I have a few questions about the '93-'95 Regal Limited. I know it has the 3800, but not sure if it is series 2 or not.

In general, how many miles before major engine/tranny work?

Does it still have the ALDL connector that I can short to check trouble codes, or do I need a scan tool?

Is it worth it if it doesn't have a turbocharged motor?

How hard would it be to turbocharge it (using factory standard parts)?

What kind of gas mileage should it get? I'm hoping at least 28, seeing as how my '86 Lesabre Lim. gets 30-32mpg.

How much would four new tires likely cost (are they $60 each or will I be looking at $70-$100 because they are an odd size)?

Does anybody here know horsepower AND torque the motor puts out?

Is it worth $3200 (assuming it runs fine, and has no major immediate issues, other than the tires, that would take a chunk out of my wallet)?

Okay, it turned out to be more than just a few questions, but thanks for any advise.

The 93-95 regal had the series 1 engine.

These engines can usually go well over 200,000 miles with very little maintenance. The 4T60 and 4T60E transmission is another story, some of them last a long time while others fail quickly. My father had an 89 bonneville with 225,000 miles on the original transmission while others I know have had transmission troubles with less than 70,000 miles. The 93 and later regals have the computer controlled transmission which is more reliable but test drive the car and make sure it shifts properly and doesn't slip before you buy it.

The 93-95 regal should be able to blink trouble codes by shorting the diagnostic connector. The 96 regal which comes with the series 2 engine requires a scanner.

No front wheel drive regal came with a turbo. The only turbocharged regals were rwd cars made from 1978-87. Even without a turbo the 3800 engine provides plenty of power for a car this size.

You might be able to turbocharge the car using some of the parts from 84-87 turbo regals but you will end up having to custom make most of the parts for it to work. I wouldn't recommend this since your transmission probably won't hold up for very long behind a turbo engine. GM built several prototype fwd turbo cars in the mid 80s but couldn't come up with a transmission that could handle the power. If you really want a boosted 93-95 regal, the best sollution would probably be to buy a supercharged series 1 engine along with the hd transmission and computer out of a 92-95 bonneville ssei, park avenue ultra, or delta 98 touring sedan. These will fit in a 93-95 regal with very little custom work. It probably isn't economical to do this however, for the price of the car and the new drivetrain you could probably just buy yourself a 97-03 regal or grand prix with a factory supercharged series 2 engine.

I'm amazed that your 86 lesabre gets 30-32 miles per gallon. The regal has a very similar drivetrain to the 86 lesabre so depending on your driving style the gas mileage will probably be about the same.

The regal limited most likely has 205/70-15 tires. These are a very common size so you should be able to find them for $60 or less.

The 3800 series 1 makes 180 hp @ 4800 and 225 tq @ 3200.

$3200 is about the right price for one of these cars.

The 1993-95 Regals came with a VIN L 3800 (Series I) with Tuned Port Injection. It was the first 3800 to use a composite upper intake. It produces 170 HP (not 180) and 225 Ft-Ibs of torque. This revision of the 3800 was the one that established its infamous reliable reputation. This engine often goes over 300K miles with basic routine maintenance.

The Vin L 3800 does not have the warping problem with the composite intake like the Vin K 3800 (Series II) does. They had 3 common problems:

1.The water pumps usually last no more than 80K miles because the belt route puts alot of strain on the pulley bearing.

2.The bypass hose fitting coming out of the lower intake manifold located under the alternator was made of plastic and would often break.

3.The last thing would be a coolant leak from the lower intake below the throttlebody on the drivers side. Other isolated problems may exist but these are the most common.

There is not much for an aftermarket for this engine so mods/ more power harder to acquire. You can do an engine swap. You can also bolt-on a supercharger from a full-size sedan of the same era (1992-95 Park Ave. Ultra, Bonneville SSEi, 98/LSS).

I think the 4T60E transmission is stronger than people give it credit for. Although I have heard of them failing prematurely as well. Change the tranny fluid/filter every 50K like you should and it should last well over 150K miles. Also check the vacumm modulator (located on the front of the tranny under the air cleaner) occasionally because they can cause premature tranny failure when they go bad (and I'm sure they have very much in the past). My tranny went out at 140K miles although I bought the car used at 130K miles.

I can't speak for the 1993 & 1994 Regals (though they're probably the same way), but 1995 Regals for sure require a scanner to obtain codes. They are not OBD-II (1996 Regals are OBD-II), but you can't just jump the two wires to get codes like most GM cars of this era.

As far as fuel economy goes, I'm pretty sure that it is EPA rated for 19 city/30 hwy MPG. My '95 Regal GS gets about 17-18 in the city and 28-32 on the hwy. I am a spirited driver so that's probably why I get a little less.

Standard tire size would have been 205/70/15. Bigger 16" wheels were optional and came with S rated 225/60/16 tires. Though the latter is more expensive, both sizes are fairly common so tires shouldn't cost much.

I think $3200 is in the ballpark for this car assuming it's in fairly good shape.

If you are looking for a good older Regal to soup up, look for a 1996 Regal (in Gran Sport trim if good handing is a must) with the Vin K 3800 (Series II). It has 205 HP to start and great aftermarket support so it is MUCH easier modify and get more power from.

Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.

After reading through the forum, I have a few more questions.

Theory of operation for the "check guages" light?

Found an old post with no reply-
'when rpm remains constant for an extented period of time, Check Engine light comes on, gives O2 sensor code. Replaced O2 sensor, but didn't fix.'
Has anybody else had this problem? Sounds like a computer issue to me, but I would like to know if there was a fix to it.

Thanks again,
Matt

After reading through the forum, I have a few more questions.

Theory of operation for the "check guages" light?

Found an old post with no reply-
'when rpm remains constant for an extented period of time, Check Engine light comes on, gives O2 sensor code. Replaced O2 sensor, but didn't fix.'
Has anybody else had this problem? Sounds like a computer issue to me, but I would like to know if there was a fix to it.

Thanks again,
Matt


For the oxygen sensor to work properly it has to warm up a certain temperature. Because of this the computer can run the engine in two different modes.

when the car is first started the engine is run in "open loop" mode where the computer uses the MAF and throttle position sensor to determine the air/fuel ratio.

Once the engine is warmed up and the oxygen sensor is up to operating temerature the computer switches to "closed loop" mode. In closed loop mode the computer uses the oxygen sensor to determine the air/fuel ratio. Closed loop is more efficient than open loop.

The fact that the light comes on and the code is set when the engine remains at a constant speed for a while indicates that the computer is not getting a usable signal from the oxygen sensor when it tries to switch into closed loop. This could be casued by:

-Replacement oxygen sensor is defective.
-Wiring harness connector for the sensor is corroded or the wiring between the computer and sensor is damaged and signal can't get through.
-The computer has failed and can no longer read the sensor properly (the computer may just need to be reset and have all the stored codes cleared).

Another theory I have is that since the oxygen sensor needs to remain at a very high temperature to work (above 360 degrees). When the car is running at a constant speed for a long period of time the sensor may cool down enough that it no longer makes a usable signal. Try accelerating when the light comes on, this should heat up the sensor and cause it to start working again. The replacement sensor may not be not be a factory equivalent and may need a higher temperature to work.