My father bought this car for me before he passed away a 1995 Chev camaro used. He paid about 2000 dollars for it. The engine had about 150,000 miles on it and the car was in "Decent" conditions to put it generously. About $2300 in repairs later and 4 years from the date of purchase The engine now has about 210,000 miles on it. It is a V6 3.4 engine. My Camaro no longer feels like It did when I first got it 60k miles ago. Its much weaker and the engine seems to have a lot more of an empty power and less get up and go feel than It used to.

I'm really not a big mechanics guy...Actually I know only the basics of oil change tire change when it comes to cars. So I don't really know how engines work.

What I wanted to do is keep the car, but put in a NEW engine maybe from 2006-2007 that is more fuel efficient and gives the same power of a 1995 V6 engine. If that is possible.

Otherwise I fear that its time for me to get rid of it for good. I'm about to go into grad school and my daily commute is about 40miles both ways. The gas it uses up is just to much.

I was considering buying a Chevy Aveo or a Ford Fiesta if I can't put a fuel economic engine on the camaro. Is doing this possible at all?

 

You will be looking at more than just replacing the engine. The complete engine, engine cradle, wiring harness and PCM and who knows what else. I am not saying it can't be done but it would not be worth the money. You would be better off just getting another car. You could refresh that car with a crate engine or have it rebuilt if you are set on keeping it.

 

As duck said, changing an engine in our 4th gen cars is a pretty involved process. It can definitely be done, but it is not nearly as easy as swapping a 6 for a V8 in the first two generations.
Your best bet from a money point of view would be to rebuild or replace with a same type crate engine. It will still cost some coin, either way. But you already own the car and I assume that it has some sentimental value to you as well. Insurance on it will be cheaper than a new car, and you won't have a payment.

 

Anything is possible. But as Osduck said even for a guy like me who was a mechanic and has an almost complete shop and welds its not worth the massive amount of work. Car today are designed very engine specific. The computer systems are all talking to each other. You change one thing and your going to have problems. In many cases system from a 95 will not work with a 96 so even swaping an engine from a another camaro a few years different become a huge task.

 

I have a spare 3.4 and if you were nearby I would pass it on to you. I know the value of sentimental gifts. I have a few in my back yard and all are keepers forever. I have re built the 3.4 a couple of times in my '95 and it just keeps on going. I got this spare engine for future re builds because this camaro is here to stay. The rebuild is easy. The most difficult thing is installing the plenum with the fuel rail that contains the fuel injectors. Do not lose heart and give up something that your dad had contact with.

 

if running correctly the 3.4 should get you 28 to 30 mpg. something is not right. whens the last time its had new plugs? have you had it scanned for trouble codes? did you check fuel pressure?

 

28-30 mpg? its a camaro not a corolla, its more like 20city 25hwy

 

Executive summary:
If you don't have, or don't want to spend, several thousand dollars to overhaul the engine in your car, buy something else.

Long version:
It's really about how much sentimental value the car has to you and whether you like driving it. The best price that I could find for a Jasper rebuilt 3.4 was $2600. There is always the potential for problems with any rebuilt engine and Jasper has a decent warranty. The problem is that the warranty just replaces the engine and you are stuck paying for the labor to remove/install twice. This is a big issue on the Camaro because R&R is pretty horrible. I think the labor time guides call for 15 hours and that's without transferring any parts from your engine to teh new one.
I chose to overhaul the original engine in my 94, largely so I could control which parts went into it and I knew I was getting the machining operations done by someone i trusted. Having the engine bored, buying/fitting new pistons, new rings, new bearings, new camshaft, new lifters, and having the cylinder heads reconditioned cast about $2700. Remember, that's just the machine shop bill. A shop's labor charge for doing the remove/install would have been at least $1000.
You could try the used engine route to save money. I've done that successfully in the past but on the Camaro I got got screwed and lost $600 on a bad engine. Thankfully I pulled the heads and checked the internals before I installed it.

Your existing engine with over 200k miles has lasted longer than most 3.4s but it's definitely worn inside. Loss of power is probably due to reduced compression from worn piston rings and cylinder bores. The camshaft lobes may be severely or unevenly worn. There's an outside chance that the catalytic converter could be obstructed and that will cause a power drop too. Think "constipation" LOL.

Another thing to consider is the condition of non-engine parts. At 200k miles the front suspension will have worn balljoints, control arm bushings, shock absorbers, tie rod ends, and even the steering rack. Replacing those parts and getting an alignment will add another $1000 or more to the bill. I know because I just did it.

As for installing a newer, more fuel efficient engine in your car, well, that would cost a *lot* more than replacing your 3.4 with another one. To be sure, *anything* is possible. Ask Jay Leno about the engine he installed in his Oldsmobile Toronado and how he changed ot from front wheel drive to rear wheel drive. Finding an engine that fits in the available space isn't too hard but getting everything to connect is a while different thing.

Again, how much does this car mean to you? If you fix it right the total cost will be high but still much less than buying any new car.