'88 delta 88 engine identification

[swingline]

i have an '86 olds delta 88 that i put an '88 3.8 engine in(along with the wiring harness from doors forward, what a p.i.m.a.). In '88 there were two engine codes, a 3 and a C.

i've been having trouble getting parts recently because the body that the engine came from is oh so gone, and i have no idea which engine it is.

i was hoping someone could tell me how to tell. maybe from casting numbers on the block. i do have the radiator tie down (black plastic piece that holds radiator in place) with the emissions placard on it, it has some numbers but none that mean anything to me.

please help!

[maxwedge]

No vin? more than likely it is the C engine.

[swingline]

i thought it was the c engine, but the timing chain tensioner (i ordered one for both engines) ended up being the one for a 3 engine.

i got a gasket kit for the 3 and the timing cover gasket didn't fit.

[GreyGoose006]

is the distributor in the front or the back?
if its in the back, its a 229 chevy v-6
if its in the front, its a 231 buick v-6

both were used on b-bodys of that era

i'm not sure of which is the 3 and which is the c, but if you know the displacement it should be enough to order parts

the 231 is also known as the odd-fire v6 if you were wondering

[MagicRat]

This is front wheel drive car, right?

The C engine is the 3800 series engine. It has "3800" cast into the top of the intake manifold. The '3' engine does not have this number. 1988 was the first year for this engine.

This was a redesign of the old 3.8 liter V6 and included a balance shaft and a crank trigger ignition with no distributor.

The "3" engine is the old front wheel drive V6. 1988 was the last year for this engine. Both engines were offered in the '1988 cars.

[swingline]

thanks magic rat.

that was what I figured, my family has a bunch of oldsmobiles and most of 'em have the 3 engine, just wanted to be sure.

[GreyGoose006]

oops. forgot about the fwd.