thanks for the response!! I think i am going to let it go and just take car of the tranny problem!!

conventional oil's only recommended for when new piston rings are installled

 

You said you were going to rebuild the engine though- which is probably why he mentioned it.

 

I missed this thread somehow and when I saw it my first thought was "why?"

Survey Says: No do not rebuild the engine. The 3800's are awesome engines and known for durability. If the sucker goes bad, just buy a used one.

 

yea but its SOO easy to put new bearings in while the motors out..

has anyone else heard of problems w/ putting new bearings in the 3800??

no offense to anyone but i have a hard time understanding how puttin new bearins in w/ a smooth surface crank could cause failure...

can someone give me an explaination

 

IMO if its not broken, then why screw with it? The stock 3800 bottom ends have been reliable to ridiculous hp amounts, and many many have broken the 200k mile mark.

If you're dead set on messing with it- then go ahead, we're just letting you know that the failures of rebuild 3800s far exceed that of most normal engines (say a SBC), and many who have screwed with trying to rebuild have said that they wished they wouldn't have touched it. Its your car though....

 

I'll put in my 2 cents here.. hopefully it helps him with his decision.

I built-up my engine in 06/07.. I chose a low mileage block because I refused to touch the block. I tore my engine down to the block, and built it from the heads up. The rotating assembly was left alone... because they do not like being tinkered with. There aren't many machine/engine shops who can properly rebuild a 3800 to factory spec. The reason why? Nobody has enough experience rebuilding them, because they have a low failure rate. It's cheaper to get another shorty from a wrecker, and go at it again. They're built rock solid from the factory. Failure rates are VERY high when people rebuild with new bearings/rings, etc...

In my opinion, 150k miles isn't that bad, unless it was driven by a NASCAR wannabe who ran it at 5-6K RPM for the majority of those miles. If your engine is going to be out of its home anyways, I would suggest you do all your gaskets, including head gaskets, Lower intake gaskets (get the L26 Aluminum gaskets).

Why you are bound and determined to keep it stock is beyond me. you can easily do a few bolt-ons while redoing your gaskets, and gain some HP, which will give you that kick you need when passing on the highway, and by doing that, you'll increase your efficiency, which will get you better gas mileage when you want to drive it like a granny.

Best of both worlds... power when you need it, economy when you don't.