2002 pontiac grand prix engine 3.1 l v6 se plug the coolant tank

This engine has the cylinders numbered 1-3-5 on the left-hand bank (front bank for FWD applications) and 2-4-6 on the right-hand bank, the number 1 cylinder being the furthest from the flywheel end. For use in the FWD applications, the bellhousings on the FWD transmissions are altered slightly. Though the pre-3800 rear-wheel drive (RWD) V6 uses the Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac (BOP) bellhousing pattern, an oddity of both the front-wheel drive (FWD) and RWD 3800 V6 is that although it is a 90° V6, it uses the GM 60° V6 bell housing (Metric Pattern). The energy crisis a decade later prompted the company to buy the design back from American Motors (AMC), who had by that point bought Kaiser-Jeep, and the descendants of the early 231 continue to be the most-common GM V6 as it developed into a very durable and reliable design. The muscle car era had taken hold, and GM no longer felt the need to produce a V6, considered an unusual engine configuration in North America at the time.

In 1967, GM sold the design to Kaiser-Jeep. It was the first six-cylinder engine designed exclusively for Buick products since the Buick straight-six was discontinued in 1930. The engine, originally designed and manufactured in the United States, was also produced in later versions in Australia. The block is made of cast iron and all use iron two-valve-per-cylinder OHV heads. It is a derivative of Buick's 215 cu in (3.5 L) aluminium V8 family, which also went on to become the Rover V8, another engine with a very long life (1960–2006). The 3800 was on the Ward's 10 Best Engines of the 20th Century list, made Ward's yearly 10 Best list multiple times, and is one of the most-produced engines in history, with over 25 million produced.

Originally 198 cu in (3.2 L) and initially marketed as Fireball, it later became popularly referred to as the 3800 for its various 3.8 L (230 cu in) incarnations. The Buick V6 was an OHV V6 engine developed by the Buick division of General Motors and introduced in 1962.

GM High Feature V6 (Supercharged Applications).

GM High Value V6 (Naturally Aspirated Applications).

2002 pontiac grand prix engine 3.1 l v6 se plug the coolant tank