Newbie 3.1 Question???

[KingArthur]

I just bought a 1992 Lumina without a motor for $150.00. My question is since I'm in search for a motor, what is the highest year car I can get one out of without having to change anything major.

[sharkey]

what motor did it originaly have??? was it a 3.1l or a 3.4 dohc???

[KingArthur]

It had a 3.1

[sharkey]

sorry, i wasnt paying attention to the topic name.

anyways, you should be able to use any 3.1l from 90-95, it will be a direct bolt in. however, you could do a 3100 or 3400 swap for a big hp increase. it would require custom mounts (i think, im not 100% on the luminas) and some other mods, but could be done.

[RidgeRunner]

The Gen2 3.1 was only made until 1994, and in that year only in the Lumina and J-bodies, afaik.

[sharkey]

hmm, thats weird. i thought they ended production in 95. but even then, i have a friend who has a 96 corsica with a gen 2 3.1l. i checked the vin number out, and it was deffinitly a 96, door sticker said production date was 11/95. it was the original motor in it for sure.

[KingArthur]

hmm, thats weird. i thought they ended production in 95. but even then, i have a friend who has a 96 corsica with a gen 2 3.1l. i checked the vin number out, and it was deffinitly a 96, door sticker said production date was 11/95. it was the original motor in it for sure.

I know for a fact that 95 models have a different 3.1(3100). I looked at one today because the motor was for sale. From the info that I gathered so far, the 95 engine will work with some changes. Your friend may have had a 96 with a 3.1 but it should be different from the 3.1 I need(90-94).

[sharkey]

nope, its a gen 2 3.1l, just like all the 90-95 cars. its not a gen 3 3100.

[KingArthur]

Now I'm confused... Do you think maybe GM had a bunch of gen2 lefted over and had to put some in the 95+ cars

[KingArthur]

I may have found a motor from a 92 Corsica. The guy says it idles fine runs good, but speeds beyond 40mph the car starts to overheat. What could that be? Maybe themostat?

[DMAN220]

I have a '95 beretta and it is a 3100. They started putting the 3100 in the beretta/corsica in '94. Someone probable put in a 3.1 cause the engine they had died and they got it cheap or didn't know the difference.

[sharkey]

it would look to hacked together if they went from a gen 3- gen 2 if they were looking to save money on it. im wondering if its a factory freak. everything in the engine back looks factory.

anyways, it could be the water pump, or he could have had a clogged rad. make sure you check to see what the oil looks like, look for leaks, pull a couple spark plugs at random and see what they look like. if its still in the car with a battery hooked to it, do a compression test.

[KingArthur]

The motor I found didn't seem right to me, so I didn't buy it. What would it take to get a 3100 from maybe a 2000 Malibu into my 92 Lumina. What needs to be changed?

[Manitcor]

The motor I found didn't seem right to me, so I didn't buy it. What would it take to get a 3100 from maybe a 2000 Malibu into my 92 Lumina. What needs to be changed?

If your going to go through the trouble of putting in a Gen3 engine go for the 3400 20 more hp/tq.

You can get one from a yard for as low as $350 http://www.car-part.com

[dbtk2]

it would look to hacked together if they went from a gen 3- gen 2 if they were looking to save money on it. im wondering if its a factory freak. everything in the engine back looks factory.

Check the vin number for the engine code...that will tell you. Don't remember the 3100's code, but the 3.1 is engine code "T." IIRC its the 8th digit. My sister had a '95 & a '96 Beretta and they both had 3100's in them...one was a Z26 and the other a base model.

It might not necessarily look "hacked together." They did put the Gen II's in those cars in earlier years so getting all the right parts for it would be simple.

Shawn