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Remanufactured Chevrolet 3.8L V6 Engine - Camaro; Pontiac Firebird
3.8L · V6 · Part DB61
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We'll confirm availability and your price on this remanufactured engine — warrantied, with a refundable core.
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4-year no-fault nationwide warranty — includedOn gas engines in non-commercial use, at no extra charge. The builder’s standard cover is 3 years, parts only. Every gas engine we sell includes the 4-year no-fault warranty with labour, at no extra charge.
- “No fault” means we do not investigate why it failed — if a covered engine fails inside the term, it is covered.
- Labour is paid up to CAD $95.00 per hour — a cap on the rate, not a flat payout — and only for the remove-and-replace hours in the Mitchell labour guide. Diagnostic time is covered up to 2 hours, and fluids up to CAD $200.00. Towing and a rental car are not covered. Anything not listed here needs to be agreed with us before the work starts.
- The 4 years start the day the engine is installed, and a claim needs proof that a professional shop installed it.
- Unlimited kilometres, and no deductible.
- Call us before any warranty work starts, so we can authorise it. Labour paid on a repair we were not asked about first is not covered.
- A claim starts with a call to us. We file it with the manufacturer, and the manufacturer pays it.
Diesel engines, and engines put into commercial service, are not covered by this 4-year warranty — the terms vary by engine, so call us for the terms on the unit you’re pricing.
Fits
- Chevrolet Camaro 1997–2002 · 3.8L V6
Not sure it fits? Call (780) 473-2424 with your VIN and we'll confirm.
4-year warranty included
Refundable core
Ships Canada-wide
Engine guide
Buick / GM 3800 3.8L V6
Also known as: GM 3800, 3800 Series I / II / III, Buick 3.8 V6, L27, L36, L67, L26, L32
Overview & history
Few engines earned their reputation the hard way like GM's 3800 V6. Its bloodline traces to Buick's 1962 Fireball V6 — a design GM sold to Kaiser-Jeep in 1967, then bought back from American Motors in 1974 when the fuel crisis made a thrifty V6 valuable again. The 231-cubic-inch version carried GM's big sedans through the late 1970s and 1980s, but the engine that made history arrived in 1988: the 3800, with on-center bore spacing and a balance shaft that finally made the 90-degree V6 genuinely smooth. Series I (1990) brought the L27 with a tuned two-piece intake; Series II (1995) was a near-total redesign — lighter, stiffer, stronger — whose supercharged L67 made 240 hp. Series III (2004) added electronic throttle and an aluminum intake. Built at GM's Flint North plant in Michigan, the last 3800 came off the line on August 22, 2008, closing out a lineage of more than 25 million Buick V6s. Ward's put the Series II on its 10 Best Engines list three years running. For a daily driver, a remanufactured 3800 remains one of the safest bets in the business.
Specs & engineering
- •90-degree OHV V6 with cast-iron block and cast-iron heads; 3.80 in bore x 3.40 in stroke for 231 cu in (3.8L)
- •On-center bore spacing (1988 LN3 onward) plus a valley-mounted balance shaft made this 90-degree V6 run V8-smooth
- •Series II (1995): shorter deck, cross-bolted main caps, redesigned crank and rods — about 26 lb lighter than Series I at roughly 392 lb
- •Series II heads use heart-shaped combustion chambers, larger valves and cast roller rockers; roller camshaft throughout
- •Sequential port fuel injection on all 3800 variants
- •Supercharged L67 (Eaton M90 Gen III) and L32 (Gen 5 M90) run 8.5:1 compression versus 9.4:1 naturally aspirated
- •Series III (2004+): aluminum intake manifolds, electronic throttle control and stronger connecting rods from 2005
- •Under-stressed bottom end; with cooling-system upkeep these routinely see very high mileage
Generations & variants
- •1975-1987 Buick 231 'even-fire' era (LD5; turbo LC2) — the pre-3800 ancestors, including the Grand National turbo line
- •1988-1990 LN3: the first true '3800' — on-center bores, balance shaft, 165 hp
- •1990-1995 Series I L27: 170 hp, two-piece long-runner intake; supercharged L67 (Eaton M62) 1991-1995, 205-225 hp
- •1995-2005 Series II L36: 205 hp, the high-water mark for the family; Series II L67 supercharged (Eaton M90) 1996-2004, 240 hp / 280 lb-ft
- •2004-2009 Series III L26: aluminum intake, electronic throttle; Series III L32 supercharged 2004-2007, 260 hp
Vehicles it powered
- •Buick LeSabre (1988-2005)
- •Buick Park Avenue / Ultra (1991-2005)
- •Buick Regal / Regal GS (1990-2004)
- •Buick Riviera (1988-1999)
- •Buick LaCrosse (2005-2009)
- •Buick Lucerne (2006-2008)
- •Pontiac Bonneville / SSEi (1988-2005)
- •Pontiac Grand Prix / GTP (1997-2008)
- •Pontiac Firebird (1995-2002)
- •Chevrolet Camaro (1995-2002)
- •Chevrolet Impala (2000-2005)
- •Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1998-2005)
- •Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight / LSS (1988-1999)
- •Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight (1988-1996)
Casting numbers
| 25532674 / 25534243 | Series I blocks through 1992 (VIN C/L) |
| 24502134 / 24502441 | 1993-94 Series I blocks with added knock-sensor pad; the 24502441 casting carried into 1995 with a two-bolt cam thrust plate |
| 24502287 | 1995-96 Series II block, FWD and RWD applications |
| 24506029 | 1997-2008 Series II/III block — all applications, naturally aspirated and supercharged |
| 25529723 / 25534250 / 3485 | 1988 LN3 (VIN C) cylinder heads, eight intake bolt holes |
| 24500619 / 2136 | 1989-95 Series I-era heads (VIN C/L); revised in 1993 for roller rockers |
| 478 / 4781 / 8134 / 2261 | 1995-2008 Series II/III naturally aspirated heads; supercharged engines use the 4781 casting with three injector holes above the intake ports |
Known issues & fixes
Series II upper intake manifold (composite plenum)
What to watch for: Unexplained coolant loss, white exhaust smoke, rough cold-start running. The thin wall around the EGR 'stovepipe' erodes, letting coolant into the intake — worst case, hydrolock.
The fix: Updated-design upper intake and gaskets (GM TSB 04-06-01-017) — smart preventive work at high mileage. Note it often mimics a head gasket failure, which is rare on these.
Lower intake manifold gaskets
What to watch for: Coolant in the oil (milky residue under the cap), gradual coolant loss with no visible leak. The factory plastic-framed gaskets deteriorate, aggravated by long-life Dex-Cool.
The fix: Install aluminum-framed replacement gaskets (updated GM or Fel-Pro design) and refill with fresh coolant on schedule.
Plastic coolant bypass elbows
What to watch for: External coolant seepage around the belt tensioner area — the two plastic elbows get brittle and crack with age.
The fix: Aluminum elbows with new O-rings — cheap insurance any time the engine front is apart.
Valve cover gasket oil seepage
What to watch for: Oil weeping onto the hot exhaust manifold — burning-oil smell after highway driving. Some 1997-2003 applications were recalled over fire risk from this.
The fix: New valve cover gaskets; verify recall work was done on affected vehicles.
Did you know?
- ★Ward's named the 3800 Series II one of its 10 Best Engines three years straight (1995-1997), and it's routinely ranked among the best engines of the 20th century.
- ★GM sold this engine's design to Kaiser-Jeep in 1967 and bought it back from AMC in 1974 — one of the only engines a manufacturer liked enough to repurchase.
- ★Its turbocharged ancestors powered the Buick Grand National and the 1987 GNX — the quickest American production car of its day — and a turbo 3.8 paced the 1976 Indianapolis 500.
- ★The 3800 went global: Holden built Commodores around it in Australia for years, giving the old Buick V6 a second life Down Under.