Thanks for the flashback. I've owned several of those gm 3800. Always a great power plant. Reliable and fuel efficient. Always got 22-24mpg in town and 28mpg on the road. It's a shame what GM has replaced that with! Thanks for the content. Thanks for the cont
I hear ya on that power steering pump. I had to replace the power steering pump on my mom's 2003 Impala LS with the same engine. What a nightmare to pull the power steering pump out as well as trying to fill it when you're done installing the pump. I had to purchase a long flexible funnel in order to fill the power steering. I didn't care if I overfilled it once all the air was out of the system because it was such a pain. Great in depth video on how to change those two coolant elbows. I wish I had your video on how to do it. I had to use a Hayes shop manual and figure it out myself.
Learning so much from your videos. Thank you so much. I’m retired and now have time to do the basic maintenance on my cars and love learning more about automotive troubleshooting and repair. I went to a local automotive school and they want $35,000.00 to teach me brakes, suspension and steering …. You are a much cheaper option.
I am guessing these big alternator vehicles have ABS and wheel braking traction control that draws a huge amount of current for a short time when activated without depending on the battery. Big current requires big wire in the stator and field windings of the alternator and higher capacity diodes - ergo big size. So an alternator rated at 40-60 amps continuous can also output the needed 160 amps for a few seconds without frying.
Kenny I was told via a Buick website/forums that if you use the aftermarket coolant elbows to replace the damaged plastic ones to beware that the sealing "O" rings that come with the kit (Dorman) can fail. They recommend purchasing a set of factory OEM sealing rings and then apply them to the aftermarket aluminum coolant elbows. Have you had any issues or any comebacks due to a leak????? I did this job on my 3.8 05 Buick about 2 years ago, no problems. Thank you Kenny.....Pete
Most backyard mechanics who do not do this work for a living can get good parts and tools from Harbor Freight. I have most of my tools and testers from there. It is a different game plan if you do it for a living.
I believe they used plastic elbows in these yrs of 3.8 instead of the older front drive 3.8 that used metal ones as they were known to corrode,, perhaps as n upgrade from metal ( black metal elbows )
My son has had an olds 88 with the 3.8 for several years. Wondered where the power steering res was hiding. One of these days that motor is going to purr down the road, leaving behind him and a pile of scrap metal that was the car chase.
Anyone says that's a bad engine apparently doesn't do maintenance.... Those 3800 is a golden staple of a engine...ya it has minor stuff but all is very cheap to repair and that GM has ever made and fkd up when they went to the 3.6L
White silicon spray grease is a better lubricant to fit "o" rings & lots of other applications on vehicles & around the home (sticky drawers & the like)
My comment to you Kenny is why don't you have small "J" hook type screw driver that takes out lot those small "O" rings etc if you got that screw driver in there the other tool work perfectly they are available at harbor freight tools etc.im surprised you didn't use one on that 3800 engine, mmmm.
We can thank K-Mart/Kresge for that, as well as Craftsman tools being made in China. I worked for a vendor that made Craftsman until 2015 when their hand-tool production was moved to Shangdong and my facility was shut down and employees laid off.
Do you remember the aluminum quick connect fittings for coolant pipes on GM manifolds? I remember cutting and chiseling those out on the 3.1 fwd models. Actually bought a tap to clean up the threads afterwards.
PWR STR Pump location . Ya sometimes I think Engin-M-Neers say , "I haven't designed anything just plane dumb in a while to mess with Mechanics . Let's do this ! "
I hope you have a much better experience with Dorman products then I have had.I have experienced a near 100% failure with their products all failing within 1 year of installation.I would be happy to list the items that failed, but only if you really want to know.
I tend to lean towards Advanced. However, if I had a NAPA Auto Parts in my area I would go with them. NAPA seems to have better quality parts & the price reflects it. If the price is reasonable, I will go with the dealer part. Oftentimes, the dealer has the best price. Thanks for watching & keep wrenching 🔧
If that belt has been saturated with coolant for a while, and it looks like it has been, then it won't be long before the belt starts to come apart. You aren't doing your customer any favor but not wanting to change the belt because it is a little more difficult than the normal serpentine belt.
I helped my niece buy a used one with 200k miles. Told her it would last a couple years and she should start to save up for another car. 8 years later still going strong. Those engines are damn near bullet proof
I was going to argue with you until I saw it was facetious, my first car had one with well over 300,000 miles I don’t know how much because the odometer stopped working before the motor 😂
The plastic on critical engine parts is part of a competition to see how sh*t a car can be made and still be sold. I have completely lost respect for the engineering done in most modern cars. Heaps of cheesy plastic.
I have an 2012 ford flex Ecoboost turbo. Engine overheats and it was leaking,but the past two days it stopped leaking. I only had the car for three months months now and the fan never worked. Yesterday 01/24/23 it cut on for a while but it back not working. Is it possible that my none working fan is the reason for the overheating causing it to leak?
Wow a battery powered ratchet! Mom and Dad bought a air powered 3/8" ratchet for my graduation from Vo-tec. What time saver! Unless ya run it into the backside of radiator while doing a water pump replacement. 😏
Excellent! love the new format want to actually see how you remove/install, the tools used, the procedures, wonderful I love more please kudos kenny
Most common flaw on one of the best engines ever built. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the flashback. I've owned several of those gm 3800. Always a great power plant. Reliable and fuel efficient. Always got 22-24mpg in town and 28mpg on the road. It's a shame what GM has replaced that with!
Thanks for the content.
Thanks for the cont
Had a junk yard full of 3.8 gm cars before the second crankshaft design, they did finally get it right.
Man those 3.8s are best six bangers GM ever made.
Thanks for that. Loved it. 👍
Thanks for watching! Keep wrenching 🔧
Another good show Kenny. Keep the good stuff coming.
Nice cleaning idea. Installation was thorough.
If you do a "do it your self" series, always put the year make and model in the descrition.
Great video. I started out with Craftman tools and have migrated over to Harbor Freight as well.
Thank you Kenny
🔧It's always funny to see someone using a screwdriver 🪛 when they probably have an expensive hook and pick set specifically designed for the job.🛠
I hear ya on that power steering pump. I had to replace the power steering pump on my mom's 2003 Impala LS with the same engine. What a nightmare to pull the power steering pump out as well as trying to fill it when you're done installing the pump. I had to purchase a long flexible funnel in order to fill the power steering. I didn't care if I overfilled it once all the air was out of the system because it was such a pain. Great in depth video on how to change those two coolant elbows. I wish I had your video on how to do it. I had to use a Hayes shop manual and figure it out myself.
Excellent
Your step by step instructions are easy to follow
Thanks for watching!
🤘😎 I just did a 2000 century. Plus the dang timing cover... YEAH AFTER I did the elbows 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Learning so much from your videos. Thank you so much. I’m retired and now have time to do the basic maintenance on my cars and love learning more about automotive troubleshooting and repair. I went to a local automotive school and they want $35,000.00 to teach me brakes, suspension and steering …. You are a much cheaper option.
I am guessing these big alternator vehicles have ABS and wheel braking traction control that draws a huge amount of current for a short time when activated without depending on the battery. Big current requires big wire in the stator and field windings of the alternator and higher capacity diodes - ergo big size. So an alternator rated at 40-60 amps continuous can also output the needed 160 amps for a few seconds without frying.
Kenny I was told via a Buick website/forums that if you use the aftermarket coolant elbows to replace the damaged plastic ones to beware that the sealing "O" rings that come with the kit (Dorman) can fail. They recommend purchasing a set of factory OEM sealing rings and then apply them to the aftermarket aluminum coolant elbows. Have you had any issues or any comebacks due to a leak????? I did this job on my 3.8 05 Buick about 2 years ago, no problems. Thank you Kenny.....Pete
Glad to see you didnt use RTV on the O ring like i have seen and when rtv is used in the right place people go way over board
Most backyard mechanics who do not do this work for a living can get good parts and tools from Harbor Freight. I have most of my tools and testers from there. It is a different game plan if you do it for a living.
I would recommend the aluminum type plastic and heat dont work well together
I did one on my pontiac gtp grand prix
👍😎👍
Thanks ..
Good job man
Thanks for sharing.
New subscriber.
I believe they used plastic elbows in these yrs of 3.8 instead of the older front drive 3.8 that used metal ones as they were known to corrode,, perhaps as n upgrade from metal ( black metal elbows )
A dental pick comes in handy.
Craftman have a lifetime warranty found at a yard sale in bad shape took them to sears and got new replacement
You should write a book called "Stupid Designs done by Automotive Engineers".
It'd be as voluminous as the Encyclopedia Britannica, trust me.
My son has had an olds 88 with the 3.8 for several years. Wondered where the power steering res was hiding. One of these days that motor is going to purr down the road, leaving behind him and a pile of scrap metal that was the car chase.
Anyone says that's a bad engine apparently doesn't do maintenance.... Those 3800 is a golden staple of a engine...ya it has minor stuff but all is very cheap to repair and that GM has ever made and fkd up when they went to the 3.6L
White silicon spray grease is a better lubricant to fit "o" rings & lots of other applications on vehicles & around the home (sticky drawers & the like)
My comment to you Kenny is why don't you have small "J" hook type screw driver that takes out lot those small "O" rings etc if you got that screw driver in there the other tool work perfectly they are available at harbor freight tools etc.im surprised you didn't use one on that 3800 engine, mmmm.
I'm still using Craftsman! At least until whatever tool needs to be replaced. Getting replacements is challenging.
We can thank K-Mart/Kresge for that, as well as Craftsman tools being made in China. I worked for a vendor that made Craftsman until 2015 when their hand-tool production was moved to Shangdong and my facility was shut down and employees laid off.
Do you remember the aluminum quick connect fittings for coolant pipes on GM manifolds? I remember cutting and chiseling those out on the 3.1 fwd models. Actually bought a tap to clean up the threads afterwards.
PWR STR Pump location . Ya sometimes I think Engin-M-Neers say , "I haven't designed anything just plane dumb in a while to mess with Mechanics . Let's do this ! "
You know your sniffles like I do
Hey Kenny, at 15:10, what is the part number or description you would look up for that O-ring that you replaced? thanks
If you still need it, I can look it up. I ordered both types from GM.
I had that wxact same thong i replaced with the steel typeplasyic sucks
Those plastic elbows were on the Impala funny thing is the hours you got to charge for a 6 dollar piece
Used automotive tool pick and hook form Harbor Freight
I hope you have a much better experience with Dorman products then I have had.I have experienced a near 100% failure with their products all failing within 1 year of installation.I would be happy to list the items that failed, but only if you really want to know.
If I may, what parts store do you use, online or local store?
I tend to lean towards Advanced. However, if I had a NAPA Auto Parts in my area I would go with them. NAPA seems to have better quality parts & the price reflects it. If the price is reasonable, I will go with the dealer part. Oftentimes, the dealer has the best price. Thanks for watching & keep wrenching 🔧
Mom's car did the same thing
Anything stupid that GM does… I believe it.
Don't go banana's! 🍌
If that belt has been saturated with coolant for a while, and it looks like it has been, then it won't be long before the belt starts to come apart. You aren't doing your customer any favor but not wanting to change the belt because it is a little more difficult than the normal serpentine belt.
transgo?
Those are horrible engines. I had one and it only lasted 500,000 miles.
🤣
I helped my niece buy a used one with 200k miles. Told her it would last a couple years and she should start to save up for another car. 8 years later still going strong. Those engines are damn near bullet proof
I was going to argue with you until I saw it was facetious, my first car had one with well over 300,000 miles I don’t know how much because the odometer stopped working before the motor 😂
The plastic on critical engine parts is part of a competition to see how sh*t a car can be made and still be sold. I have completely lost respect for the engineering done in most modern cars. Heaps of cheesy plastic.
What a piss-poor design. So many things just don't make common sense.
Note to self: Don't buy one of those Buicks.
I have an 2012 ford flex Ecoboost turbo. Engine overheats and it was leaking,but the past two days it stopped leaking. I only had the car for three months months now and the fan never worked. Yesterday 01/24/23 it cut on for a while but it back not working. Is it possible that my none working fan is the reason for the overheating causing it to leak?
Possibly over flow reservoir from when overheating. Just an idea
Wow a battery powered ratchet! Mom and Dad bought a air powered 3/8" ratchet for my graduation from Vo-tec. What time saver! Unless ya run it into the backside of radiator while doing a water pump replacement. 😏