My son brought a 94 Camaro 3.4 with a known problem a blown head gasket that what I thought and I told him I would fix it after taking this motor apart it was worst they I thought #5 piston broke the rod at the wrist pin and put a hole in the cylinder wall I brought a 93 3.4 Camaro removed the motor and put motor in the 94 after getting it running guess what white smoke out the exhaust I removed the spark plugs they turned the motor over and seen it pump water out the #5 plug hole another blown head gasket so I start to repair this motor after taking it all apart its got cracked water jackets around #5 cylinder and into cylinder walls . Has anyone seen or had blown head gasket on #5 cylinder or is does motor have a issues with blown head gaskets or we just been unlucky in the motors we gotten a hold of?

 

I do not think it is that common. Once you get over 10 years head gaskets can blow on any motor.You are taking about a 16 year old motor. Hind site is always 20/20 but you should have torn down the 93. Even if it was a low mile one with that age I would suspect the head gaskets and front and rear mains. I am putting motor out of a 2002 in my 96 that only has 47K on it and I am still trying to determine if I am going to pull the heads. I pulled the intake and the valve cover and the motor is super clean. I think i am going to risk it. But that is a7 year old engine.

The 3.4 (and its brothers the 2.8 and 3.1)is not a great motor but it have been GMs work horse for 25 years. Age, how it wasmaintained and how it was used are more likely the reasons for the failures then poor design
.

 

Gorn I wish I did just as you said but I took the guys word that it ran good I learn from this will not take a Strangers word on now a motor runs again.

 

At the very least I would have done a compression check.
Installing used motors I have always bought a complete gasket kit then cleaned and or painted and resealed them.
Sometimes I would not pull the heads and just reseal everything else but only on a motor I heard run,usually from a donor car I drove home.

 

Well I found another donor car a 94 will be taking the motor out today and you can bet i will check this one out a lot better then the last one this one I am going to take it a part all the way to the heads and oil pan off before putting it in another car.

 

that is unlucky
tell us how it goes!

 

Hey Hotrod,
I'm changing the head gaskets on a car I bought for my son and the #5 cylinder is the problem with this one. Sure will have a good look in there for other damage while it's apart.
Are you taking the motor out the top or the bottom? I'm curious as I have a spare motor if I need it but as I read the book on engine removal for these cars I don't have a way to jack the car up high enough to get the motor out from the bottom.

 

I have taken the motors out the top ,a Hayes manual gives a description of how to do it ,one thing I found is a regular engine hoist does not extend far enough from the front of the car,(I did'nt have enough room in my garage to work from the sides) so I stuck a extra piece of steel in the engine hoist to make the boom longer. Hope this helps

 

Hotrod,
Thanks for the tip on the engine hoist extension. I read a different post from you about getting engine removal info from the Haynes book. So it is possible and that's good info for the future as this car has 150K miles on it now.
I got the cylinder head gaskets changed, in three days, wow, what a bear that is. Anyway, lucky me, all of the compressions are the same and there are no leaks. I drove the car to Montana the next day and it runs along at 75mph up and down the mountains with no trouble at all and gets 25mpg while doing it.

 

Similar story here. I don't know how we missed each other as my issue was going on at the same time as yours. I bought a 94 for my daughter, knowing that the car had a blown head gasket. I also bought a used motor that turned out to be junk and got screwed by the seller. But then I decided to overhaul my car's original motor and found it to be rebuildable. I don't think it is a coincidence that the head gasket was blown on cylinder #5 on my car's motor.