Just a little reminder to all you 92 EGRless owners out there. I have just now completed my repairs to my own EGRless 3800. My 92 SE has 166,000 K'* on it now. I had a burnt Exhaust Valve in Cylinder #6 AND a cracked LH Exhaust Manifold at the #3 bend where it meets the main pipe of the Manifold. Cost wise wasn't too bad though, labour on the other hand well, if you've never done it before you in for a little surprise.

What was needed to fix Burnt Exhaust Valve:
One new Exhaust Valve (STD) Ertel P/N A2317
One Cylinder Head Gasket Set Detroit Gasket P/N 71633
New Cylinder Head Bolts Detroit Gasket P/N 67313
One Valve Cover Gasket GM 25532619
One Lower Intake Manifold Gasket Set GM 12338840
One Exhaust Manifold Gasket Set Victor P/N MS15569

What was needed to fix Cracked Exhaust Manifold:
One used Exhaust Manifold ($60 Cdn) GM new = $465.00 Cdn!
Plus other Exhaust Manifold gasket from Above.
**Might need one to two Exhaust Pipe Seals (Donuts) depending on which Exhaust Manifold needs to be replaced.**

How to help avoid these problems:
1) Change your present stock 195 T-Stat to a 180 T-Stat (can be drilled {2-4 1/16" holes} or not)
2) Do regular maintenance on the engine, if you don't now please start. This includes: Fuel Filter, PCV Valve, Air Filter, Oil Changes, Coolant System Changes, Transmission Fluid Changes, etc...
3) Suggestion: Switch to a full Synthetic Oil to help reduce engine friction which causes heat build up.
4) Suggestion: Install an Aux. Trans Cooler (or a second one) to help reduce engine/trans stress which causes heat build up.
5) Change your driving habits to allow a "warm-up" time for your engine. This will reduce the acid build up in your oil & prolong engine life. Most acid build up is caused by drivers driving less than 5 mins! Or short "Stop & Go" driving trips.
6) Change your driving habits to allow a "cool-down" time for your engine. This will do the exactly same thing as above. Proper cooling will allow the engine to vent the built up condensation & not allow it to turn into acid water.

In closing, these steps I've listed above will help slow down this problem that occurs eventually with ALL EGRless 3800'*. Any questions can be directed to me at any time.

Just the Early 92'* thank god! By late 1992, GM realized their foul up & installed an EGR Valve on their engines again.

BTW, THANX for allowing this posting thread to be a "Sticky" too!

As for my labour times to do the above....well the Valve took me 12 long hours using just hand tools in my driveway, while the manifold only took me about an hour.
BTW, I've allowed cleaning, etc in my time too. My painting of ALL components was extra! Pics of my Newly painted engine compartment with Mirrored SS Hood Insulator will soon be posted on both my Home Page & Car Domain pages.

OK, I have a question. We had a '92 Olds 88, its build date was April of 1991, which is kind of odd, but that is what it was. We drove the **** out of that car, and it wouldn't quit, and we never had any problems with it at all, (except for obvious things like the alternator and battery) and it was bone stock every day we owned it. We sold the car with 193,000 miles on it just over a year ago and it was running just as well (if not better)as it did when we bought it with 10,000 on it in '92. Our '93 Olds 88 that we bought to replace it with only 103k on it (when we bought it) doesn't even run as well as the '92 did. The only reason we sold the '92 is because everything on the car besides the engine was worn out. (Suspension, exhaust, interior, body, etc..., and now that I think about it, we should've kept the car and put the engine in something else and CSC'ed it, that would be sweet, but I am getting off topic now) So, does anybody know if this car was built too early to be EGR less, and that is why we had no problems, or we were just lucky or what? Just curious.

If it had an EGR Valve then it was using a 91 engine in it. Check your VIN, 8th digit from the left, 91'* either had a "3" (LG3) or a "C" (LN3) engine. The 92'* used the "L" (L27) engine. This is the best way to really know!
Even if it didn't have an EGR Valve it might have been properly taken care of so as to prolong it'* own life & power. I bought my 92 SE used with this "miss" no-one could find. It was actually alot of problems combined: Bad, worn out plugs & wires; cracked exhaust manifold; as well as a burnt valve amongst others like sticky lifters, etc.... :?

DeathRat, I just checked the build date on my 92 SE and it shows 08/91. I have the L27 engine. Can I assume then that I have the egr-less edition? Thanks.
92 SE
Current milage-88,800

You should....This might sound silly but, is the EGR Valve missing? If you do have one, it'* usually situated on the back of the Intake Manifold near the firewall. It would look like a little "mushroom" capped device.

DeathRat, Thanks for replying. I will take a look tomorrow when I take my car to our maintance hanger. Guess I will order me a owner'* manual tomorrow also. The salesman who sold me the car "said" he would order me one. It'* been three weeks now and no manual yet. I got the Bonnie from a Nissan/Volvo dealer.

Well I would check the vin but we sold the car a little over a year ago, and I don't think we have any papers on it, so I can't do that. It had an L27 I am pretty sure, although I have no clue what a LG3 or a LN3 is so it could've been one of those, it looked basically identical to our '93 Olds 88 except the intake manifold was gray not black, and the engine cover that says 3800 on it was gray also. We did all the regular maintenance to the car, we don't slack off on that stuff, but we definately didn't drive the car like a grandma and I am suprised nothing ever broke. We beat the **** out of that engine and it wouldn't quit. Maybe we just did a really good job of maintaining it.

If you remember it having a plastic engine cover that read "3800" then it was a L27. The Other 3800'* only had either the "3800" as a sticker on the intake or said "Sequential Fuel Injection" on it instead. Maybe you just got really lucky! Sort of like a buddy'* Tempo that has never needed to be repaired! Rare finds like those are what makes life so much easier on one'* pocket book.