Buying a DD V6 Camaro

**fbodyNATION** · 10-25-2011, 12:55 AM

Ok im thinking about buying this 96 V6 Camaro to use as a daily driver,it has the 3800 series 2 V6 engine automatic transmission & ttops the reason i want to get it is because i Love Camaros & im getting it for a steal,eventually i will sell it but this deal is a little to good to pass up,i dont like the interior in the 93-96 Camaros but i wont bother swapping it to the 97-02s because this will be a car im not keeping for long so i'll live with it(the 93-96 interior)until i get tired of it,maybe this car will help me pay for my 01-02 SS or Z28 in the future,what i want to know is how is the 3800 V6 as in terms of reliability? in the 4th gen fbodies? I had numerous cars with the 3800 V6 but most were fwd & majority were wbodys,so im not to familiar with them,the guy said the car is very well taken care of mechanically,cosmetically it looks pretty decent,im going look at the car wedsnday

**phoenixXIV** · 10-25-2011, 02:24 PM

I had a 98 V6 for a couple years and never had any problems with it. maybe someone will chime in here if i'm wrong but im pretty sure the 3800's are rock solid. I beat up mine pretty much daily. the only thing that happened to me was some hard plastic coolant piping cracked and it cost me 10 bucks and 20 minutes to fix.

**My00Z28** · 10-25-2011, 03:54 PM

3800's are great motors i know they are slightly different in the Bonneville's but my bonny has 300,XXX miles(transmissions didnt last with the original owner) and that thing still will see WOT

the only things i think go bad are intake gaskets(not sure about the camaro's)

**Smittro** · 10-25-2011, 07:45 PM

There is no real difference in a L36 3800-II (the engine it self) reguardless if it was in an FWD or RWD setup except for intake and exhaust manifolds..

Even the L67 has all the same castings as the L36.. Heads for the L67 are the same hollow design as L36 heads, same ports, same valve sizes..

Only exception is the L67 has bungs in the heads for injectors, and slightly stiffer valve springs..

3800 is a good solid engine, if you take care of it it will take care of you..

Intake gaskets can be an issue with all series-II 3800's does'nt matter if it has a plastic intake or the aluminum one like found in the f-body 3800's..

IMHO, if it has old dexcool in it there will be trouble @ some point..

One problem that I found was the location of the coils is bad..

The center coil pack (can't remember if it's the 3-5 or 2-5 coil) sits dirrectly under the hood gasket @ the cowl..

Water can sometimes drip down and corrode the coil to ignition module contacts causing the coil to fry..

New coil is 26 bucks @ advance auto so really it's not that big of a deal..

Plugs/wires will still be a bitch to change

as the 3800 sits deeper beneath the cowl than the LS1..

**transamtom** · 10-26-2011, 12:40 AM

My DD is 2001 V6 Bird,I have had her for 3 years and 40,000 miles with just regular maintanence and I drive her hard.

**transamtom** · 10-26-2011, 12:41 AM

BTW it makes a nice change getting into a relatively quiet car

**fbodyNATION** · 11-02-2011, 01:59 PM

I really want a 01-02 SS or Z28,but the deal on this V6 is sweet,im still gonna get my SS or Z,im just gonna ride this V6 for the moment

**2002ssslp** · 11-02-2011, 03:12 PM

3800 series engine is a rock solid motor. Just do your maintenence. Oil changes and keep good, clean anti freeze in it. The only trouble you may run into is the intake gasket and/or head gaskets. This will most likely happen if you run hot. Keep things clean and fresh and it will live a long time.

**transamtom** · 11-02-2011, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by 2002ssslp

3800 series engine is a rock solid motor. Just do your maintenence. Oil changes and keep good, clean anti freeze in it. The only trouble you may run into is the intake gasket and/or head gaskets. This will most likely happen if you run hot. Keep things clean and fresh and it will live a long time.

I swapped in an aftermarket V8 rad,she came with dual fans like the V8's so it will take the hottest day and biggest traffic jam with ease.

Plus I converted it to regular green anti freeze and use synthetic oil with the bigger Wix 51036 filter.

**2002ssslp** · 11-04-2011, 05:22 AM

Sounds like you have your S**T in order and you know how to treat a lady. Just keep reminding yourself how much it will cost to replace the engine and it will not hurt so much at maintenence time.