick when cold, but it's not a sign of impending doom.

[White93z34]

94/95s don't seem to have as many intake seal issues due to them not using dex-cool till 1996 (great idea GM use new coolant without testing it on the gasket material). However they still do eventually fail, and with a 1994 being 19 years old now If they haven't been done I'd keep an eye on the oil and bank on doing them at some point.

[Crazy K]

A 94 might have plastic valve covers. If so, later years had aluminum ones and should be upgraded if you do a major engine service.

 

the stock intake gaskets are plastic and break. the best replacements are Felpro Perma-dry Plus METAL gaskets. worth doing in a heartbeat

[72cuttysupreme]

Great advice guys I really appreciate the information. And yeah my engine has a very slight hint of piston slap when its first started in the morning. Question. Will lucas oil stabilizer help that? I always run it in my cars, and when its oil time again I'm going to use a bottle of it along with the usual Pennzoil high mileage 5w-30. Also does anyone know what sorts of modifications these engine respond well to? Like ignition boosts, CAI's, exhaust work, ect...

[72cuttysupreme]

Also how much of an improvement am I really looking at if I did a 00+ 3400 upper engine swap? Heads, LI, UI, throttle body and what not? I have parts available for it. I just didnt know if it was really worth the effort. Doesn't hardly seem worth it if all your going to gain is 5 to 10 horsepower from it.

[White93z34]

Stock ignition is good for way more then the engine could ever need.

 

In my opinion, the 3400 top end swap is much work for few gains, and unless you are swapping heads the original 1994 heads rockers will not clear the 3400 lower intake without clearancing it. But if you are going that far in, may as well buy up a good used 3400 swap that in.

[RobertISaar]

lucas oil stabilizer is junk. the BITOG forums (bob is the oil guy) have proven that... someone even made a pictoral guide as to what happens when it's added and oil is spun around... long story short, it's a very thick oil that likes to foam badly.

 

pennzoil makes excellent oils for the money. high mileage (or even normal) 5W-30 is perfect for a 3100. if you really wanted better oil ,you would have to drop into a synthetic 0W-30.

 

the ignition system is WAY overbuilt... so long as you keep good wires and plugs in it, you'll never see improvements from aftermarket DIS coils. a true CAI.... does more for sound than it does performance. the W-body 3100 airbox is actually pretty good in terms of keeping hot air out of the intake due to it drawing air from around/behing the headlamps. exhaust is a biggie... the factory downpipe is crap. the exhaust manifolds aren't that great, everything from the cat rearwards will flow more than enough to keep any 3100 happy. Adam's (Aweb80) car has possibly the best sounding exhaust i've ever heard on a 3x00, it's not quiet(but not overly loud either).

 

the 3100s are built decently internally(9.6:1 compression, forged rods, great headflow), but externally, GM capped them with a small throttle body, the small-port(93-99 3100) intakes aren't great for flow. the cam is ok, but these engines respond VERY well to lumpier ones.

[WhatTheFehl]

My 3100 had piston slap no matter what oil I put in, and I always use Lucas HD Oil Stabalizer.

[RobertISaar]

http://web.archive.org/web/20100106090859/http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm

 

EDIT: that version has all of the pics.

Edited February 15, 2013 by RobertISaar

[WhatTheFehl]

I've used it for every oil change I've ever done and never had an issue

 

Should be noted that I use the Synthetic Lucas in my car since I use synthetic oil. Would like to see a comparison on that...

[72cuttysupreme]

Were can I find a video of adams exhaust? Thats what i'm looking for. Not loud and obnoxious. But a decent throaty sound. And a little more get up and go. DO they even make aftermarket headers for these cars? They dont that i'm aware of.

[72cuttysupreme]

Stock ignition is good for way more then the engine could ever need.

 

In my opinion, the 3400 top end swap is much work for few gains, and unless you are swapping heads the original 1994 heads rockers will not clear the 3400 lower intake without clearancing it. But if you are going that far in, may as well buy up a good used 3400 swap that in.

 

If I were to do the swap it would be heads and all. Has anyone ever calculated the hp and torque gain from the swap?

[72cuttysupreme]

I would love to run synthetic oil if I knew for sure it wouldn't hurt the car. I have always heard that taking an engine with higher miles that has used regular petrol oil its whole life and switching to synthetic with cause gaskets to brake down and cause the engine to wear out prematurely. My engine has around 151,000 miles on it.

[RobertISaar]

I've used it for every oil change I've ever done and never had an issue

 

Should be noted that I use the Synthetic Lucas in my car since I use synthetic oil. Would like to see a comparison on that...

 

the synthetic is MUCH thinner than the original stuff, but i haven't seen much info on it... probably searching wrong, those BITOG guys test everything under the sun.

 

Were can I find a video of adams exhaust? Thats what i'm looking for. Not loud and obnoxious. But a decent throaty sound. And a little more get up and go. DO they even make aftermarket headers for these cars? They dont that i'm aware of.

 

 

sounds a little different in-person, but that's just how microphones are.

 

headers.... unless you go custom, no. pacesetter might still make them, but they're junk. OBX(chinese ebay company) might have some based off of i think a SLP design?

[WhatTheFehl]

If your engine starts leaking after you switch to synthetic then it is because there was already a leak that was plugged up by the sludge caused in the engine from running conventional oil. All the conventional oil is doing that the synthetic won't is cover up an existing problem. I switched my Subaru to full synthetic at about 100k miles and my old '95 GP (also with the 3100) was switched at about 91k miles IIRC.

[72cuttysupreme]

Adams exhaust sounds great. How is it set up? What is he running?

[WhatTheFehl]

Cat and straight pipes IIRC.

[RobertISaar]

If I were to do the swap it would be heads and all. Has anyone ever calculated the hp and torque gain from the swap?

 

if you swap the large port heads on up, you basically have a large port 3100 (LG8), so expect LG8 power levels(~170HP, ~190TQ)

 

I would love to run synthetic oil if I knew for sure it wouldn't hurt the car. I have always heard that taking an engine with higher miles that has used regular petrol oil its whole life and switching to synthetic with cause gaskets to brake down and cause the engine to wear out prematurely. My engine has around 151,000 miles on it.

 

what Mike said. back in the day(80s), this was true of synthetic oils, but everything is compatible these days.

[RobertISaar]

the exact components are listed in the comments of the video. high flow car, resonator and mandrel bent everything, i think?

[Crazy K]

To ANYONE and EVERYONE. if you want to do the right proper thing to your car... USE a GOOD oil. DO NOT dilute it with ANY additive... I've said this before (and related info) and have been snubbed at for taking the time to help. I apologized for knowing anything at all because I had researched and told him to go do it himself.

 

I would run a pure synthetic oil, and nothing else, unless you have ticking lifters, in which case STP (aka a transmission fluid) additive will help, but them you should change your oil afterwards. Buy the most cost effective synthetic oil you can get, they are practically the same....

[72cuttysupreme]

To ANYONE and EVERYONE. if you want to do the right proper thing to your car... USE a GOOD oil. DO NOT dilute it with ANY additive... I've said this before (and related info) and have been snubbed at for taking the time to help. I apologized for knowing anything at all because I had researched and told him to go do it himself.

 

I would run a pure synthetic oil, and nothing else, unless you have ticking lifters, in which case STP (aka a transmission fluid) additive will help, but them you should change your oil afterwards. Buy the most cost effective synthetic oil you can get, they are practically the same....

 

Thanks for the advice man. I had actually ran peak full synthetic in a 2001 2.2 sunfire without any problems. I may go ahead an run it in the Cutlass when I go to change the oil. We'll see what happens.

[rich_e777]

someone give him the run down on the shit seal on the distributor cap that o-ring is alleged to have:lol: Just remember the new consensus is going with #2 permex instead of RTV, might change by the next oil leak thread though. is it a 2d or 4d? coupe or vert?

 

strut tower bars, upgraded poly mounted sway bars and solid trailing arms will get you started. for the front sway and tower bars you can get off a `Vert, rear swar bar from a 95-96ish monte and you can get the rear tower mounts from people here.

[Crazy K]

http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/8442-O-Ring-%28Oil-Pump-Drive-Seal%29-Fix-%28Pictures%29

and my specific post:

http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/8442-O-Ring-(Oil-Pump-Drive-Seal)-Fix-(Pictures)?p=813142&viewfull=1#post813142

[72cuttysupreme]

Cool. Thanks man. I'll bet you see a big difference in handeling with all of that. And its a 2 door coupe. Also mine has coil packs. It doesn't have a distributor.