Hey guys, thanks for all the help and info you do. Great site. I've done a lot of work keeping my 97 running. Its been driven hard and a lot. Almost 200,000 and still drives straight. I'm a machine repairman and love working on my car, but I'm no auto mechanic. Some days I put in drive, step on the gas and it bogs out, sputters. Idles fine then give it gas and it crawls. A couple days later its jumping out the driveway, no hesitation. Time for new engine or maybe able to fix? not sure what's going on, backfires sometimes. Seals piston rings wear?

 

what engine we talkin bout

 

3800 series. 97 3.8 v6 convertable

 

have it scanned for trouble codes. hopefully we can get a better idication of where this is coming from.

 

Thanks for the reply craby! I changed plugs wires 2 yrs ago and was working on the codes. The last thing I replaced was module. A lot has happened since and been hanging around in my garage and driveway. Ac froze up downtown and had to bypass. That was an experience and confidence builder in keeping the car. I figured if I can get bugs out and running good then a motor and trans swap wouldnt be a bad idea. Never been involved in car mechanics but 20 plus yrs as machine mechanic. I want to make sure car is going to run if I get that far. I believe I need a trany or rear end? On highway I lost gears? Went down to 2 gear. Now I have 1st then slams into 2nd. No 3 or 4th gear. Goes back into 1st. Park reverse low is good. Easy to trouble shoot? Rear end or tranny? I know about gears bearings shafts but seems like problem with engaging. I should do more research but kinda hands on guy, rip it apart, mess it up, buy a new one. Having great luck with this camaro tho. Money is always tight, slowly getting there. If anything is great hobby and learning a lot and getting attached. Friends say junk it I've spent too much on it already. Its a soft top that doesn't leak and my dog loves ridding in it. Sorry got carried away, like talking tools, anyways I'll get new codes done. Hoping to get insurance back on next week and drive over to store to get codes or buy one on payday. I had to buy windshield wiper motor this week. Some cash left over to buy antifreeze to flush radiator.

 

oh boy, sounds like trans is not happy and is needing a rebuild.

 

Good to know source of problem. Sounds scary exciting. I'm going to try and remove when ready. Also sounds cool to have original rebuild instead of replacing. Is this normal ? Also with engine. Is rebuild original a good idea? Sounds good to me just because familar with parts, would be first time big job.

 

it will be cheaper to remove trans and have shop rebuild for you. had my 2000 v6 trans done with heavier parts and with me removing and installing cost was just over 2k. im sure i could have had it done for less if i had looked around for a good shop with better prices but this shop was close and i had worked with them before. next time if there is one i look around.

 

engine on the other hand is cheaper and easier if you can get one from a good place that sells rebuilt engines. i picked up a new short block and built the rest. i doubt very much there are any new short block lt1's around anymore. if you have a 3.8 its best to find a used low mile engine. i found a series III 3.8 with 60k miles for 400 bucks for the 2000 camaro. then i replaced head, oil pan, front cover, and intake gaskets, also replace front and rear main seals. engine should be good for another 100-200k miles.

 

Might want to think twice about putting a lot of money into a 97 V6. This is a 20+ year old car, probably built in 1996. You are going to start having issues. Windows door locks. Its not uncommon for the rear to have issues at 200,000+ miles. If you want a hobby then a 20 year old 200,000 miles car is fine. But if you want dependable transportation you may want to go another way.

FYI automatic transmission failure at 20 years and 200,000 miles is above average life. I would say 150,000 miles is average.

I am not sure how much you have watch the prices on these cars but you can find low miles garage kept V6's for $3500 or less, In my area we had a 2000 with 28,000 miles on it for sale for $3800 last summer. The craigs list add was up all summer. 2 Summers ago I bought a 2000 Z28 with 43,000 miles for $5500. 3800 is a great motor but the only GM motor I would put as good or better in that era is the 98-02 LS1 V8. Camaro buying time is coming. Late September to January you can save 20% at lease and if its an estate\divorce sale even more. No one is looking for a V6 Camaro fall and early winter. Everyone is thinking about getting through the winter.

If you find another 3800 keep an eye on the intake gasket if its not been redone yet. It is the only weak spot on a well maintained motor. Once it been re-done it is not longer a weak spot.