well i do love the way the 5th gens look. lol

 

Your problem with your cooling system sounds like a downfall of dexcool and the muck it creates. Whether you had a 3800 or the LQ1 you would probably have ended up having the same problem over time. Not the motors fault.

I agree the aftermarket is limited, no one seemed to want to spend the time on the 3.4 I guess because of the short run it had.

 

i think the 3.4 is like the 4.6 northstars. complicated as hell and veryyyyy touchy.

 

if i had 2 grand just layin around i would let my uncles friend tear it down and rebuild it.

 

Lol if you think the 3.4 is complicated then I hope you never have to work on a new car. For a DOHC motor the 3.4 is pretty straight forward. Compared to any pushrod motor its going to seem complicated. Its really not. Once you tear into the motor its not that complicated at all. It seems daunting at first, like when I first pulled the plenum I thought it was a big deal but now I can have it off and back on in less than 1/2 hour. Just like the timing belt everyone is afraid of. People who have dont it themselves will tell you that its not as hard of a task as it seems, you just have to do it once and its not bad to do again.

The motor isnt touchy either. They are pretty rock solid actually. Ive heard of more rebuilt 3800s than 3.4s honestly. If someone lets the timing belt snap then it can ruin the heads but if proper maintenance they are as about as reliable as they come.

Comparing them to the Northstar is a pretty unfair assessment. The Northstar was a complete and utter failure through its entire production. Im sorry for being so blunt on this subject but Im sure Im not the only one who gets tired of the 3.4 getting such a bad rap. People just tend to abandon ship when the slightest thing goes wrong because they are intimidated by the motor. Laziness isnt a reason to rap on a motor. If you dont want to deal with it thats no big deal. Do whatever will be easiest and most convenient for you, but dont blame the motor. Ill take my 3.4 over a 3800 all day every day.

 

i get what you are sayin matt. and i agree that the 3.4 does get a bad rap but im starting to think that i got a dud. i do like the lq1 but i just wish there was a larger aftermarket, and when i said touchy i meant that they respond way differently to stuff than any other engine. and one of the biggest reasons i am thinking about swapping in a 3.8 is bc where i live ive only seen two other lq1 cars in the past three years. EVERYONE down here drives 3.8 grand prixs/ and impalas and parts for them are wayyy cheaper. yeah ill admit the 3.4 is a stout little motor and gets a bad rap, and it annoys me when people talk about the lq1 in general being a bad engine. i wasnt one of those people, i was referring to MY engine bc i do believe my uncle ragged it out while my grandmother was still alive. and that might be why it isnt the best running engine out there

 

Im not necessarily referring to you only with my comments, dont want to sound like I was attacking you. Kinda aiming that towards anyone who talks bad about the 3.4 I understand your situation, like I said, do what will benefit you the most. If keeping the 3.4 isnt an option Im not going to have any ill will toward you for your decision. Im glad you understand that the 3.4 isnt just a crap motor. Unfortunately a lot of people do and that is frustrating.

 

no no no i knew you wasnt attacking me, i was just clarifying. and yeah it gets me that the only big group who appreciates the lq1 is the fiero drivers. i actually wish gm would have made the 3.4 for a few more years. (they should have at least kept it in the z34 instead of replacing it with the 3.8, that was like putting a ss badges on a grand prix) but i guess the 3.4 kinda lives on in the new camaro v6. 314 hp outta a dohc v6? awesome

 

the 3.4L is the forgotten GM performance V6...

Bama, with all the work you are looking at it would be cheaper just to do an engine swap to the 3800. start with the L36 and topswap it down the road.

but in the continuing defense of the motor, i have 223,000miles on mine and it is running just as strong as ever. i regularly inspect my Tbelt still tight and looking great but i have close to 120,000 miles on it! was replaced by dealer at 104k. Its only major problem to me is that the tranys just cant handle the power. the 97 had the 4t65e but being a 1st gen of the 65e it still had its issues.

the reasons i am going to swap to the 3800 are:
-the HP goals i want will require boost, a strong trany, and will need to last if im going to put that kinda money into it.
-my Lq1 would need a rebuild and trany swap to get there... a rebuild would be very expensive, replacement parts are becoming harder and harder to come by, and would need to go turbo to hit the HP goals i want... might require building up a pre 96 block and heads so i can do the manifold swap... the pre 95 engines, you can put a front manifold on the back and make a custom Xover and you are done with the setup.... hmmm makes me thinking some more... keeping the LQ1 might be an option :-D

 

Dave, how is the rear manifold set up on the 96-97 motors. Does it have a side entrance for the crossover and then a rear exit for the DP?