2000-2005 3.4 engine

[jenmike106]

Good day all....Just wanted to check on something. I am picking up a 2005 for my girl tomorrow w 42000 MILES on it. We just got her old car sold 2000 impala with the 3.4 any takers on why we had to sell it??????? yeah you know......Did chevy change or redesign the 3.4 for any of the newer years? Really just tring to figure out if they fixed the lower intake gasket???? O yeah Shhhhhh....there is no problem as Chevt has stated...(last I knew) O I do have another question seats are the sets in equinox changeable with other seats...Will I mean I would think another equnox would fit...but i mean like maybe a impala...I didn't really look at the seats to much when I test drove the 05 yesterday....I will be putting new seats in 1 way or another...... Any imput would be helpfull...Thanks for your time guys....and ladies if your reading it.......Mike

[Ruley73]

Originally Posted by jenmike106

Good day all....Just wanted to check on something. I am picking up a 2005 for my girl tomorrow w 42000 MILES on it. We just got her old car sold 2000 impala with the 3.4 any takers on why we had to sell it??????? yeah you know......Did chevy change or redesign the 3.4 for any of the newer years? Really just tring to figure out if they fixed the lower intake gasket???? O yeah Shhhhhh....there is no problem as Chevt has stated...(last I knew) O I do have another question seats are the sets in equinox changeable with other seats...Will I mean I would think another equnox would fit...but i mean like maybe a impala...I didn't really look at the seats to much when I test drove the 05 yesterday....I will be putting new seats in 1 way or another...... Any imput would be helpfull...Thanks for your time guys....and ladies if your reading it.......Mike

GM knows there's a problem with that engine. Although there aren't any recalls or significant TSBs regarding the intake gaskets, they have revised the gasket design at least a couple times. Everyone always wants to blame Dex-Cool, but I believe most of GM's intake problems on any of their engines are design flaws.

As far as the engine in the Equinox, (my wife and I own a 2007 Equinox LT) it is essentially the same as that in the Impala as in it is still the same pushrod 12-valve 3.4L 60* V6 that shares the basic design with the near-30 year-old 2.8L V6. However, the intake is a completely different because of the implementation of the throttle-by wire design. It doesn't have the massive visible intake ports. Instead it is flat with the throttlebody mounted on the opposite side as the 3400 of old. The ignition system is also a little different. Instead of three separate coils with two towers, it is now a one piece unit with 6 towers on it. Long story short, I don't believe it will be problematic like the engine in your Impala because of these changes.

You may want to double check, but the powertrain may be warrantied by GM for 100K miles, but I don't know when they started that.

As far as the seats go, they may be interchangable with those from the Saturn Vue and Pontiac Torrent, but I believe they both use seats that aren't much different than those in the Equinox.

[johnholl]

I had the 3.1 in my malibu, which had the crap upper intake manifold gaskets. I dont think the problem was with the 3.4. I may be mistaken.

john

[Ruley73]

Originally Posted by johnholl

I had the 3.1 in my malibu, which had the crap upper intake manifold gaskets. I dont think the problem was with the 3.4. I may be mistaken.

john

The problem plagued both the 3100 (VIN J) and 3400 engines.

[johnholl]

Originally Posted by Ruley73

The problem plagued both the 3100 (VIN J) and 3400 engines.

Did they straighten out the 3.4L by 2006?

John

[Ruley73]

Originally Posted by johnholl

Did they straighten out the 3.4L by 2006?

John

Technically, no.

But in actuality, GM just stopped using that variant of the engine after the 2005 model year. The only 2006+ vehicles to use the 3.4L are the Chevy Equinox and Pontiac Torrent. Like I mentioned earlier in this thread, this engine is not exactly same as the problematic ones used in the cars. The 2005 Equinox/Torrent use this same engine.