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Well I cant wait any longer for you guys. 23.5 years is a bit long to make a guy hang on. So I just went ahead and got it myself.

Good day, I have been a W body enthusiast since high school 04. In my student parking lot, we had a 93 Gran prix, 94 olds cutlass supreme, 94 cavalier z24, 95 monte, and my lumina z34. These cars were everywhere! My first car was a 94 lumina z34 (still have it). In 2012 I put a 4.9 PFI in it and it is almost complete. I just need to replace the rear suspension and odds and ends. I have a 99 Monte (needs some work), and I just picked up a decent (needs some work) Cutlass supreme. I am buying a new top for the cutlass on Friday. I want to get black canvass instead of the white (the car has black leather interior). They come in black, grey, white, red. What do you all think would be the best color? Just curious. Very few of these ole buggies still around (at least in my area). I thought I would join the forum to see what you all are up to (I feel very late to the party). I already have seen some super nice examples of these cars (nice job everyone!). Ill post more as spring hits and I can get them out, and work on them more. Also, not adverse to loading them up on the trailer for any meets that might happen. Thank you! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Welcome! I think black top will look great on it. Better late than never! Not as bustling as it was back in the day, but there's a few of us W-body old timers left. I wouldn't mind seeing pics of the 4.9L in a W-body.

anyways, welcome to the site.

Hey everyone, My name’s Ryan, I’m from Long Island, NY, and I’m new to the Monte Carlo platform. I recently picked up a 2003 Monte Carlo SS and I’m excited to finally start a build thread and be part of the community. By trade I’m a licensed marine engineer, so I’m very hands-on mechanically and enjoy learning the technical side of things. On the automotive side, I’ve worked on and tuned a variety of platforms, everything from basic bolt-ons and wiring to full tuning using HP Tuners, Hondata, and standalone setups. I enjoy both the mechanical and tuning sides of builds and documenting the process. For the Monte, the plan is to start simple, catch up on maintenance, fix worn components, and do some basic bolt-ons while I sort out the body and cosmetics. Once the chassis and body are in better shape, the goal is to turn things up. I’m currently torn between a Gen V M90 top swap or going turbo, but either way the end goal is a "reliable", fun street car that still rips when you get into it. I’ll be sharing progress, asking questions, and learning as I go. Looking forward to seeing everyone’s builds and being part of the community.

Hi, I’ve just stumbled onto this forum, and i figure I’ll probably need to post here eventually acquired my luminator last year, 2nd owner from a grandma. 70000 (got w 55000)miles. Here’s some pics; thx yall

Thanks all for this. As of the moment the car is in storage do it will be a while before I can check it out, but I will say I get more & more confident this will be the cause. It has been happening for a long time. Form the day I bought this car in Oct., 1994, I always wondered where a quart of oil was going every 1000 miles or so. My money is on this as pictured above, it was probably badly sealed to begin with. And these things don't get better, only worse. I went in and checked my 2020 repair bills from when I had the intake manifold gaskets replaced. The mechanic also replaced the gasket for the part 10130955 as you see in the photo but no mention is made on whether the distributor plug seal was addressed so I am going to assume it was not. While it's a shame all that work that was done to the motor back then would have to be re-done just to get at what needs to be repaired, so be it. Even if I decide to get the rear head pulled to replace the O-ring rather than trying my luck with sealant, that's still way better than having the entire motor pulled. I might as well go the whole 9 yards and have both head gaskets replaced for a one and done job. I should be getting the car out of storage within the next few weeks, I'll keep all posted on how things progress, and thanks again, much appreciated!

You're in the right place because we love our W-bodies here. Welcome!

UPDATE: the car is going to the mechanic on 2/23 for this job. It will be going to a chevy dealer whose mechanic has decades of experience which is exactly what I was looking for. This mechanic is semi-retired and picks & chooses the jobs he wants to do. When he learned I'm the original and 4th owner he took the job. I was asked to supply all the parts which I think I will need. Included with these parts will be a new EGR valve and a new Low Coolant Sensor (due to the coolant being partially drained). I made a copy of Gnat's photo so thanks again for this. I will be seeing how the mechanic feels about just going the RTV route in lieu of pulling the rear head. Not only will the job be alot cheaper, I'd really prefer not opening that Pandora's box of potential additional issues if the head needs to be taken off.

I wanna see pictures of the Gran Prix, never seen one before! /s Welcome!

Does the pump run? If it does, unhook a fuel line under the hood and jump the fuel pump relay.

Its likely a pre-production thing that never carried over, as that episode was filmed prior to the 88 cutlass being released.

The *actuator* was discontinued approx 20 years ago.......finding an NOS piece would be a challenge. The item IS serviceable..........

I was able to replace the o-ring and add an extra gasket with the information from the old double gasket thread all without removing the rear head. I also put RTV on it and it never leaked in the 10+ years I owned the car after the repair.

You are correct on that point, I will be checking my local independent shops to see if they want the job. Not everyone wants to work on these. The first thing I will hear is the job would cost more than the car is worth. I bought this car new in 1994. I gave it to my dad in 2012 who in turn sold it to my brother in 2018. My brother did a swell job of running it into the ground, but when my dad passed away 1/2020 my brother didn't want the car anymore and showed up at my house a month or so later and handed me the keys. That makes me the 1st and 4th owner. There is no mechanic on this earth that's going to be successful in convincing me that any job needed to be done on this car will exceed its value. I watched a 24 minute video earlier today on how to do this job. II won't be doing it as a result of watching it. These videos are valuable in that respect as well.

Wow, you've almost had that car as long as I've had my 89 Cutlass! Can't remember if I got mine in late 93 or early 94. Yes, that seal goes bad in all of them. Not if, but when. Rear main seal is rare. Oil pump drive O-rings going bad I'd say is 100% rate. If you were going to DIY it, I'd say don't worry about pulling the rear head. I owned my 94 for 12-years and my fudge-fix lasted for most of that time up to the day I sold the car. If you're having a shop do it, I imagine the intake manifold R&R itself isn't cheap, so I can understand wanting to do the head gaskets at the same time so as not to have to pay for a repeat job in the future. However, head gaskets on a DOHC V-engine sounds like it could be quite expensive labor-wise.

I bought some decades ago to do the same thing, but never got around to it. I was going to try to mod them for 6.5" speakers and needed a plan for how to mod the buckets, but in the modern day, it would make more sense to 3D print some custom ones rather than mod the OEM ones as I wanted to use the OEM grilles which are flat against the trim panel. I can't find them at the moment or I'd snap a pic. As for prewired, my 89 wasn't prewired, but different years might do things differently.

There are various designs...plastic or steel.......seeing as you don't intend on getting into this sort of repair again I'd suggest just picking up the plastic set, you should be able to find them at Harbor Freight. The inlet (pressure side) is 3/8 as for a gas can..really up to you..pick up a pair of containers that will hold a total of 15 gals?

This is the only device that will separate the fuel line from the rail.... there is another method you might try.... raise the car up high enough to get under comfortably & disconnect the fuel filter from the fuel line (one end of the filter makes used of threaded connection , the other end is the same ac/fuel line quick disconnect slip-on connection). Once again run a length of hose long enough to clear the car & fill a gas container to drain the tank.

there should be a loose red wire near the relay jump that to the positive post and it should turn the fuel pump on

Hi guys, I'm still alive and well and still have dome light switches! The site used to send me an email when someone posted on this thread, not sure if that doesn't work anymore? My direct email is mezz@benris.com if anyone else is still looking or switches.

Spammer......

absolutely

spammer?

not even a difference ABS/non abs on the gen1 front knuckles. the sensor is separate of the wheel hub - why gm couldn't have continued this into the later cars is beyond me. buy whichever brand you determine to be the highest quality or fits within your budget

Welcome aboard!

Looks very similar to a few buildings in Nashville so had to ask.

Welcome! I remember when those were your everyday generic GM car back in the day (`99-`04ish) but they really stand out now. 70,000 is great mileage considering the age and the only real problem spot on that 3100 is the LIM gaskets. Flush the fluids and keep the oil changed regularly and there`s no reason you couldnt see 200k on the OD if there isnt any rust. It looks like a brand new car from the pics, and that makes it extremely uncommon to rare nowadays. Great pics with the city background. What town are you in?

Welcome to the forum. That should be a good reliable car!

Here is info for the the swap based on my own experience of swapping my 88 cutlass w-body. 3800 swap w-body From 98/99 Monte Carlo z34/lumina LTZ with 3.8NA Needed - power steering lines (buy new) - Heater hoses (buy new) - Exhaust downpipe (or have one made) - AC system - all lines/parts from the engine bay (compressors can be from the gtp too) Best to have from the Monte Carlo/lumina but not mandatory - engine bay wiring harness - Cv shafts (buy new if you don’t have them) From gtp donor - motor - Trans - Trans cooler lines - rad hoses - Motor mounts - Cv shafts - PCM - Engine bay wiring harness Notes: cv shafts if using an HD trans you need to use the gtp passenger inner with the 1st Gen shaft and outer joint. If you get them from the Monte you can use the stock Monte drivers side. Wiring: if you can’t find the Monte Carlo harness you can use the gtp harnesss, and merge it into the 1st Gen c100 connector. With the Monte harness it comes with the c100 you just need to remove a few pins around and overall much easier but can be hard to find. You’ll need the GM service manuals for your donor harness and your original car to match the c100 connector. If using a Monte harness you will probably want to add the BBV wiring. This will also convert the car to obd2 PCM: you will need to get the vats/security removed(it’s possible it won’t be an issue but be aware it probably will be) and probably want to remove a few other codes. Rad: you could use your original, but the donor gtp rad will be bigger and fits into the chassis. I’d say it’s recommended but not 100% necessary.

Greetings forum members! New member, so thought I'd take a moment to introduce myself. Last Spring (2025) I acquired a relatively pristine (54k miles) 88 Pontiac GP SE. I hadn't even known they made these with a 5-speed, so I hadn't explicitly been looking, yet lo and behold here we are. I've got it on good authority I'm only the second owner. It started life in central NY but spent the last 10 years parked in a sweltering hot garage in central Florida. It was never ever even registered in FL. So it's got some internal heat damage, which I've been repairing. The door upholstery glue had given up years ago. The stereo was a mess, but I replaced all of the capacitors on the amplifier boards and even plumbed in a bluetooth module to the cassette inputs. I'm not much of an auto mechanic myself, I do cybersecurity for a living, but I don't mind getting my hands dirty on projects like this. On the serious mechanical side, I've had it at a local "rural mechanic" who's did a flush on all of the fluids, changed out the master/slave cylinders, and replaced the brakes. I seem to have dodged the bullet of any serious rust or corrosion, but I know these are prone to rotting out their rear strut towers so I plan on installing a strut tower brace and blast the insides with as much cavity wax as they'll take. Any other "gotchas" tips, tricks, or suggestions for keeping something like this roadworthy? Google's AI guestimates, based on statistical analysis of scrap rates versus production numbers, there may only be 15-25 "roadworthy" versions of this model, trim, and transmission combinations left anywhere I didn't buy this planning on a super rare preservation "duty" yet here I am...any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Don't worry, despite living in the salt-belt, I don't plan on driving it in winter for that reason...I do hope to drive it during the warmer months though! An 88 GP was my very first car when I turned 16, so I'd always been looking for a decent one, "just for fun". I never planned on ending up with a bigfoot-riding-a-unicorn of rarity...something I'm not all together happy about...yet here we are!

I know it's been done before. I think the biggest issue is always switching the vehicle over to OBDII. But if you aren't going for a Series II L67 a Series I L67 from a Bonneville that is OBD 1.5 might make a better option.

Putting all of the *hardware compatibility* aside for a moment.... what ECM/PCM are you using to drive that L67? Are you using the 1227727 case or the 1614936 case?.........with a burned chip tune for an eeprom These are OBD1.. or are you using an OBD2 pcm?

What they liked the best: The brakes. What folks complain about the most on this site: The brakes. I've said it before, I'll say it again: The biggest problem with Gen 1 brakes is not the brakes per se, it's the brake booster.

Like the title says, I am a new member now, but I was a fairly regular member here around 15-20 years ago. My screen name at that time was Regal_GS_1989. I originally owned an 89 Regal GS coupe, a 92 Cutlass International Coupe, and finally a 2000 Regal Sedan. Life got busy, I stopped posting regularly, and the 2000 was sold off about 10 years ago for something newer and more family friendly. Time has marched on, and I am now in a position where I have the time and resources to be able to own a “weekend” vehicle. As luck, or possibly fate would have it, this beauty quite literally fell into my lap at the perfect moment… A 92 Regal GS Coupe. Black, Grey leather interior, low milage, One owner, garage kept its entire life, ordered new with every option box checked off…save for the sunroof. It’s truly worthy of the term survivor, and it’s exactly how I would have ordered one myself back in the day. Gotta say…it feels sort of strange to be back here posting again about a 1st gen coupe…but I can get used to that I am also surprised at how many screen names I still recognize as well!

BCC= AXSJ2368 Scan id= 2391 Part number= 16162364 Release date= 11/09/90 Engine size= 3.4 Trans Type= Auto trans ECM/PCM: ECM #16149396 Used in cars: Chevy Pontiac Oldsmobile Possibly used in: LUMINA LUMINA EUROSPORT LUMINA Z34 GRAND PRIX LE GRAND PRIX SE GRAND PRIX GT GRAND PRIX STE CUTLASS SUPREME SUPREME INTERNAT'L CUTLASS SUPREME SL CUTLASS SUPREME CONV Options: With LQ1 3.4L GAS 6 CYL (3.4X) SFI OHC V6 HO With M13 AUTO 4 SPD (4T60-E) With NA5 FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS With QGW ALL P215/60 R/16 N BL R/PE ST TL HWY With QXJ P225/60R16/N NL R/PE ST TL AL3

91 auto which is what I have in my 91 GP is the AYSZ, AUSJ is the T code engine (3.1) W body for 91, AUBU is the T code engine W body for 93 auto trans these all come out of the 16149396 ECM I have nothing on the ASXJ

The 4 memcal's used with the 91-93 LQ1 are AYSZ, BBUK, BCDT & BCFA. BBUK is the early manual trans memcal, & BCFA or *1441* is the later manual trans memcal.

If you use your resources correctly, you can get a 3800 for the same price as the 3400. The smart thing would be to look for an S3 and then get an S2 UIM to make it all work. Anyways, the flywheel between the engines are the same. Both used the same 4T65-E trans. The motor mounts should be the same as well. My understanding is that the blocks are the same but the internals are what differentiate them from a 3.1 liter and a 3.4 liter.

get it tuned and at a minimum, adjust the TV cable so it shifts later, the LA1 makes more power past 4700, think more along the lines of a 6000 RPM shift. better yet would be to replace the th125C with a 4T60-e

the last 2 3400 swaps I did used 3.1 injectors on stock obd1 ecm's and they both run fine. the bigger injectors will make more power with a tune, but the first thing I would do is start with a better fuel pump. when I first put the 3100 in my old 84 cavalier I went to the track then swapped to a Camaro LT1 fuel pump and went back the next weekend with no other changes an dropped almost 4 tenths off my ET. if I was doing a basic (stock) 3400 swap on a obd1 car I would use 96-99 3400 or 3100 injectors with matching fuel rail (2000+ injectors will not work on stock ecm) or 2.8/3.1 injectors with a 2000+ 3400 fuel rail that has the higer pressure regulator. But if I was mooding a 3400 and dropping it in I would use injectors sized for the fuel requirements of the engine and a full tune.

you will need: -throttle cable and bracket -upper rad hose -coil bracket and module -front pass. side engine mount bracket -ac compressor (not sure if the orginal one will work) -power steering pump and H/P line -brake booster hose all from a 3100/3400 w-body You can get away with running it on the stock ECM as long as you use the stock fuel injectors and injector harness from the 3.1. You will need to change (or have one made up) front pipe/ down pipe to hook up to the rear 3400 exhaust manifold. A 3 wire coolant temp sensor and connector from a 92+ 2.2L Cavalier is the easy way of hooking up your temp guage wire from the rear head on the 3.1\ you will also need a lower rad hose for a 92-93 3.1L w-body The wiring from the coils gets re-routed to the rear of the engine from the front... then its little things like coolant hoses, and vac lines. That is all that I can think needs done right now, but I am sure I am missing a few things.

you need the front passenger side block mount. your ecm will work fine. you will most likely need rad hoses from the 3100 w-body as well. The engine just get any 96 and up 3400, the 2000 and up tend to be better. Its best to get one from a grand am or other car cause that will give you the proper throttle cable bracket on the throttle body.

keep it simple and just bolt in the 3400 its less power than the TDC but less weight too! I would just use the stock tranny to keep cost down. you will need the front pass. side block mount from a 3100 equipped w-body because the bolt holes are in different spots, at least just on that spot of the block. use a coolant temp sensor from the 3400 (3-wire ) and wire up the temp guage to it insead of the back head cause the 3400 has no hole for the sensor. you will also need a throttle cable and exhaust manifolds for a 3100 w-body. Most people use the 3.1 injectors and harness when they do the swap untill they go to tune it. stay away from the '04+ 3400's in the equinox (I beleave it is) they have a plenum that faces the opposite way and a different crank sensor pick up on the crank that will not work with your 3.1 ecm. that is all that is comming to mind right now.

I was the one doing that swap, and if you're going to run a 3400 it's definitely worth it. You don't want puddle fuel injection on a 3400. The hardest part in your case would be repinning the C100 connector to your car's pinouts. Also, if you plan to use the same tranny you have now, that will require doing wiring changes on the harness, or you can just use the tranny for the 3400, and you're set. There really wouldn't be much more beyond that. Mine was a PITA because I had to convince my ECM that it's controlling a tranny when it is in reality a 5 speed.

did i change my front end!? LOL i changed my whole car! j/k but yeah i did i put all the parts from the Z34 coupe on my base model 4 door, and the side skirts are from Razzi. I got a n ew white paint job and all the parts and labor for about $5500. lot of money i know but i love my car, next is to sell my coilovers and get a air cylinder set up. Later Jay check out my www tab on the bottom and see what it used to look like

Being it's an I series, that should be the HO quad 4, even rarer!

That's no shit! That'd be a keeper!

I would probably keep it as-is just for the novelty of it! A Quad4 W-body is rare enough, a Quad4 5-speed is extremely rare!