Please Help! 96 Park Ave Motor into 97 leSabre

I was walking down the street and saw in a towing yard, a 96 Park Ave that had been rolled. I asked about the motor. He took it down off the stack. It was the "same as" mine, a Series 2.
It has 112,000 miles on it. I asked how much. He said if they take it out, I could get it (complete, alternator, etc...) for $300.

Will I have any problems putting it in a 97 LeSabre? The alternator looked huge, bigger then mine. Could I use the motor just like it is? Any mods I would need to make?
Any danger in getting a motor that was rolled?

Can anyone give me some advice on this motor/swap?

Thank you,
Chris.

A rolled engine may have hydro -locked, I would pull the plugs and see if any oil in the cylinders, also check what level the crankcase is at, no way to really know what the engine went thru. I believe this is a direct interchange, maybe just mounts. Check with a salvage yard, their interchange books have the swap info.

Went back and talked to the guy who towed it in. He said the person went around a corner to fast, went off the road, end over end, rolled, and ended up on it's wheels. No driver. Guess he took off. One good thing is it wasn't on its top very long.


My friend will go to the place and do a compression check/look over the motor for $50.
The oil was dark, but I didn't see any antifreeze in it.

Thanks for the replys,
Chris.

Exact same engine, it is a drop-in with your acessories.


The alternator looked huge, bigger then mine.
That "huge" alternator is an CS144 rated @ 120 amp and was common on the 96. Prior years (93-95) it was an option, or included with the heated windshield. I know, poor focus on pic, but here is the two most common alternators used on Buicks.

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/6802/cs144yd6.jpg

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/9453/cs130dzs1.jpg

Can I use the big one on my car? I don't want to burn anything up. I think the more stuff I leave on the motor the better.

What about the PROM thing on the computer? Can I use mine that is already in my car?

When I get parts, can I say I have a LeSabre or a Park Ave?

Thank you,
Chris.

Most everything should interchange, as both the 96 P-Ave and 97 LeSabre take the same alternator so there should be no issues. Both are OBD-II, so the sensors in the 96 engine should be compatable with your 97's PCM. Just on the off chance that there may be a difference (aqs GM makes sublte revisions from year to year), you can always have the parts guy double check that both years are the same.

The 96 & 97 have different PCM's and the programming is different; however, if all sensors connect the same and give the same inputs, the PCM should not recognize any difference in the engine. In addition, the CS144 alternator is simply a high capacity alternator. Some "boom box" enthusiasts replace the original (smaller) CS130 on their vehicles just for the added benefit of the additional amperage. Basically, everything should work the same!

Thank you for the reply's.

My mechanic is going to go check out the motor on monday. Hope it's a good one.
Chris.

Mechanic tested the motor today. He said it was a very good motor. He said all the cylinders had between 195 to 200 compression.

I was wondering what kind of compression does a new 3.8 have? How good is 195 - 200 on a 96 3.8?

Guess the motor, the thing on the arm rest with all the window switches, rear hub, and anything else I want off the car for $300 isn't to bad.

Please let me know about the compression,
Thank you,
Chris.

Compression is fine.

I read a suggestion to try and find a 97-99 Motor. Does anyone know what this person is talking about? I think the 96 will work fine, but why would someone say that? Is there something with the 97-99 motor that separates it from a 96?
When I go get the motor (huge snow storm right now, so I have to wait) I am going to get the window control on the arm rest, and the rear wheel hub, since mine has play. The window control looks the same, any reason it could be different inside?
Is the rear bearing the same?
Any suggestions on grabbing other parts while I have the chance when I'm getting the motor?
Thank you,
Chris.