GM 3300 anyone?

[como]

I was just reading about someone putting a ford/yamaha engine in their mr2 here, and I got to thinking... Granted this thought has crossed my mind in the psat, but...

I've got an oldsmobile with a fairly low miles (105k) 3.3L v6 that runs really strong. I've had the car since 65k miles, taken great care of it... and the car is completely shot, with the healthiest engine I've ever owned. She's getting driven to the junk yard in three weeks, unless someone can give me a reason to pull the awesome 3300 (little brother of the famous gm 3800) and convince me to hold onto it until I can "drop" it into the mr2.

now I'd actually kill to have that olds engine running as well as it does now in the back of mr.two, I *love* that engine. I wanted to do a v6 swap eventually anyway, as I really miss the torque that the olds had... but if the engine could live on... well, I'd get a big smile out of it, anyway.

Is it worth it, at all? Or should I be looking into a toyota v6 for the swap? Iether way I can't do that this summer, so if I did pull the olds block it'd be sitting all winter.

[como]

quick excerpt on the engine itself, no sizes listed that I know of...
The rated HP of the engine according to the manufacturer ranges anywhere from 180hp to 220hp, depending on the source; this one lists it at 160, so I don't actually know. What I *do* know it is produces a ****-load more than the 1.6L 4 banger that came in m mr2, as it moves that olds (twice the weight) at nearly the same speed.
I guess the biggest thing would be transmission- as I've never done/looked into an engine swap really, I don't know whats involved, but I imagine that you cant just bolt up any old transmission (e.g. the 5 speed already in my mr2) to any engine. Would I need to get a gm tranny as well? If so scrap this whole idea, the olds is an auto and I wouldnt want a GM 5 speed from the early 90's anyway...

A smaller 3.3 L 3300 was introduced in 1989 and produced through 1993. It is effectively a lower-deck version of the 3800, with a smaller 3.7 in (93.98 mm) bore and 3.16 in (80.26 mm) stroke for 3344 cc (204 cu in). Like the 3800, it used a cast iron block and heads, push rods, and hydraulic lifters. Unlike the 3800, however, it used a batch-fire injection system rather than sequential injection, as evidenced by the lack of a cam position sensor. Power output was 160 hp (120 kW) at 5200 rpm and 185 lb·ft (251 N·m) at 2000 rpm with a 5500 rpm redline.

[kbrew8991]

as always axles, transmissions, and mounts are the big hurdles in a swap like this. If it were me, I'd look at a 3SGTE or some sort of Toyota V6 if I *had* to swap it.

[lsgheero]

pull the engine, sell it and use the money (and prolly some additional funds..) to get a toyota v6 as the swap will be worlds easier then trying to swap another companies engine into the yota.

Even with a v6 you will have motor mount issues to deal with but alot more readable docs on a v6 yota engine swap in a 1gen mr2 then there is for a gm swap Specially if its your first time, unless you want to learn and do not mind being out of the mr2 while you figure out all the kinks.


Anything can be swapped into almost anything lol its all about time, money and reliability, and how much you really want to do it.

Of course you can always pull the axles, engine and trans from the oldsmobile and do what allegedly nitrate did and convert the mr2 from a MR to a FR lol. Still waiting on pics nitrate! :P

[muffinman]

Originally Posted by lsgheero

Anything can be swapped into almost anything lol its all about time, money and reliability, and how much you really want to do it.

+1

Originally Posted by lsgheero

Of course you can always pull the axles, engine and trans from the oldsmobile and do what allegedly nitrate did and convert the mr2 from a MR to a FR lol. Still waiting on pics nitrate! :P

don't you remember the famous burn out video?

[como]

Too bad the car as it sits isnt worth jack, and nobody really wants a '93 3.3L v6... it's just a common boring motor for those cars/years. Nobody does engine swaps in grampy cars (at least not up here, they all rot out just like this one...)

Ah well. I still want to do an eventual V6 swap. is there a settled upon "best" engine to do it with? if so, which vehicles use it? (So I can keep my eyes open for a rotted out /totaled one with a good engine)

[Raptor13x]

GM makes excellent V8s. GM makes HORRIBLE V6s. They sound like ass, produce pathetic horsepower for their size, and aren't very reliable.

[mr3]

We have a 98 monte carlo 3.8 that goes like hell. The car has 174,000 miles and it's still tight. The car went to the dealership before we had it for every little problem and it shows. Pointless post but I just thought I'd throw that out there.

[PearlJammzz]

Originally Posted by Raptor13x

GM makes excellent V8s. GM makes HORRIBLE V6s. They sound like ass, produce pathetic horsepower for their size, and aren't very reliable.

Obviously you have never owned any of the v6's. I had the 2.8 in my old Camaro and I will say THAT motor was ****. There is a reason the Buicks are considered one of the most reliable cars you can buy (google that ****). Their V6's are proven, and tanks. Not performance motors by any means, but my parents LeSabre gets up and hauls for a fat ass car. 3800's and such have lots of boost options too, and lots of ppl throw these in Fiero's. Might wanna check w/ the Fiero guys on tranny setups and ****, could prob. get it to fit.

2grfe would be sweet though too hehe.

[Raptor13x]

Okay, I'll admit, my experience with GM V6 reliability is limited to a 3.4L V6 that I had nothing but problems with. They do, however, make **** for horsepower, and sound like ass.

The Buicks are considered reliable because they're driven by 90 year olds, who go like 12mph and only drive 4000 miles a year. It's hard for things to break down when they're driven like that.

[328FTW]

GM V6's I've found to be not the greatest motor in the world, they are reliable enough though. Just because it hauled in your car doesn't mean its awesome. I had an Isuzu Gemini with a single cam 1600 carby engine, 90hp? I revved the nuts off that engine and did speedway in it one night before entering it in a derby and I was overtaking skylines, gazelle turbos and .........holden commodore v6's (GM basically). It had the appearance of being awesome and felt good but I know it sucked. Reliable, revvy and yet one of the most fail engines ever, its easy to be deceived by a butt dyno and grow attachment to something fail, ask the single cam honda fanbois.

[Raptor13x]

Yep. A lot of engines that feel great on the butt dyno just have a really peaky torque curve that fall on their face afterward.

[mcole100]

como, pull the motor, wiring and ecu then sell them to someone building a rock buggy. If the bolt pattern is the same (60 degree) as the 3.8 then a TF904 or TF999 auto will work. Then you would have money to go towards the Toy V6 swap.

I just put a SC 3.8 in my rock rig and it will flat out move. Would be cool to put it in an MR2 but like said above it would be a ton of work.

[Kerry Phillips]

Government Motors, GM
Made a wonderful V6- the 3800 series, especially the later generation.
Ls1, northstar V8's are sweet V8's

But if I wanted a reall nice and torquey GM V6, pull the direct-injection from a new caddy cts, that would be so sweeet in an mr2.

Now at the risk of getting lynched from MR2 Members,
if U R really gun ho about installing that gm v6, going the Fiero route would be the better/more practical route.

[como]

I'm not "gung-ho" by any means, thought just crossed my mind. Never occured to me about the transaxels, even.

Nobody up here would use the engine in a rock buggy deal, as they're so few and far between- the thing about living up here is it's fairly common for a car to rust out while its engine is still in pristine condition, so there are a good number of strong healthy engines lying around in rotting cars, this isn't a gem but it's nice- guess it's gonna haul ass all the way to the scrapyard in a week or so.

While i'm at said scrapyard, though, aside for an mr2, what should I be looking for there? Certain other 'yotas with certain engine models I should be keeping an eye out for?

[David]

TT 2jz ftmfw

[mr2Peak]

Look for a v6 camry, see if they will trade you your car for the toyota v6 swap. They get a whole car, you get the swap you want.