GM's Forgotten Engines : The Oldsmobile Quad 4

In this video, we'll be talking about GM's workhorse four cylinder engine: The Quad 4. This engine gradually worked its way into b3coming the base engine in a large portion of GM's passenger car lineup throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.

[@rporestorations]

I made a mistake while recording the audio. The Quad 4 came in the Beretta GTZ, not the GTU. The graphics show the GTZ. My bad.

[@dannysdailys]

That's okay, you can't tell them apart from one another. Another GM curse.

[@richardlucore6813]

As a mechanic during that time.... I loved them. I would tear one down before lunch and put another back together after. Between the quad 4 head gasket or waterpump replacements and the 4l60e sun shell failures.... it was a great time to be a GM tech.

[@stevebot]

⁠@@richardlucore6813I was the first at my dealership to replace a timing chain in one for the ‘zrp zrp zrp’ noise at idle, then the first to do a headgasket for cold start problems due to condensate in the cylinders and then chain tensioners after that. Still, a lot better than the iron puke. Head bolt popping, timing gear knocking, induction noisy, leaky POS.

[@4uh8rz2nv]

Correct. The GTU had a V6. That's why I picked it over the GTZ and Probe GT (that had a V6 also but not as peppy as the GTZ)

[@76629online]

I'm guessing you're from the Ohio Valley area.

[@SPAZTICCYTOPLASM]

We loved these engines, bought me my house, put one of our other techs kids through school, my dad got to retire early! Thanks GM!

[@Gr8thxAlot]

Lol, reminds me of Windows NT. That thing paid for my college. Love it.

[@76629online]

Changed a few water pumps then I reckon.

[@wdpayne1958]

I owned a 1992 Grand Am GT with the 180HP HO version. It is probably my favorite of any car I've owned - good mileage, great power. Drove it for 135K miles

[@yuriypodgorniak3895]

Super cool

[@dan0alda568]

I had the same car. Bright red. I still have the plastic spare key.

[@kainsel]

Great car up until the head gasket blew, as every one did

[@rinkk8126]

​@@kainsel Maybe 8 labor hours if not including machining, not exactly the biggest deal.

[@ProtoAzula]

It amazes me that my 3.1 v6 makes 5 less horses in a much heavier car

[@jpl57210]

I worked on a ton of these. Still have the cam gears alignment tool.

[@robsorgdrager8477]

I still have the special tool for doing the chain and water pump that I stole when I worked at a GM dealership.

[@thomasharris5151]

I remember my fraternity bro Hall👌🏾💎 had a Beretta GTZ with the Qd4 & another had a Grand Am GT, we loved the sounds and quickness of the engines in 1990…! Thanks for bringing us this retro info!😎

[@kevinmurray5733]

As a service manager during the quad 4's heyday, We hated working on those engines!

[@rustynail7866]

Yep, they were particular about replacement parts, especially ignition parts.

[@scrappy7571]

And some of them used a different crank sensor position and crankshaft. We had one with a reman engine setting crank errors. After fucking around for several weeks, we installed a new gm engine and it finally cleared codes. 40 yrs later still remember this crap.@@rustynail7866

[@cpgravenor]

as a Tech I hated them.

[@robsorgdrager8477]

As long as I didn't have to mess with the water pump it was great. P/s pumps driven off the cam shaft , carbon tracking on the coil housings, ignition drivers, coolant temp sensors....made a few bucks off these ☺️

[@ronaldpurnell4349]

I was the only tech. in the small town that would even work on a Quad 4. The other 6 or 8 shops in town would refer all of them to my shop (even for oil changes).

[@ronyon1]

I had a 1990 Beretta GTZ and it was a blast to drive. That Getrag five speed transmission mated to the Quad 4 made that car a screamer. Sadly, it was run over and totaled by a dump truck that changed lanes on top of it. I miss that car dearly.

[@MrTaylorTexas]

Those were a pain in the ass to work on ! I didn't have enough sense to go hide like the other techs , when one of those showed up in the shop.

[@tonywestvirginia]

Back in the day I was the only one to do major work on these Quad 4's in my county. I loved them! Made a lot of money! Even put one back together from a basket of parts.

[@jimhall1095]

Which country?

[@daviddavidson4496]

@@jimhall1095 county

[@tonywestvirginia]

@@jimhall1095 Lapeer County Michigan.

[@firecriss1392]

My dad had an Oldsmobile Achieva that had this engine. Once I "borrowed" the car when he was out of town on business and drove it all the way from Columbus to Dayton oh and back--powerful sucker--even got a speeding ticket in it--sorry dad--your just finding out 30 years after the fact. Youll be pleased to know the cop giving the ticket complimented what a nice car it was

[@WildWestGarage]

Great engine when it didn’t have cracked head sitting on top of it. I was working as a mechanic for GM when these came out, we replaced a lot of heads. I’ll never understand why the head cracking issue was ignored in development, I find it hard to believe that it was an unknown before going into production.

[@alanfitzgeraldsr2201]

That's GM.

[@IridiumRedTheOrigina]

You're getting confused by the idea that if you KNOW about a problem, you actually CARE enough to fix it. thats not the GM way.... or the way of a lot of manufacturers...

[@T.S.-eo7my]

Cast iron block (cost saving measure) on an aluminum head (required to handle lean running emissions) = leaking head gaskets & cracked heads. When the domestics finally made the switch to aluminum blocks for the weight savings required to meet fleet average limits, then cracked heads disappeared in all but the most neglected of engines.

[@howlinhog]

GM did not send out cracked heads from the factory. Heads on the Quad 4 failed for the exact same reasons all heads fail. Run it low on coolant, go to the back of the class. DUH!

[@WildWestGarage]

@@howlinhog never said they sent the heads out cracked. Yes they cracked after they were put into service. But considering we were only replacing heads on Quad 4 engines at the time indicates that there was a problem with that particular engine/application. It seems to me that many of the engines that came in with cracked heads were never run low on coolant. I would argue that there may have been a coolant circulation problem that lead to the cracking, and that would come down to a design problem.

[@Fontanamotorsport]

i have a 91 Quad 442 Calais, with the W40 HO engine and a 5 speed manual.... have a video of it on my channel. underrated powerwise in the day!

[@thomasharris5151]

Where’s the link or which video(title)? I went to your channel and didn’t see it… that was a great car to own & to own now!!!

[@silverwings11035]

I bought new and still have my 2000 Z/24 Cavalier 5-speed and still like new and powered by the Quad 4 but with a rare GM Performance Parts M45 Supercharger bolted on making 205hp/200tq per the GM Performance Division! Its been a fun bullet proof car for the last 24 years! Also my first new car I bought when I was a Chevrolet mechanic from 1996 to 2013.

[@dante04srt]

I still love my 93 Beretta GTZ (1 of 621 built in 93).

[@tomtutz9997]

The 4 valve 4 banger actually was used in open wheel racing in the early 50s.

[@brianlynch6755]

We had this motor in our Grand Am, man it was a fast little engine..

[@ouiroc]

Can you put your foot into it you better know where you're going because you're going to be there now

[@jonathanfreedom1st]

As the owner of old school GM cars with 3.1 liter Multi port and another 3100 currently And having remembered the iron Duke and quads that other people loved...GM was a definite contender on the world stage of Combustion engines. 3.1 and 3.8 3800 are possibly the best engines ever made. Cheers

[@davidortiz173]

Thoroughly enjoyed this video! I remember when this engine came out!

[@1heavyelement]

this little engine was beastly. i'm not a fan of general motors. but there are i few engines i appreciate. the quad 4 is one of them. my mom had a buick century fitted with a quad 4 and that thing had boatload of HP for its time.

[@mitchelljohnson9548]

these engines responded well to turbocharging , we turboed my friends beretta and it was a hell of a sleeper.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

How did you tune the ECU to accept boost at the time?

[@MegamanEXEv2]

Somebody near-ish to me was selling a NEW IN BOX crate Quad 4 on Facebook a couple weeks ago. Crazy!

[@wolfmanradio]

Definitely not a forgotten engine. It’s a legend!

[@chizorama]

My dad got the 89 Calais with a 5spd, & as a teenager I wrung that car out for all thar it had, so much fun...

[@prevost8686]

I was a young technician when the Quad 4 made its debut. Like many things GM has done it had the potential to be a game changer in the four cylinder segment that the Japanese manufacturers dominated but like many things GM has done the penny pinchers get the last word on what rolls out of the factories. Had it not had definite issues with head gasket failures from the beginning GM could’ve slowly refined it with better NVH characteristics and more durable chains and it would’ve went down in history as a revolutionary four cylinder engine. It’s nothing but a bad dream to us older technicians who were around back then dealing with unhappy owners who took care of their vehicles yet still had issues.

[@BradleyBellwether-oy2qi]

Oldsmobile was way ahead of the curve in a *_lot_* of areas, back in the 80's. They were the first to have a heads up display, [edit: and _one of*_ the first with onboard GPS navigation] and one of the first with digital dash, as well as touchscreen controls.

[@fastinradfordable]

And look at em now

[@wconstructionco]

First navigation? The e38 was first car with built in navigation.

[@BradleyBellwether-oy2qi]

@wconstructionco Yeah, that's right because the e38 was actually on the 1994 model. Olds only had theirs on the 1994 concept. They weren't available to the public until model year 1995. I was thinking of the TravTek in the 1991 Olds Toronado, but that wasn't GPS. It was sensors and only available in a small area of Florida. Also, the e38 was the first with GPS navigation, but there has been on-board navigation since the 70's, if I remember correctly.

[@adotintheshark4848]

I believe Pontiac was the first GM to market HUD.@@BradleyBellwether-oy2qi

[@thomashealy9998]

I had the 1990 Beretta GTZ with the 190 h.p. Quad 4. It was a fun car to drive. I had to give it up in 1992 when my fiancee, now wife, needed a new car.

[@jesseharriott4253]

I had a 91 gt and a 96 ss But being a ss was dumb they wrote it on the car but it was a 3100 v6 automatic The 91 had a 3.1 (old version) with a 5 speed no governor and it was faster and way more fun. I no longer have these cars from my late teens but I wish I did. Never got to experience a quad four but I really wish I had.

[@The3chordwonder]

I also has a white 90 or 91 GTZ as well. At the time, the engine revved to the moon considering the redlines of other late 80's engines. I think it was faster than my 2.8L Fiero GT, but it didn't "feel" as fast because the torque wasn't there at lower revs. That GTZ could obliterate tires with all of the revs of the quad 4 plus the traction problems with FWD. I really liked that car. It was a pain to change the starter though!

[@brad747400]

I had a 1990 Beretta GTZ as well. I had to sell it when I got married to help come up with a down payment for a house

[@anthonytbarnes8725]

I'm sorry, but the 190 hp version of the Quad 4 was only offered in the Olds Calais W41. The Beretta had the 180 hp version like the Grand Am SE.

[@joeinmi8671]

I honestly believe the quad 4 was ahead of its time, mis understood and not properly maintained by most u.s. buyers. I had a 1997 z24 with z 75 shot. Ran 13s on the hose and got countless bottles put through it and is still running to this day.

[@markcole6475]

I worked as an auto tech in the era of these engines…..absolute nightmare engines…sure they ran strong but very problematic.

[@shawnbeck2303]

Had a Quad-4 engine! Head gasket blew at 59,000 miles. Had a warranty for 60,000 miles. Had get me a new one. Iron block. Aluminum head. Heated up different. Made the head warp. Otherwise a good engine. Shawn.

[@GrotrianSeiler]

Excellent history lesson. Nice work.

[@terryzak1742]

Loved these engines! I had a '91 Grand Am LE with the HO Quad 4 and 5-speed. I took care of it, but redlined that engine every day and never had an issue. Probably got more speeding tickets with it than any other car. We pure fun to drive. Traded it on a '95 Pontiac GTP that was quick, but just not as much fun. Years after that I found a '93 (?) Quad 442 with the W41 Quad 4. That was also a lot of fun.

[@triple6758]

91 Olds Cutlas Supreme International with 5 speed manual. What a car it was. Would run beside a 70 Buick GS. The giant intake tubes give away the HO versions.

[@hyacinthbucket3803]

I remember reading an article about a quad4 setting a speed record at Bonneville.

[@Jollysfirstbox]

Yep, Oldsmobile aerotech had a twin turbo charged example that put out 1000hp reportedly. They held the land speed record for a little while

[@Texaca]

...wasn't it A.J. Foyt (Indy 500 winner) who drove that car for the land speed record 🤔 He drove the Oldsmobile Aerotech in 1987, to set a the record.

[@DannyMostarac-zn6wd]

Aerotech

[@johnjones928]

@@Texaca Foyt drove that car to a closed course record on a test track in Fort Stockton, Texas. That car used a one off Quad 4 BASED engine ((not a stock unit). He then drove a second long tail car with a 1000 hp twin turbo setup the next day and broke the flying mile record. Years later GM brought the car back to Stockton with an Olds Aurora V8 and headlights and broke 47 endurance speed records.

[@Texaca]

@@johnjones928 ... Wow! I did not know that, but I do remember A.J. Foyt being the driver. I used to watch the Indy 500 as a child, and remember him from his racing days when he won. I've actually been to Fort Stockton, at which track were they racing the Aerotech on? I know Continental and Goodyear?, they have 2 large closed loop race tracks for testing the tires. I'm not 100% if it's a Goodyear track, it might've been Kelly-Goodrich. Their test cars are used on regular roads, for road testing. In the late 90's, I was down in south Texas, and 6 or 8 cars doing over 120+ mph passed me, doing road tests. It was like being passed by 8 NASCAR race cars all at once 😳 They were bumper to bumper, drafting each other. Definitely professional drivers behind the wheel. ✌🏼

[@Jasontyo]

190hp in 1990 ish was insane.

[@rporestorations]

Just 5 years before this, most 8 cylinders weren't even doing this, let alone a 4.

[@Jasontyo]

@@rporestorations gtz's and quad 442s were known in my town

[@milfordcivic6755]

Too bad every time you hit peak horsepower it cost you a head gasket.

[@chevy6794]

Honda has making 1 or more hp per litre in those days reliably.

[@dj_paultuk7052]

For America maybe. But at that time EU and engines from Asia were already putting out more than that.

[@garyalleccia2793]

Had a 1999 Malibu with a Quad 4. Put the AC on and you felt like you were sitting on a Harley! But my wife loved it😂 and we got over 200,000 Mi out of it with almost 30 Mi to the gallon. 6:23

[@richdorak1547]

Friend of mine had 1 in the 90s in a Grand Am . Loved it so much his next car was another Grand Am with that engine . Ran real good !

[@fjm1235]

Very strong engines. My father had a Grand AM with this motor. One of my fondest memories is racing him in my 78 Corolla. 1.6 liter, dual Webers, cammed. Very strong. Good race.

[@DB-qm4jx]

My grandpa loved this engine when I was in grade school. And then a friend bought one older and used when we were in high school and that thing was quick. Not like a 5 L Mustang of the time but still really quick and fuel efficient enough

[@McPh1741]

I owed 2 1990 GTZs , one white and then a black one. They were fun to drive. They were very quick but they would bury that 120mph speedometer no problem. I found it relatively easy to work on. I had to do a water pump, regular tune up stuff, I pulled the head off, replaced the cams and timing chain/gears. The first time I pulled the head off for no reason. It started running rough and the oil started to get milking. I thought the head gasket was blown. An old timer I worked with pulled the dipstick, saw the milky oil, took a cigarette light to it and said, "Ain't no water that. I would have started boiling." Regardless, I was convinced it was a head gasket, I got it all taken apart, and the head gasket was fine. Afterwards, I found out that the QUAD 4 would do this after driving it in town for too long. You had to take it on the highway every now and then. Lesson learned. The next time I pulled the head was to replace it with a performance head and I added better cams, lifters and crank pulley. I found out that the Chiltons manual for the Beretta sucked when it came to working on the engine. The Haynes manual showed you how to do everything. Chiltons said the engine had to be pulled to get the timing chain and head off. The Haynes manual showed you how to do it in the car.

[@w41duvernay]

I remember this engine WELL. I had one of the rare W41version in the 1992 Oldsmobile Achieva SCx with 195 hp. I just needed to do small modifications to get it to make 250 hp. I loved people not knowing about it, I basically destroyed plenty of people on the street with it.

[@slicksmith856]

Was that you?

[@spankthemonkey3437]

I had 96 cutlass 3.1 v6 with a 125 shot of nitrous ran it hard for 9 months before transmission broke. Now that car for being un tuned just a dry shot in intake before temp sensor and mas airflow sensor. Couldn't break it

[@matthewmiller2268]

What small modifications did you do to get it to 250hp?

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

@@matthewmiller2268 nitrous, lol. they made 190hp in 92, 185 in 93 because of the cylinder head change. you could install 226 cams which would bring you up to around 220-230hp on a tune. a header from ron seibenick was good for a solid 20whp and 20whp (dyno verified) on a stock HO car. those two items together would get you close. additionally, you could swap to ford injectors which flowed a little better than the oem injectors, they fit right in.

[@andysteele4056]

My buddy had an Achieva SCX. That car made a lot of people mad on the streets, including me when he beat my 350 camaro. It was impressive for a n/a 4 cylinder. I still remember the bumblebee roar of that thing, and the smell of the hot clutch after banging gears. He constantly had to replace alternators because the bearings would give out from being spun to 7000 rpm on the regular.

[@animalcorvair]

have one in my 99 grandam....,,been very good ...glad they updated it

[@jamesgeorge4874]

If GM had made the head gasket sealing more robust (Northstar, also !) an NOT a chain driven water pump, it _COULD_ have been great, but it actually sucked, as they were perpetual broken.

[@darwinmichel2087]

Oldsmobile created the Aerotek car car that went over 200 mph. With a Indy car chassis and a aero body. A guy was inspired took his four-door automatic Cutlass Calais built it and did over 200 mi an hour at the Bonneville salt flats . Was in Hot Rod Magazine.

[@wymple09]

259 MPH

[@MrDubbindan]

Mom had the High Output version of the engine in a red Calais International Series coupe with the manual... that engine was soo much FUN !

[@adotintheshark4848]

my neighbor had a Calais too with a 5-speed! For a little car it could really scoot!

[@DailyDriverGarage]

I REMEMBER THEM BLOWING UP ALL THE TIME.. LIKE 8 OUT OF 10

[@shafferjoe1962]

I owned a 442 and loved that car. Loved the engine and 5 speed transmission. One car I truly miss.

[@iBackshift]

I had one with 555,550 kilometers on it, till I give it the viking funeral. Wired throttle wide open, cut the top rad hose. Lasted 9 minutes bouncing off the rev limiter till the connecting rods left the bottom of the oil pan. Canadian1989/GA w/a stick. The strut towers rusted out. Was a good engine. 3~4 alternators. Replaced one cam tension/slider assembly. 1 clutch. 2 coils. The neat way to tell the coil was failing is remove the aluminum cover. have a spray can of ammonia. Turn the shop lights out and with the engine idling, spray ammonia around the coil and you could see the sparks fly out of the plastic housing, arcing out on the aluminum block.

[@jeffreystrathearn5082]

I had a 90 Olds Cutlass Calais as an 18 year old. My parents thought they were getting an appropriate car for a kid, but that thing was a 2 door rocket with a 5 speed manual! Seeing this, it's no wonder it would burn through first and second gears! I went through the tires in that thing. It was a death trap and I loved it.

[@kpk33x]

I had an '88 Olds Calais with this. Loud and surprisingly fast which was nice for age 17-21. Had head gasket replaced 3x and it was cracked again at trade in.

[@trxtech3010]

I love these engines. I had a 1989 Cutlass Calis Indianaplias 500 specil edition it was a quick car for ea little 4 cylinder 5 speed manual!

[@playshalotoomuch1912]

Had a 2001 grand am, engine may have leaked most fluids but never left me stranded. would love to own one again

[@ponchis1966]

I had a 1988 Olds Calais with a 5speed. 150 hp also got 34mpg. My first new car. It also had a try Y 409 stainless header

[@cascadesouthernmodeltrains7547]

Had one in a 2002 Alero. Great little engine.

[@pontiacsrule8761]

I had one in a 97 Grand Am. It was very complex to change the water pump due to it being run off the timing chain. You had to support the engine because the engine mount on the passenger side was in the way. Also the aluminum heads & cast iron block had issues with differences in material. They were know for head gasket issues. Thee 2.4 Ecotec is not a good engine. Oil consumption issues, blown real main seals. There was even a recall on the 2010 -12 engines for the oil consumption issues. The Quad 4 was a way better design then the 2.4 IMO. I believe the newer 2.4 Ecotec was made from 2010-17

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

yeah thats really too bad about the water pumps in the twincam cars. the quad4 water pump was significantly easier to change.it was about an hour, all in, including coolant refill. the twincam engines were a response to rising emissions standards and attempting to placate an ignorant public by forcing a 4 cylinder to pretend to be a v6 in torque and power production.

[@HomebrewSubaru]

Had the LGO HO version time bomb in my old Beretta GTZ. Bought it from my friend that had a performance shop completely rebuild the Quad4 HO. A year into owning it the bottom end developed noise and within days it threw a rod. A found a good used replacement and tossed it in. 6 months later the head gasket blew, it overheated and of course cracked the head. Reman head, all new lifters and timing. Ran for another year and the bottom end spun a bearing. I accumulated some parts while the car sat for a year. Found a low mileage SOHC engine that I tore down for the crank, rods and block. The SOHC block was the thickest variation. I tossed in some HO pistons and all new soft parts. Replacement reman 086 cylinder head. Customized the airway and exhaust. That car would stomp on most Honda's back then. Guy from trade school had a CRX swapped with a JDM B16a and I remember creeping away from him in third gear. Actually put quite a few miles on that last engine I built myself at 24. It did eventually overheat a couple years later. I was driving the smack out of it and cracked another head. That was the end. Quad4's were excellent engines until a problem occurred. As soon as something happened that was the end of them. LD9 Twin Cam's were essentially the same style with some interchangeability although mostly it was a complete redesign. I've seen water pumps throw timing chains, spun bearings, cracked cams, rattling lifters, plugged oil galleries and endless cracked cylinder heads. I saw a pic of a SOHC head almost cracked into two pieces it was so cracked. I beat the living snot out of that GTZ and was very abusive to it. Even though that is the case, I never bought another GM product after that f'n money pit. I was trying to keep a dream alive but moved onto better things along time ago.

[@jlr11210]

I remember doing a few water pumps in the mid 2000's. They were annoying but only because i didn't do many but they bring back memories lol

[@godzillasballs]

That engine was a beast!!! My father had one in a Grand AM and that car moved!!!

[@stepheng3667]

I remember the launch of that engine, it was talked about in all the car mags etc. Can't speak to the early ones but I know they get a lot of bashing about noise and roughness. I bought a brand new 2001 Cavalier Z24 5 speed which I still own. The LD9 Twin Cam has been a fantastic engine. 220K on it now and I have never did a thing to the motor -Nothing. It fires up and idles perfectly. I guess the 65 oil changes were the secret. Not my daily driver anymore of course but I am hanging on to it for sentimental reasons. In 2020 I found (and bought) the exact same car with only 40K but automatic. A beautiful, garage kept version. It's funny but I enjoy driving my 5-speed version better even though it is old and tired. The automatic seems to have that GM 4 cylinder drone to it

[@rporestorations]

They were rough, especially as most other engines evolved, but I liked them. They were like no other domestic four cylinder I had ever driven, power wise.

[@alexanderspenser4960]

One of the most fun cars I've ever owned was my 90 Somerset, even after I had the head gasket replaced and refinished the delaminated paint. Not only was it quick, great handling F41,& pretty respectable gas mileage.

[@TurboDub1991]

Very cool!!

[@Guspech750]

I had a 92 GTZ. Such a fun little car. That 180hp Quad4 was revs screaming and such. I would rock one now.

[@hoost3056]

The Quad 4 was offered in the FWD W41 package also, producing 190 hp. Yes, they were vibey but strong. The Olds Aerotech set a speed record of almost 260 mph with tons of boost and heavy modifications. Shame it wasn't fully developed to deal with the NVH issues.

[@BreakStuffClub]

I was fortunate to own a rare Achieva SCX W41, stellar performance!

[@rjgoniea]

I had a '91 Calais with this engine. Fun to drive. This was back when I was young and foolish. Naturally, I took it out one day to a fairly abandoned straight stretch of road and used the entire speedometer.😁 It was also fun to take it on some of the curvy roads in the area and could take most of the road bends without slowing down significantly. In the 13 or 14 years I owned it, I don't recall ever having anything go wrong with the engine itself. But the car as a whole was pretty worn out by the time I got rid of it.

[@terrencejones9817]

I owned one of these for 8 years. It was a 93 Grand am GT, the 180HP high output version. It was very powerful and the car weighed 2700lbs. They were very quick for their day. Very hard to launch well from a stop, but very fast on a slight roll. On the NVH issues, the 92-94 were actually the best versions. They went down to a single row chain, these ran smoother than the later 2.4 LD9 even without the balance shafts. Most quad4 enthusiasts don't consider the LD9 being a quad4. They changed everything good about them. The LD9 was long stroke and small bore, small intake and exhaust ports, small camshafts. It was a torque engine, not a high RPM screamer like the Quad4.

[@scrappy7571]

Worked for Pontiac when these were new. Must have done over 200 head gaskets. Noisy rough running engine, customers complained all the time. Needed balance shafts to refine it, but not in the GM budget.

[@rjcolombe]

Truth. Powerful and decently efficient, but definitely a noisy little beast.

[@kybble]

I so miss my Pontiac, Loved my Quad 4 in my Pontiac Gram AM.

[@geraldc.37]

Had this engine in my 88 skylark. By the time it approached 100k miles, it had so much engine vibration with my foot on the brake at a stoplight, I'd shift it to neutral until the light turned green. Don't miss it.

[@fastinradfordable]

Sounds like an axle, or motor mount issue. Which 80s motor mounts were WOrE out by 100k Regardless of how smooth the engine was

[@Lucas_Schaar]

Those engines were made just a few miles from where I'm sitting right now. If you are ever in Lansing MI check out the R E Olds Museum downtown. They have prototypes of the quad 4 on display as well as some cool versions with large turbos!

[@SkaBob]

About the main thing we fixed on these was the ignition coil housing cracked or burned though. If it had a misfire that was probably all it needed.

[@stevebarr9604]

I had a Pontiac Grand Am with that engine and it was pretty fast and the only problem I ever had was the water pump and it was really hard to change considering it was ran from the timing belt or chain, I don't really remember! Never had any other issues with it!

[@edud8452]

Yep I had 92 grand am that water pump was a chore to change

[@matthewanderson7766]

Great engine I had a 92 skylark with a quad with 300000 and sold it still running

[@TheAutoSocietyNY]

I had a 93 achieva with 2.3L in it and used to romp on the Honda kids back then. I loved that car!!!

[@spencerguignet1210]

i miss my W41 so much, it was fun. Long tube header, eagle rods, ford brown tops, and custom flash. It was a giver past 9k.

[@cognito941]

I had a high out model in my skylark and loved it

[@bsgarey]

1989 Pont Grand AM. blew the head gasket at about 203,000. I loved this car.

[@herbderbler1585]

Those things were absolutely bizarre. I had an Oldsmobile Achieva, two door with a manual transmission, and that thing got a consistent 35mpg while being ridiculously zippy by the standards of the day. It was the 160hp version, so I have to imagine the 180hp version would have been hilarious to drive. It was definitely heavier than its contemporaries such as the Eclipse/Talon so arguably not as fast, but it was still downright impressive coming from a GM-made four cylinder in the 90's.

[@steve20118]

Loved my 89 Grand Am Quad 4. Great power, great mileage comfortable interior & ride. Key was catching head gasket early(around 100k). Sold it to an elderly lady with 139,000. Engine spud rod bearing at 169,000. Early dementia...forget to change OR check oil...

[@Stainlessslayer]

Had a 94 grand am with this engine. Moved well enough, got great mileage, and lasted 260,00 miles until transmission went out. Put it in another grand am, and it went another 70,000 until it's trans failed. They were excellent.

[@rulerofthemoon]

I had a brand new Calais in 1988 with this engine. It’s the reason I avoided the grand am. Had some issues, ignition coils failed twice but were warranted. Performance was stunning for the time.

[@nicksmith9619]

I had a 1995 Grand Am GT 5-speed with the 2.3 quad 4. Great engine. Good mpg.

[@ya472]

I loved the QUAD in my 1989 Grand Am. That car could move, and fuel mileage was excellent. Unfortunately, spark plugs would seize in the aluminum head, an expensive procedure. But now my Favorite car is the 2022 Kona N-line AWD. Incredible. (I have owned 200 various vehicles, including Camaro, Firebird, Chevelle SS, Cougar, Mustang, etc.)

[@captainkirk4514]

My wife and I had a 1989 Olds Calis with the high output version of the quad4. I looked up the engine vin code number and it was rated at 210 horsepower. I'm not sure why that engine was not listed in this video. It was one of the most impressive 4 cyl engine I ever seen for the time. It had the best of both worlds. Performance and really good fuel economy. You punch the the throttle, it didn't move, it launched. That particular quad4 had a lot of low end torque. Fuel economy was 35mpg highway. Yes, the engine had a bad rap for head gaskets, the the water pump, and the timing chain guides. We had to replace both of those. When the head gasket finally went, we had enough, and sold the car. We now have the modern erideration of the quad4 in a 2016 Equinox, and it's pretty pathetic! The horsepower is mediocre at best and fuel economy is less than desirable. A true gutless wonder! How does GM do it? How do they take an engine, which was ahead of its time, re-engineer it and make it worse. That takes true talent!

[@lescobrandon1011]

I had a 95 Grand Am with this engine. other than occasionally running hot, it was a pretty good engine.

[@howlinhog]

Back in the eighties I was sent to one of my many GM training classes in Saginaw. And there it was on an engine stand in all its glory, the Quad 4. I fell in love immediately. Not long after, it started showing up in new vehicles and I was back in Saginaw for more training, but this time it was on the Quad 4. I still say it is one of GM's engines with the most pound for pound potential ever! I was surrounded by techs who hated it. Didn't care, I quickly realized that their problems with repairs was from their incompetence! That was and is a great motor, all the naysayers are stupid, incompetent and at the least, poorly informed. I get the same stupid talk about the 700R4. The Quad 4 had some issues with head gaskets that can be attributed to poor assembly practices, and the 700 never lost its bad rep from the original 700s having a heat treatment issue in the rear planetary. IT NEVER REAPPEARED. It's the same with the Quad head gaskets, put it together properly and it won't happen again.

[@bborkzilla]

I remember the N-Body Oldsmobile Calais. A friend had one, while I had a Buick Somerset. That Quad 4 was a much quieter engine than the Iron Duke Buick used.

[@lloydbylsma28]

I had one in a grand am. I had the HO version. Thay were known for blowing head gaskets. GM rebuilt mine twice. These cars were insane. In street races between lights I could outrun anything, from tuners to corvettes. Top speed +-220 kph. pretty good for a 4 cylinder.

[@ouiroc]

I had one in a Grand Am it was a monster

[@andresferrari5859]

As a long time tech (over 40 yrs.) I have more than a little experience with this engine. Overall, they were not difficult to to service and/or repair. Especially when compared to many of today's engines. But they had issues, too many, that could have been resolved had they developed it more and put a little bit more money into it. As I recall, head gasket and timing chain issues were not uncommon. Ignition issues were common as well but easy to resolve and repair, but expensive as I recall. The biggest issue revolved around that they were rough engines, and not quiet. I liked the motors and had one in an old clunker. It ran well with good power and MPG was at least decent. But the truth was that this engine was another of GM's engines that looked good on paper but were never what they should have been because they were released before they should have been,.... and GM took too many years working the bugs out of them.

[@StrangerTurboRanger]

Anyone that has been a mechanic after these things were out of warranty has not forgotten them, or the chain driven water pump that would dump the antifreeze into the crank case mimicking a bad head gasket and being a complete PITA to replace said water pump. many people wound up running them with the water dumping into the crankcase until the whole thing failed.

[@TheMailmanOfSteel]

Great engines destroyed by GM's legendary '80s and '90s quality control. Saw lots of dead ignition modules and cracked SOHC Quad 4 heads, but when they were running they screamed.

[@hailstorm1986]

Oldsmobile mated two of these together to create a quad-V8 which was capable of over 300hp and originally was going to be in the Aurora but instead, they used a smaller 4.0 Northstar engine..

[@JrZCarZ]

It was never offered in the Beretta GTU, it was in the 90-93 Beretta GTZ and only offered with the 5 speed in those years, and a 1 year only Z26 in 94

[@mmasque2052]

I had a 1990 Beretta GTZ with the high output Quad 4. Probably the zippiest car i ever owned. And the best thing is that it didn’t look much different from the more basic models unless you knew what to look for. In 1991, i drove from Ohio to Las Vegas and came back along Interstate 10 through Arizona, New Mexico snd into Texas. I had righed up a CB radio to listen and talk to truckers along the way; the best way to stay up to date on road conditions. Going through New Mexico, i was cruising along with about half a dozen trucks around 100 mph. That engine wasn’t even breathing hard. We got passed by a woman with kids in a red Pontiac Sunfire like we were sitting still. Some of the truckers commented about it and then a trucking heading west reported NM State Patrol doing flying speed checks a few miles ahead of us. “Shame she didn’t have a radio so we could warn her,” One of the truckers said. “Give me the left lane,” I replied, “I’ve got just the car to catch her.” They did. I put pedal to the floor and you could hear the difference when the extra valves came into play. “HO-LEE SH*T!” A trucker said just as i caught up to her, my speedometer was buried past the 130 mph top reading and i was still accelerating, “What do you have in that thing?” “I’ll tell you later. Let’s see if she understands sign language.” A horn toot, a couple ‘slow down’ gestures and pointing to the sky got her to slow down and drop back and we passed the sky check creeping along at 65 mph. You know you’ve got something when you can surprise a trucker. Had that car for 12 years and 172,000 miles. Had to replace the head gasket once, still within time and mileage to be covered by a special policy and the water pump once (along with timing chain since it had to be removed to get to the pump) and basic tune-ups but i had very little problems with that car.

[@carlc5748]

Wow, really liked reading your story! Nice that you took it upon yourself to warn that lady, and you had the car to do the job. I never knew of the power of these engines before. I had a first year, 1989 Ford Taurus SHO, and that car was a blast to drive. Maybe GM had that iteration of the Quad 4, as a response to the SHO Taurus. The SHO Taurus got the same mileage as the regular 3.0 V6 Taurus engine, but the SHO had pretty close to double the power output of the regular 3.0 Taurus engine.

[@tholtan]

I was given an '88 Cutlass Ciera International Edition by my mom. Her mechanic assessed a leaking head gasket (common on these), but the car lasted us over a year before it blew up. That was certainly the peppiest 4door rocketship I've ever owned and boy was it fun to drive. The car was silver and to be honest, nearly invisible in traffic for whatever reason. Nobody expected this car to have the punch it did. I'd buy another in a heartbeat. Head gasket aside, we only had the steering shaft weirdness some GM cars had where the whole steering wheel would feel loose side to side. Cheap fix.

[@analogkid4557]

I had a 89 Grand Am with the H.O. Quad 4. That thing was great and beat up on a lot of people that thought they had quick cars.

[@christopherpoucher483]

A friend had a cavalier that was pretty impressive with that motor

[@apollogeerman8063]

It was called the Twin Cam when it was under the Cavalier hood

[@christopherpoucher483]

I had the 2.4 twin in my 99 my buddys 95 cavalier had a 2.3

[@domecrack]

I don't know how they got one of the Dead Milkmen to narrate this, but I love it

[@andysteele4056]

He drove it up here from the Bahamas

[@domecrack]

@@andysteele4056 I'm, like, all hopped up on cough syrup right now, so just, like, never mind.

[@rporestorations]

"Punk rock girl" is one of my favorites.

[@comajoebuck999]

Bitchen’ Camaro

[@andysteele4056]

@@rporestorations bitchin camaro! bitchen camaro!

[@guardrail2897]

Actually, the engine you're showing was the 2.3L Quad 4. And was discontinued in 1995. After that, it was a 2.4L and called the Twin Cam. The Quad 4 name was dropped upon the arrival of the 2.4L.

[@dpaulak]

worked at Pontiac Dealer, loved those engines

[@stepheneickhoff4953]

My 95 Skylark was great-- never worried that I wouldn't have enough power when I needed it. I got rid of it when I had to start replacing ignition coils at every other oil change. It just started eating them up for some reason. No one knew why.

[@chev500l8]

Moisture gets between the coils and the pad they mount too, burns them up, was a problem on 3800 v6 's with higher mileage