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The big day is here. On Saturday I have the engine hoist and will be taking out the Buick 3.8 Oil dripper finally! The delays have really been hard, as the entire month of July went by with nothing done, and only August remains of the driving weather grrrrr! After some time changing over the engine mounts, putting on the A/C delete panel, degreasing and painting, the W-31 engine goes in. As always, and because I am on a tight budget, I order a cluster of parts and pieces at once and give it hell for a few days until I run out of parts or money. I am really down to the small stuff now.
DOES ANYONE HAVE A PHOTO, DRAWING, REFERENCE OR SCHEMATIC to show me what plugs/switches go where, any detailed carb plumbing, and vacuum lines, heater hoses, bypass etc? I do not have a reference photo from the engine because it had none of those. I know where the thermostat goes and where the distributor, the carb, etc, but since I am not working from teardown and must work from a 1994 memory, I would like to button it up correctly and completely before I get to the really fun parts.
DOES ANYONE HAVE A SOLUTION FOR MOVING THE FUEL LINE from Driver side frame exit to the Oldsmobile Fuel pump on the passenger side? Simplest way is a rubber gas line, but I do not like a soft easily cut hose with no protection and I simply cannot bend a short fuel line without kinking it with my bender. As you know I have to contend with fan and pulleys to cross it over. I am hoping there is some aftermarket way so that if a belt flies off it doesn't take out my gas line too. What do you mean Oldsmobile fan belts never fly off?
It seems that rerouting the fuel line from the gas tank would be correct, but I do not have the way to do that simply either. There are brake lines, and trans cooler lines, exhaust, frame mounts, already cluttering that side a lot. I would prefer that it stay protected in the frame as it is and only expose a section a couple feet long that crosses under the engine.
ANY G BODY OLDS PEOPLE, does the fuel line run on the passenger side or driver's side? I really don't want the expense and hassle of swapping entire fuel lines but I have to figure safety in too if I can't secure the line.
I am literally days away from hearing my months of work and years of saving up. I w A few hours from being bolted in! Want to hear it run, but not before EVERYTHING is in its place correct!
Don't be surprised if the rebuilt engine drips oil too. It won't be as bad but I've never got one that was sealed like a new motor.
I think you are going to have H if it's been 25 years since you have removed the motor especially if you didn't keep any notes or anything. Installing a motor is as much doing it in the correct order as anything. There isn't anything worse than installing a lot of parts and then find out there was another part that should have gone in there first.
Since your deleting the A/C, there will be no vacuum lines for heat or air. No mention of cruise, but I’m guessing that will be gone also. That would leave vacuum advance on the distributor, and vacuum for the transmission modulator. The modulator needs manifold vacuum, and at the risk of starting a huge heated discussion, so does the vacuum advance.
As for your fuel line, the easier solution would be a G Body replacement fuel line for a Olds engine. The next easiest would be aftermarket fuel line or braided hose. Lastly, and cheapest, but not easiest would be to bend your own. The fuel line runs the entire length of the car, either the drivers or passenger side depending on engine. I would prefer to either make my own or braided hose. Or possible rubber FUEL injection hose. Not the cheap rubber stuff. Good luck.
The short plan is to get it in and attached to the motor mounts, bolt up the flexplate to the convertor and the four bolts for the transmission to the engine, then STOP! Another time I can put on the intake, carb, fan. alternator, p. steering pump, then radiator, all hoses, and vacuums. I expect it to take at least twice as long as my memory says...I am that much older too Does anyone know whether it is easier to bolt on the transmission with ot without the exhaust manifolds attached? They are attached now but easily can be removed. Definitely the V6 needed the manifolds off to undo 3 of 4 bolts.
It's funny but until I D/C'd the Buick I never even thought fuel line, but I'm with you, the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line and the F/I hose may be the best and easiest for a shadetree mechanic to solve. I have never been capable of making sharp bends and short ones with hand tools. Thanks for the advice. What about the brake servo vacuum? I think it has its own fitting on the intake. Having only 3 vacuum hoses seems perfect. I will use manual valves and cable pulls to make the heater core open and close as well as the flapper doors. Old school is still easier than those ridiculous little vacuum valves on the heater control that have to align to get the heater, or defroster floor or vents...all or none!
The short plan is to get it in and attached to the motor mounts, bolt up the flexplate to the convertor and the four bolts for the transmission to the engine, then STOP! Another time I can put on the intake, carb, fan. alternator, p. steering pump, then radiator, all hoses, and vacuums. I expect it to take at least twice as long as my memory says...I am that much older too Does anyone know whether it is easier to bolt on the transmission with ot without the exhaust manifolds attached? They are attached now but easily can be removed. Definitely the V6 needed the manifolds off to undo 3 of 4 bolts.
Transmission is often difficult to align with the engine. If it were me I would connect the transmission next after attaching the engine to the frame. I wouldn't want anything in there that might get in the way.
You said you have a A/C delete plate, but also mention using cables to control the air doors and temp door? Which is it? Your going to have a lot of cables controlling all the doors! If the delete plate eliminates the evaporator core case on the engine side of the firewall, but retains the inside stuff, you will need at least one vacuum line to control the doors, I think it’s the purple hose. There is also a pink hose (I think) that goes to the heater control valve, all it does is shut off coolant glow to the heater core in max A/C. Since you have no ac, you could cap that one without any other troubles. And yes, the brake booster has a fitting the threads into the intake behind the carb. A hard line then threads into the fitting, and the a section of rubber hose connects the hard line to the booster. Do you have a service manual? It will illustrate all this far easier than I can explain
If your planning to install and torque the bellhousing bolts from the top, it may be a little easier to reach them with the manifolds off. However, it would be far easier to install and torque them from under the car with a long extension and swivel socket. Hope that helps.
The heater core will need to be installed . None of the the a/c stuff is still there. Mostly there is a hole in the firewall that is filled by the panel, but the interior parts will need some fabricating to function with the blower. Most of the stuff was broken plastic. I am looking at one cable to the heater core shutoff and one to open or close the flapper. It won't be high tech but functional on the cool rainy days in WA when the window fog up.
I have seen aftermarket firewall housings that bolt in place of the factory part, that eliminates the a/c stuff and provides a mounting place for the blower motor. This is for the earlier A body cars, with the heater core inside the car. Since the G body has the heater core under the hood, that would complicate things.
Correct you are! I got two of them out before easily and the 4 that were left required me to stand on my head and find an ancient tool that was right for the angles.
July 26th, 2019, 01:21 PM
Does anyone know whether it is easier to bolt on the transmission with ot without the exhaust manifolds attached? They are attached now but easily can be removed. Definitely the V6 needed the manifolds off to undo 3 of 4 bolts.
