Need advice on my car 2011 Chevy

a reply to: smirkley

Well you were correct if considering the NorthStar, its a very finicky engine. The Grand Prix is a W body and I`m very familiar with those cars. Ive got a 1999 GTP coupe with a supercharger I`m working on and my Cutlass still has its 3100, for now

originally posted by: madmac5150

originally posted by: StratosFear
a reply to: smirkley

On the GM V6s, especially the 60 degree V6s like the 3100/3400, its really the lower manifold gasket that is the issue and its commonly mistaken for head gasket failure. The 4.3 and the series II and III 3800`s are beasts when treated right.

My Impala has the 3.9l "3900" V6, which I understand is just as "bulletproof" as the 3800. It is a proven platform. GM sucks at building any V6 under 3.8l...

With all of that being said... 15 years ago, you could call a guy like me with an OBD tester, and probably get it fixed for a reasonable rate... (I usually charged a 12 pack of Rolling Rock + parts) Unfortunately, technology in most recent vehicles precludes simple solutions. I bought the shop manual for my Impala, and it scares me... I used to work on F-16s...

I hope this all works out. I have owned many different brands of vehicles, and Chevy always gave me the best service...

GM actually developed the very first domestic DOHC engine found in the LQ1 3.4 some of the W-body cars had as the top option in the early 90`s. I`ll put on of those up against any VTEC any day of the week. IIRC the 3.9 is a 90 degreeeV6 like the 3800 and Ive not heard many bad things other than the pain of working on one in a cramped engine bay. They dont quite pull out like a P&W F-100.

I wont buy any new car and very very few made in this century even appeal to me.

a reply to: StratosFear

To me, buying a V6 is like buying a fake leather coat. I've just never understood the 6 cylinder engine.

On your later point about newer cars...i tend to agree. If i had my way, I'd drive nothing but 70's era pickups. Im particularly fond of the 75 chevy c10 and the 77 Ford 3/4 ton. The amount of room to move around is wonderful, and the fact that its a real engine (and not a computerized piece of plastic) makes it something that any reasonably adept problem solver can figure out and correct.

a reply to: Prisoner60863

Its crazy but it sounds like your transmission

a reply to: StratosFear

Actually I prefer the LS3 in my 1LE.

One easy modern engine to work with.

And a whole lotta fun at 426hp with 420ft lbs.

Any new news on this?

Sounded like you needed to find a new dealership. Sometimes the place where you buy may have a lousy service department. In which case you have to find another one. Sometimes it's like night and day by simply going 5 miles down the road to the next town over. (Ran into this years ago when I was in the miltary. The place in Williamsburg was 100x better than what I was getting in Suffolk.)

A car that new shouldn't have problems though. I can't outright knock GM because I have one, and it's been reliable. However I have heard enough stories where it seems like the build quality is all over the place and really depends on what day of the week it came out of the factory. (Basically a chance of either good reliable cars and complete lemons of same year, make, and model.) It's crazy.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

My #1 advice: only buy V8 engines.

Twice the amount of cylinders you need and they should be flat. Rumble rumble vroom psht vroom.