I recently bought a 95 GTP with the 3.4 DOHC motor in it. Tell me something about this engine. Good points, bad points and what I can expect from it. It only has 61,000 on it.
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I recently bought a 95 GTP with the 3.4 DOHC motor in it. Tell me something about this engine. Good points, bad points and what I can expect from it. It only has 61,000 on it.
for its time it had a nice topend, timing chain is a pain to change as is the alternator...its not an easy car to work on
milzy motorsports makes headers for it, as for performance upgrades maybe it can be tuned? i dunno
You mean timing belt
I had a 94 GTP was a fun car i got in a race with a modded GPGT and the top end took over and started to edge it out when i was stock.
The biggest issue with these motors are the lower intake manifold gasket. IF you see milk shake in your oil that is the first thing to look at.
And yes the ALT is a PITA. It is in the worst spot. Bottom of engine next to firewall. Called around sears said they would do mine for $250 a few years ago. They stated they would never do that again. I got lucky. Other places wanted around $500 to do it.
the good... well they get decent fuel economy, good power, stiff suspension
the bad... expensive and difficult to work on, depending on the driver they are hard on trannies, can also be hard on timing belt
my 3.4 has 148,000 on it and is starting to nickel and dime me but once i get some things replaced it should be good to go for another 100,000
i hear they burn a lot of oil. and changing half the spark plugs requires taking out the engine according to my friend w/ a Z34.
sarcasm? i meant the 3 that are under the engine lol. if not, he got screwed then cuz the mechanic charged him $600 to change plugs.
The major downside to that engine is working on it or having work done to it, most mechanics will refuse to work on it, and the ones that will will charge you up the ass to work on it.
I have a 95 3.4 GTP , that Ive religously changed the oil in and driven hard. These don't burn oil if they've been properly maintained. Maintenance pig YES , make sure the timing belt is changed at least every 50K miles . Intake gaskets are easy but time consuming (make sure you use a torque wrench to get it even. I had a shop do once and it was leaky in 6 months (bastards did't torque it right) , Just cause Im slight nuts I bought my wife a 96 Cutlass Surpreme international 3.4 , GM increased in the upper intake maniffold volume and tuned slightly differnently. from 20 up it hauls ass.
Beat a 67 Ferrari 275 up a mountain. Probably the ferrari wasn't tuned for mountains:-} I've seen some pretty serious mods done on these but its way more expensive than the 3.8 Super. Currently looking at some custom made variable valve cams made in england (around $4K ) worth for 4 cams , IF this engine was built right some are tuning out over 425 hp . Othewise its a great looking car worth throwing a 3.8 super in. Currently Im fighting weather to replace a bad head gasket ( another issues if the cooling system isn't constantly maintained.
Well I have the car now for 7 months and no problems. It has 64,000 on it. I don't think the belt was changed. But I drive it easy and it only gets used to go back and forth to the train station. I really enjoy driving it.
You guys need better mechanics. I had the alt changed for $125 + beer + the Alt by the guy that works on my race car. To do plugs, I think you need to loosen the motor mount. Again, same guy did it with no problems or complaints. If anyone needs an alternator, I have a remanufactured on still in the box for sale.
Not good oil pan baffles for road racing, though. Engine wouldn't rev over 5500 after going thru the twisty section of track, but never a problem on the highway.
Like they all said its a tough one to work on but i love it. Ive done most of my own work and cussed it out more than once haha. If you ha e the variable steering setup DO NOT break or loose that adapter and plug above the pump.. im currently looking for one myself and cant find it anywhere.
i think there is one at the local junk yard here... but to be honest i can do more work faster and easier on my old DOHC then i can on my 3800. plugs were easy, lower intake much easier and no risk of coolent in the oil. dont need to pull the alt or any accessory for that matter to remove the upper or lower intake! it has 2 lower engine mounts and the trany mount so it stays more solid then the 3800's as well.
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