95 Riv owner with a engine question!

Hello All

I own a 95 Riv Supercharged and would like to know if I could swap for a non supercharged engine with no extra work?

Wasnt too sure so I thought I would ask u experts on the forums...

dont u like the extra horses?

robotennis61 wrote:

dont u like the extra horses?

lol yes I do...but at the moment I believe my engine is gone......so atm looking to get another engine possibily without a supercharger.....

is your s/c dead?

robotennis61 wrote:

is your s/c dead?

yes bearings was bad

if the *engine* is good best move is to get a used S/C - already rebuilt or replace coupler/bearings yoruself. The 3800 engine is pretty tough, and you won't likely have trouble out of the replacement SC if you just check the oil in the SC every so often - every other oil change or every oil change if you're comnpulsive.

You can swap for a non-SC engine but there will be (prodigious) extra work.

There are a lot of "crate" sources for rebuilt 3800 engines with SC if it's an engine bearing you are talking about.

Be sure your problem is not the alternator. They squeal like pigs when they go, sounds like all kinds of crap is wrong and it's like a $100 fix...

Albertj

and ive been told that the bearings on a 3800 motor can be replaced while the engine is still on the car,remove the oil pan and do the work....if the crank is scored up..that something else alltogether..

albertj wrote:

if the *engine* is good best move is to get a used S/C - already rebuilt or replace coupler/bearings yoruself. The 3800 engine is pretty tough, and you won't likely have trouble out of the replacement SC if you just check the oil in the SC every so often - every other oil change or every oil change if you're comnpulsive.

You can swap for a non-SC engine but there will be (prodigious) extra work.

There are a lot of "crate" sources for rebuilt 3800 engines with SC if it's an engine bearing you are talking about.

Be sure your problem is not the alternator. They squeal like pigs when they go, sounds like all kinds of crap is wrong and it's like a $100 fix...

Albertj

The buick dealership around my area told me that my bearings were bad on my s/c and told me it would be $1800 to fix or for a new one (not sure which lol) .........a couple days later my car dies out on me on the road...got it started back up and it sounded really nasty...I cant really describe the sound but it sounded like the motor was busted. I was thinking of just looking around for another motor (good quality used one) and replacing it.

before I go and do these things I'm gonna get it checked out again to see whats my best option. but the reason I made this thread was to see if a non supercharged engine could be replaced with my s/c...thank you for answering and my alternator is new so I doubt it was that...

Thanks for the replys also!

robotennis61 wrote:

and ive been told that the bearings on a 3800 motor can be replaced while the engine is still on the car,remove the oil pan and do the work....if the crank is scored up..that something else alltogether..

thanks for the advice...but i am in no way a mechanic lol...

A easy check,, to see if its a bad engine or some belt driven pulley ,would be to remove (or have someone remove) the serpentine belt and crank her up.

A used supercharger, if thats what is wrong, would be cheaper and the easiest fix.
Just my $0.02

BuickBoy wrote:

robotennis61 wrote:

and ive been told that the bearings on a 3800 motor can be replaced while the engine is still on the car,remove the oil pan and do the work....if the crank is scored up..that something else alltogether..

thanks for the advice...but i am in no way a mechanic lol...

Which leads me to think, odds are your motor is not busted.

Basically as 98 SFI said, best way to check quick is to take off the rubber serpentine belts and start the car. You don't have to let it run long. You will know in 5-10 seconds if the engine is wack. Just run it a few seconds. If it sounds OK, your engine is likely good - after your few second are up then turn the engine off and then go under the hood and turn the pulleys by hand. The supercharger, the alternator, the water pump, the idlers pulleys. You will be able to tell which are bad - they won't turn smoothly and will likely make a squeak or a grind noise even when turned by hand.

Buick dealers are OK folks BUT they don't specialize in keeping 15-year-old cars on the road, they specialize in selling new and used cars. So unless you luck up in a big way they are not the best place to ask about many of the repairs you will need given your car's age. There are some things they can do (like use a TechII for diagnosis) that most independent garages can't really do. But for the most part a GM gearhead in an independent mechanic shop is your best bet for this sort of thing. And it won't be $1,800 for a bloomin' blower.

I suspect you can get an independent to put a good used or maybe even overhauled SC motor in for that $1800 nut. While you are at it put in a 3" downpipe too. It will increase your driving fun.

Albertj

Sounds like you do need to check all rotating parts. Take the supercharger belt off, run the engine and make sure there are no odd sounds, but don't run it for long, as there is no water pump. A minute or two with a cold engine at most. While the belt (and engine) is off, spin each thing by hand - spin the supercharger, idler pullies, alternator, etc. You are looking for things that don't spin smoothly. On the supercharger - also spin it forward and back, and see if you can feel a lot of play. It could simply be the coupler inside the supercharger snout that has gone bad - it's just a piece of hard plastic that transfers the drive shaft onto the SC gears. They are notorious for going bad after a lot of miles/time and sound just like a bad bearing. AND they cost very little! Also check for bad idler pullies. They can make a real racket when they go.