Calling all Car Guys and Gals!

[LadyGrey]

Hello All! :)
Got a question as usual. Most of you know my searching abilities are not quite all there, as well as other things, namely my mind :p :D
I need help with a car, Monte Carlo, of course, SS 2002
The specs say:
3.8L V6 MPI OHV 12V
I know the 3.8L V6 is the engine, what kind of engine, HP or what ever, is up for grabs. But what the rest of that nonsense is I have no idea!
Casper is a 305 V8 4bbl, that I understand.
If anyone can clue me in I'd appreciate it very much, kinda put it in terms this old GreyEagle can understand.
OH, BTW to any and all of my friends that I missed hollerin Happy Birthday at, I'm very sorry! Life has kinda gotten in the way here. Hope each and every one of you had a wonderful day!! I think about the bunch of you all the time but lately I just haven't been able to get here to tell ya.
Thanks very much,
LG

[PrntRhd]

OK LG,
Monte Carlo SS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Monte_Carlo

years 2000–2005:
3.8 L L36 V6 200 hp (149 kW) 225 ft·lbf (305 N·m)
(non-supercharged model)
It is a MultiPort Injected engine (MPI) so it does not use a carburetor, instead an engine management computer fires electric fuel injectors spraying measured amounts of fuel right at the intake valve airflow at the designated time, so it has lower emissions than the older carb versions, also runs better at colder temperatures as no choke is needed. The exhaust is also monitored with O2 sensors which send data back to the computer to avoid too rich/too lean mixtures and makes the catalyst live much longer and cuts emissions further.

Do watch for leakage of the lower intake gasket on this engine, the gaskets tend to leak antifreeze into the oil, and I bet you know that is really BAD.
Any leakage outside is also an indication. There was a class action settlement on this problem.

:)

[LadyGrey]

Thanks much Prnt! Very good info. Appreciate your help!
LG:)

[yawningdog]

3.8L - The total displacemet of all cylinders at bottom dead center is 3.8 Liters. V6 means six cylinder in a V-shaped configuration, two banks of three. (Each cylinder displaces .63 liters)

MPI means multi-point fuel injection, as PrntRhd pointed out. This as opposed to throttle-body fuel injection where all fuel is injected at one point in the intake manifold. Multi-point injects fuel usually at each cylinder for better control and atomization.

OHV means over head valve. This as opposed to a pushrod engine where the cam is nestled between the two cylinder banks and uses a pushrod/rocker mechanism to open and close valves. In OHV, the cam rests atop the cylinder head and allows for les mechanical flex and more immediate valve response.

12V means twelve valves. That is, one intake valve and one exhaust valve per cylinder. This is the minimum for a four-cycle engine. More is better, but also much more expensive.

[PrntRhd]

Over Head Valves (valves in the top of the cylinders) using a central camshaft in the valley of the engine block and pushrods to open the valves via rocker arms above the valves with valve springs making the valves close when not pushed by the cam lobes.
The 3.8 is a "low friction" engine, it makes decent power with little parasitic losses (low HP used up from rotational friction and accessory drives such as waterpump, fan, alternator, power steering pump, AC compressor, and belts) and was relatively inexpensive to build vs overhead cam/multiple overhead cam designs.

[Cavalier90]

An Over Head Valve can be a pushrod or an Over Head Camshaft variety. OHV was an improvement on the sidevalve engine which had the valves to the side of the cylinder and fitted in the engine block rather than the head. One benefit of the side valve was the engine was not as tall, but airflow into the cylinder was worse so power was reduced. OHV was first introduced with pushrods operating the valves from a crankshaft located low down in the engine. These pushrods did not give ideal control of the valves, so the crankshaft was moved into the cylinder head to work directly on the valves or via rocker arms. A chain or more recently, a rubber belt, turns the crankshaft. If it's rubber, make sure it is replaced about every 40,000 miles or if it snaps you will have a really poorly engine.

[mjc]

If it's rubber, make sure it is replaced about every 40,000 miles or if it snaps you will have a really poorly engine.

Yeah, and the asteroid that hit near the Yucatan 65 million years ago was just made a tiny splash...

[PrntRhd]

Cavalier90,
Your info is not accurate for the 3800 GM engine.

The crankshaft on all V-6 engines is below, not above the heads, and some engines have overhead camshafts, but not the 3800 which has hydraulic tappets at the single block-mounted cam and uses pushrods, and uses a timing chain, not rubber belts.
http://www.thinkythings.org/3800/3800.html
http://www.music.us/education/G/GM-3800-engine.htm

The 3800 is an odd design due to its 90 degree banking in the cylinders from its original Buick Fireball V8 heritage, and required offset journals in the crankshaft to neutralize the resulting primary vibration. In 1988 the engineers added a gear driven balance shaft above the camshaft to quell a remaining secondary vibration due to the offset throws. There is no spark distributor on a Series II or Series III 3800. Ignition is timed by a crank sensor and fires three coils for the 6 cylinders, and 2 knock sensors allow the compression increased and spark timing to be advanced without allowing detonation. (More power and economy)

LadyGrey's is a Series II 3800, here is some info on known issues:
http://www.autocarepronews.com/default.aspx?type=art&id=87714&

[Cavalier90]

DOH!!! And I was trying to be so clever!! Replace crankshaft with camshaft. It was late at night when I posted.

[LadyGrey]

Wow, didn't know we had so many car enthusiasts here.
Thanks so much for all the info. much appreciated.
We decided to pass on getting the newer Monte, just didn't feel right. You now how you get a feeling about a car, something just doesn't sit well, you can't really put your finger on it. Well as much as we loved the car there was that feeling. Hubby and I both read all the info. here as well as the heads up that Prnt pointed us to about the known issues.
Thanks again for all the info, you may have helped save us from a costly mistake!
LG;)