Ecotec or buick?

[vkwalks39]

Hi guys, I need some help, I just brought a 1988 VN wagon. The motor has just **** it self, my missus wants an ECOTEC motor, Do I need to change the K-Frame for the ECOTEC, or will it bolt straight in? Or, should I just fix up the 3.8 BUICK........GO PIES!!

[Troy711]

PM HoZy or better yet, look up his How To thread

[vkwalks39]

Cheers mate thanks

[Cursed CX8]

304...

[Kruza]

go to a vp/vr motor... much better than the s1 vn....
easy to do, easier to find parts also...

[immortality]

go to a vp/vr motor... much better than the s1 vn....
easy to do, easier to find parts also...

BS the s1 motor is better, it's just that the cooling system is a pain in the ass.

[1991_Vn2nV]

BS the s1 motor is better, it's just that the cooling system is a pain in the ass.

lol how is the series 1 engine better?

[immortality]

lol how is the series 1 engine better?

it goes harder then any factory V6 commodore that comes after it.

who cares that the idle is a little rough and the thermostat is a pain in the ass to change

[1991_Vn2nV]

it goes harder then any factory V6 commodore that comes after it.

Except the series 2 VN and VP But its only 0.1 of a second anyway.

[stocky]

id rather just put a tune into a series 2 engine, instead of having to deal with the crappy s1 setup just because "it goes harder"

[HoZy]

If you have $750ish to blow go ecotec, run bank injection, maffless, i got a tune that's ran pretty sweet on mine for the past 2years... Um yeah..... LOTS OF TORQUE! Enough to be rolling along at 50km nail it in 1st an just start spinning...

Overall its a v6 still, go v8 an u'll just have a constant hardon

[immortality]

id rather just put a tune into a series 2 engine, instead of having to deal with the crappy s1 setup just because "it goes harder"

you can put a tune into a s1 just as easily. nothing crappy about the s1 setup

If you have $750ish to blow go ecotec, run bank injection, maffless, i got a tune that's ran pretty sweet on mine for the past 2years... Um yeah..... LOTS OF TORQUE! Enough to be rolling along at 50km nail it in 1st an just start spinning...

Overall its a v6 still, go v8 an u'll just have a constant hardon

i agree, if you got the $$$$ then do a ecotec conversion. they probably run better on a MAP based setup then they do in the VS models

[vkwalks39]

Thanks guys, I'm think just rebuilting the motor that's in it.It supposed to have $8000 worth of gear in it.It has done a cam bearing, the oil doesn't reach the top of the engine. That's what I've been told.I brought the wagon of a mate, which it use to belong to his brother, he has pass on...It shouldn't cost much to fix....The wagon is for the missus so I don't want a fast car, I've already got 2 cars now.

[W84N01]

Well i have a series 1 VN and my motor i have punished over and over again and she just hasn't given up.

Fixed my overheating and my water pump and thermostat, and the thermos i have hard wired into the car, and now there is not a problem in the world.

I have a series II motor out of a VR waiting at my mechanics to be rebuilt and dropped into her, but it being a S2 and out of a VR makes it a Buick, andi have heard lots of bad stories about the Buick motors, specifically that they don't handle the same amount of treatment like the S1s do...........

My motor goes hard and i am loathe to swap them over...........

My personal opinion would be to go the Ecotec matey

[1991_Vn2nV]

Well i have a series 1 VN and my motor i have punished over and over again and she just hasn't given up.

Fixed my overheating and my water pump and thermostat, and the thermos i have hard wired into the car, and now there is not a problem in the world.

I have a series II motor out of a VR waiting at my mechanics to be rebuilt and dropped into her, but it being a S2 and out of a VR makes it a Buick, andi have heard lots of bad stories about the Buick motors, specifically that they don't handle the same amount of treatment like the S1s do...........

My motor goes hard and i am loathe to swap them over...........

My personal opinion would be to go the Ecotec matey

lol the Series 1 is a buick motor too. It is an exact buick motor. They just pulled out of a FWD buick and shoved it in the VN S1. Then Holden made running changes to it (series 1.5 and series 2/VP and then more changes for the VR). The series 2 VN and VP engines are the pick of the bunch. The VR buick has been known to have a few more issues though.

[immortality]

the VR engines have a higher CR and apparently have better rods as well

[vkwalks39]

Hi guys, just been working on the wagon pull out the VN S1 motor. YEP!! she is well and truly stuff...There's plenty play in the bore, the motor smell like it been cook from doing one to many burnouts. Not from us it was from the previous owner. I just got told that has down a cam bearing( yeah right)!! Anyway we just going to put another motor, so what the best motor to put in? I want to bolt up to the auto thats in it....

[immortality]

any of the buick motors will bolt straight up, however you will need to make some modifications to the cooling system if you use any engine from a later model as only the VN s1 has that cooling system. also get the memcal that suits that engine as using a s1 tune on a later model won't run quiet right.

[vkwalks39]

Thanks for that mate, my missus just wants one reliable car, we are thinking of getting another vn motor, and then just get rego for it..