GM may mothball dual-cam 3.4L DOHC V-6

Various sources both inside and outside of General Motors Corp. have suggested GM is ready to scrap its 3.4L DOHC V-6 engine, not to be confused with the above mentioned overhead valve 3.4L in the new GM front-drive minivans. One source in GM manufacturing says the company already has decided the engine--currently GM's only overhead cam V-6-must go. Penetration for the engine is no greater than 10% for most of the models that offer it, except for the roughly 30% penetration in the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Moreover, the 3.4L, internally dubbed the LQ1, has been replaced in some of its former bread-and-butter applications such as the Pontiac Grand Prix. More recently, Oldsmobile chose to forsake it as the powerplant for the 1998 Intrigue sedan in favor of the 3800 Series II V-6. Plus, GM soon plans to produce a more modern overhead-cam V-6, based on the Premium V engine family that currently encompasses the 4.6L Northstar and 4L Oldsmobile Aurora V-8.