We had a Supercharged 3800-powered car in the shop

"Logansteno: Bought a VW?" (logansteno)
09/19/2014 at 12:55 • Filed to: None

And of course it's my favorite one...

It was a 2000 Grand Prix GTP and oh my god the purplish blue color was awesome.

It had almost 200k on it and the only reason it was in the shop was because the windshield wipers wouldn't work. Blown fuse.

Go figure, two cars I'm considering to replace the Safari are in the shop at the same time. Blazer and GTP.

Much want on both.

DISCUSSION (23)

 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 12:59

Nice motor. Fail everything else.

mcseanerson > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 12:59

Get the Pontiac. The only thing I would rather have is just a stock 3800 for increased reliability.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > mcseanerson
09/19/2014 at 13:01

It's a matter of finding a nice one that isn't clapped out.

I can tell the supercharger belt had snapped on this one before because the sound deadening on the hood right over the belt was all torn up.

Alex B > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 13:03

I think you should get a blazer next...

mcseanerson > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 13:05

I'm not saying the supercharger is bad but if I bought one it would be for a commuter car.

blacktruck18 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 13:08

My Mom had 1993 Bonneville SSEI when I was 16. I loved the 3800 in that car.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Alex B
09/19/2014 at 13:10

I wanna get away from the 4.3 + 4-speed auto combo. I've already experienced it.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > blacktruck18
09/19/2014 at 13:12

The 3800 was really a gem of an engine in some not great cars.

Nibbles > mcseanerson
09/19/2014 at 13:12

The L67 Supercharged 3800 is awesome and supremely reliable. It only gets a 40hp gain over the L36 NA, but you get the whine and can actually loose the front tires on hard acceleration. For commuting purposes, it gets pretty much the same exact fuel economy as its NA counterparts (just using premium instead lol)

The only thing people tend to forget is that the supercharger needs oil too. That's the main cause of "death" on the old L67s.

mcseanerson > Nibbles
09/19/2014 at 13:14

My dad had a supercharged '95 Riviera that the supercharger failed and the mileage wasn't that high. I just don't need a supercharger for how I would use a Grand Prix.

Nibbles > mcseanerson
09/19/2014 at 13:20

The '95 was a Series 1 with an M62, compared to the 1996-2005's drastically re-engineered innards and Eaton M90. I'm not knocking your personal preference, just throwing out data :)

carcrasher88 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 13:20

Kinja'd!!!

That's one awesome GTP, but I'm really curious about the John Deere 2040 over here.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > carcrasher88
09/19/2014 at 13:22

It belonged to the agriculture program, but after that was discontinued, auto tech inherited it to use for learning the basics on engine maintenance and repair.

carcrasher88 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 13:24

Very nice.

I've always liked these sort of JD models.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 13:29

Before you get too far into wanting a GTP, do a bit of research on the transmissions. IIRC, they grenade fairly easily and its a common problem with any vehicle with the Supercharged 3800, not just the GTP

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
09/19/2014 at 13:32

I know there's been issues with the transmissions breaking, but there's also apparently issues with the 4L60-E in my safari and it's still going strong.

Nibbles > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
09/19/2014 at 13:36

The early ones with the 4T60E were quite failure-prone. The 4T60E-HD equipped ones were slightly better. Once they moved to the 4T65E-HD in 2000 or so, the failure ratio went way down.

Nobi > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 14:37

As the murderer of 2 4T60e's and one 4T65e-HD, if you put any strain on the drivetrain above and beyond daily driving duties, you will blow it up right around 115k. If you have the extra cash, there are aftermarket companies that make stronger beefed up units. Get one. There's some guy with an 800+ hp 5.3 twin turbo Monte SS that has a transmission that's been modified and is holding up so far.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 16:04

Kinja'd!!!

Did you know they were available with a HUD?

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
09/19/2014 at 16:07

I did!

And this one actually had the HUD. Everyone was trying to figure out why there was a cutout above the gauges, and I just stood there laughing because I knew what it was.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/19/2014 at 16:16

Also the official name for that color is Blurple.

deekster_caddy > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/20/2014 at 07:30

My favorite motor! I had a '98 Riviera with a VS cam, GenV blower, headers and a built trans. Total sleeper. Lots of people asked me if it was a Rolls (the silver -R- and no Buick markings confused people) or Jaaaaag. At 275,000 the subframe and other important bits are rusting through so parting it out now. Would love to sell the engine and trans together to an enthusiast.

deekster_caddy > mcseanerson
09/20/2014 at 07:34

Increased reliability? My '98 Riv has 275,000 miles on it. I did an engine swap about 150,000 ago, only because I happened across an engine with more mods on it than mine. Very reliable. Sure, there is an extra belt, but as long as you check the SC oil every 2 years or so it's fine.

The only reliability problem with 3800s is the plastic lower intake manifold gaskets. On the non-supercharged ones, you also have the EGR gasses eating at the plastic upper intake manifold. They will actually eat a hole into the intake or one of the coolant passages. So in that sense, the SC motor is MORE reliable than the non-SC. ;)