Coming home with a Buickload

[Kamakiri]

The 231 "A" rear wheel drive motor that Buick mass produced up through the 80s and was found under the hoods of most Skylarks and Regals shares no lineage with the 3800 FWD motor which first appeared in the 1986-7 FWD Buick Park Ave.

[Captainclock]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

The 231 "A" rear wheel drive motor that Buick mass produced up through the 80s and was found under the hoods of most Skylarks and Regals shares no lineage with the 3800 FWD motor which first appeared in the 1986-7 FWD Buick Park Ave.

No, but that motor is what inspired them to create the FWD 3800 V6 though because they share the same displacement just the mounting was different because once they changed their "Big Cars" over to smaller cars (like what Chrysler did right around the same time period when Chrysler introduced their FWD K-Cars) they had to design a FWD engine and the only engine they had at the time that they thought would of worked best in their redesigned Regals, LeSabres and Park Avenues would be a V6 engine hence they redesigned their RWD 3.8 Litre Engine and came up with the 3800. If you don't believe me look at the wikipedia article about the 231 (3.8 Litre) V6 also known as the Buick V6 Engine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V6_engine

[Kamakiri]

I have owned both....the 231A motor in a '76 Century, a '79 Skylark, and a '79 Pontiac Sunbird....and the 3800 in an '87 Lesabre. The only thing they share in common is the displacement.

Man, we got way off track here, didn't we Dave?

[Captainclock]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

I have owned both....the 231A motor in a '76 Century, a '79 Skylark, and a '79 Pontiac Sunbird....and the 3800 in an '87 Lesabre. The only thing they share in common is the displacement.

Man, we got way off track here, didn't we Dave?

I was only going along with what others were doing on here sir, so don't go putting all the blame on me here, also as I recall there were some members on here that took one of my threads that I started way off track as well and they said that the only reason why they did that was because things were getting "dry" around here and they needed more interesting things to discuss.

Anyways my post on here reguarding Buicks was asking about some issues that I was having with my car which is a Buick Regal from 2003 and there was some dragging that off topic as well. And if you would look at the link I posted from the wikipedia in my post that was before your post I just replied to you'll see that the original 231 RWD V6 is indeed somewhat related to the 3800.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

I have owned both....the 231A motor in a '76 Century, a '79 Skylark, and a '79 Pontiac Sunbird....and the 3800 in an '87 Lesabre. The only thing they share in common is the displacement.

Man, we got way off track here, didn't we Dave?

How long did the first ones last? Many died with 25, 30K on the clock.
Another one of their gems was the 2.8 litre V6 they used in the "X" cars, another one of GM's poor excuses of a car.
They even sold them to AMC for some of the Jeeps and none of those stood up very well.

[Kamakiri]

Originally Posted by Captainclock

I was only going along with what others were doing on here sir, so don't go putting all the blame on me here, also as I recall there were some members on here that took one of my threads that I started way off track as well and they said that the only reason why they did that was because things were getting "dry" around here and they needed more interesting things to discuss.

Dude, relax.....it's all good . I was saying that in jest....nobody swings a ban hammer around here

[Kamakiri]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

How long did the first ones last? Many died with 25, 30K on the clock.

Been my experience that they were 80-90K and done motors at best, but I've seen some go 120K or more. The one in my Sunbird gave up the ghost with about 35K on it which was a shock. Oil pumps and water pumps on them were every 40K it seemed. By the mid 80s with all the evap controls those things were a nightmare of vacuum hoses under the hood......

[Captainclock]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Dude, relax.....it's all good . I was saying that in jest....nobody swings a ban hammer around here

OK, sorry, I didn't know. Anyways I have owned 2 cars now that have had 3800 V6 engines my first car which was a 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88, and now my current car which is a 2003 Buick Regal LS.

[TUD1]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Man, we got way off track here, didn't we Dave?

I hadn't noticed...

[stromberg6]

Maybe a little off track, but as one who has owned 4 1966 Wildcats, I am really enjoying where this has gone.
Kevin

[Marco-nix]

Originally Posted by tom.j.fla

Before the Chevy 283 V-8 there was the 265 V-8. And before FORDs' 289 V-8 there was the 260 V-8, don't know what Chrysler had before the 318. All the best,Tom.J

You're right but the 283 V8 was the best small block on a Chevrolet . However, i don't know for Chrysler

[Captainclock]

Originally Posted by Marco-nix

You're right but the 283 V8 was the best small block on a Chevrolet . However, i don't know for Chrysler

Well Clearly since it was their only small block V8 the 318 was the best Small Block V8 Chrysler ever made, it was built like a tank and they used it in practically every non-muscle car that they ever built that had a V8 in it, if they would of continued making the 318 with modern components like fuel injection and what not, that engine probably would of been just as solid of a performer as any of the V8s made now, including on fuel economy because the 318 was designed to be an economy V8. Now as far as the Best Engine Chryler ever made period, it would have to be the Hemi, which originally started out as a 331 CID V8 back in 1955 when it first debuted in the 1955 Chrysler C-300 and then got a huge CID boost in the mid 1960s when it then became the now famous 426 CID Hemi that first debuted in the 1966 Challenger, and then saw a revival in 1999 when they revived the Hemi for the re-release of the Chrysler 300 Line starting with the 1999 Chrysler 300M which was starting back up where the original 300 series line left off in 1968.
Which interestingly enough the new Hemi is a 5.7 Litre engine which is actually a lot smaller than the the 426 Hemi and is actually a lot closer to the same size as the original 331 CID Hemi was. Which the 331 CID Hemi is equal to about 5.4 litres and the new Hemi is a 5.7 litre engine which is about a .3 litre difference between the original Hemi's displacement and the modern Hemi's Displacement. So not bad considering the Germans were the ones that decided to Bring back the Hemi after they forcefully took over Chrysler.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by tom.j.fla

Before the Chevy 283 V-8 there was the 265 V-8. And before FORDs' 289 V-8 there was the 260 V-8, don't know what Chrysler had before the 318. All the best,Tom.J

There's a great source for information on the evolution of Mopar engines,the Allpar website. Look under the engines heading.

[Kamakiri]

Originally Posted by Captainclock

Now as far as the Best Engine Chryler ever made period, it would have to be the Hemi, which originally started out as a 331 CID V8 back in 1955 when it first debuted in the 1955 Chrysler C-300

My '54 Desoto Firedome had a 276 Hemi V8......

[Marco-nix]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

My '54 Desoto Firedome had a 276 Hemi V8......

Nice one anyway