Learner feeling a little lost.

Hey Everyone, I am absolutely new here and I got a question or two.

I'm new to the pontiac engine thing, I'm more ofa Mustang person.
I tried calling a few Pontiac dealerships, and they knew nothing of what I was asking. Hopefully some bright individual(s) here will have an answer or two.

I own a 1992 Pontiac Grand Am SE, bought privately. I was told there was absolutely nothing wrong with it (I guess there was nothing wrong with it when the previus owner had it?) and less than a year later, the thing busts on me. I've maintained it, regular oilchanges, you name it.

Three days after the last oil change, new fuel filter (and line), the engine busts with only two of four cylinders running. So, I let it sit for 3 days waiting for my mechanic to tell me this. I ended up towing it to his yard, only to drive it from his yard to my place, in turn, I believe I blew a head gasket. Blackish smoke started so I stopped on the side of the road with only 3 minutes away from destination and got it towed. Now, the reason I think I blew a head gasket, which mind you I am no pro at knowing this, is because when it got towed, I had to move it out of my normal parking spot and over about 5 feet in which coolant started leaking out of the tail pipe and blowing a hole in through the rear end of the muffler, where the coolant leaked from as well.

It's been parked for a while, and a friend was supposed to help me find a new engine, but to no avail. So, I started looking online and when I think I have found one, there's a few questions I don't even know about.

So, here's my go. I'm FINALLY asking for help. Ahah...

What I have is a Quad OHC, 2.3L, L4, 5 speed manual. It's a 1992 Pontiac Grand Am SE two door. (I don't think the door matters, but I've been wrong before).

Basically, I don't know if it's a vertical bolt manifold brace or a horizontal, or if it's even an OC..

I know this all sounds dumb, but for once, I'm actually feeling lost. I was told by 3 different ICBC certified mechanics, too, that it'd be easier to buy a whole new engine than to rebuild this one.

Input on that, too?

Thank you for taking your time to read and/or reply.

I'm not sure on your "brace" question. If the head is not cracked, just do the gasket and move on. You won't know about the head until it's pulled and sent out for inspection though. If the head needs replaced, it may be more cost effective to replace the eng with a used one.

Mm. My mistake on the brace quetsion, that would be more for the 1991 grand am, not the '92. I apologize. The website seemed to have jumped pages on me.

As for the header, it goes beyond that. It's typically the cylinders ( Two and four) that don't run anymore.

I'm starting to think it'd be easier to just part out the good parts of the car and make up for lost time before putting any more time into it. Shame is, I just put 500 dollars worth of work into the car with brand new brakes, lines and what not..

I do appreciate your help however. In the future, I think I'll stick to the 89 mustang. I know how to work on those buggers...

(Mumbles something about herself learning to read properly...)

Welcome to AF IttyBitty25 !

These are some good engine back in the day!
First thing i would do is check the compression.

This being a over head cam their are many things in their that could go wrong. And as the years roll on engine blocks are becoming sparse and hard to find.

So to replace this engine you will need the exact same one to get everything to work properly. Things like wire harness and other sensors did change on about every year of them. So look at your VIN # to make sure you find a match.

Good Hunting !