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Hi there im jadams6340. Im new to the form and i have a few questions about my car.
I have a 2007 buick lucerne with the 3.8 Buick 3800 V6 series III and i hardly hear anything about it! I hear about the series 1 and 2 which ive driven but never the series 3. Heres my dilemma.
I am about to undergo maintenance since my car just hit 100,000 miles. Ive already replaced the altenator and battery, ive always used mobile 1 synthetic oil and i always go a grade thicker. Im currently using 15W- 30 changed 2000 miles ago. Tell me if im wrong for doing so. I do it to compensate for age and to protect the rods and bearings. My grandpa did so when i was little.
Im also thinking of replacing the plugs with bosch iridium 4 electrode to help the old gal burn a little better. The belt i will be replacing. Already did a crc sensor clean.
Should i go and do a transmission fluid change. I always add a bottle of lucas to clean it out for the last 5-10 thousand miles in all my vehicles.
I was also considering doing a mild upgrade to help the xar breath better. I was thinking of a 3.5 inch exhaust with a oem grade muffler to free up some power. Im a very conservative driver. It seems the series 3 gets a little less milage a compared with the 1. I also am considering advancing the camshaft timing to bring the torque down from 3800 rpm to about 2600 rpm to help the car a bit. Should i have it done or leave it be.
Im also trying to see if this car has a differential to refill. Im not sure about fwd since this is my first. Any advice is appreciated
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Go ahead and drop the trans pan and change the filter.
Then replace however much fluid you drained out.
Don’t do a flush or fluid exchange.
The filters are replaceable for a reason.Do yourself a favor and forget about Bosch plugs in your 3800 engine.
Though it sounds odd, they have been far too many reports of troubles with the Bosch plugs on the 3.8.The ACDelco 41-101 spark plugs are Iridium (a precious metal) ,do an excellent job and are long lasting.
Just put new ones of these in, as the originals are likely worn out by now.Spark plug wires are another item to consider around 100K.
The original ACDelcos lasted a long time, so the OE quality ACDelco wires are a good choice for replacements.
Don’t forget to change the air filter regularly and check the PCV valve to be sure it moves freely.No idea about the best oil weights for your desert climate.
Awesome! Now how long do these new series 3 tend to last and why does it have 197 hp vs the series 2 whic was 205? Im quite curious
Hi,
The differential is part of the transmission and shares the same fluid and sump.
Ok to change transmission fluid and filter.The recommended oil is 5w30 so 15w30 is too thick unless you are in an area that is hot all year round it would be wiser to do 10w30.
IMHO.I do live in vegas. It gets hot during the summer.
I always use 91 octane but ill elaborate after this statement…I use mobil 1 synthetic. Is that good? Also is the 4t65e transmission a good transmission? Im a very conservative driver. Im hoping to get it to at least 300,000 miles. The engine im hoping to go at least 600,000 miles. Is this feasible. I always warm it up for about 5-10 mins and i always drive it about 3-10 miles on every few days freeway to recharge the battery. Another user said i dont need to use 91 octane? Ive had the car 6 months and ive always used it. Is 87 on this car ok? I have the buick 3800 v6 naturally aspirated. I traded in my 2000 lexus ls400 it used 91. I was assuming since it was a luxury car and a buick it used the same. I use chevron techron here in vegas. I north dakota i used cenex no ethenol 89- 91 when they had it. Also if any one knows of a non ethanol gas station in vegas speak up. Ive noticed a 2 mpg gain with that. I thought ethanol burned better? Will some one elaborate.
[quote=”Dtech494″ post=191489]The recommended oil is 5w30 so 15w30 is too thick unless you are in an area that is hot all year round it would be wiser to do 10w30.
IMHO.[/quote]No. 5W30, 10W30 and 15W30 have the same viscosity at 212F. The “W” ratings are measured at O degrees F, so the 10W30 and 15W30 oils are only going to be thicker at or near that temperature. Not an issue for the OP; he’s in Vegas.
As for the gasoline octane rating, I believe 87 is recommended for your car.
If you are a conservative driver , forget about monkeying with the cam time and other ” tunes ” . We have a 2006 Lacrosse 3.8l and it does not need any more power .
Many / most cars get better gas mileage on 100% unleaded , when compared to E10 gas .
Yes , change the tranny fluid & filter .
If it is not burning oil , I would stick with 5W-30 . Mobil 1 is fine . Check / change the engine air filter & cabin air filter .
Try to change the brake fluid & power steering fluid .
But here is a very important point I did not know until we bought our 3.8l & I ran across it on the internet .
The 3.8l has 2 plastic coolant elbows in the circuit going to the heater core . If / when these crack / break , you loose coolant . If they outright break , maybe disastrously .
Replace them with the metal elbows .
https://www.google.com/search?q=buick+3.8l+coolant+elbow&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-ab
Wyr
God bless
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