Timing belt breaks are never a welcome occurrence, and the severity results can vary from just a simple replacement to significant internal engine damage. Unfortunately, the cambelt snapping on this 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme has resulted in the car sitting idle for over 10 years, so there’s a possibility the decade-ago failure may have wreaked some havoc inside the V6. Potentially better news is this one’s a convertible, and it’s priced at only $900, so perhaps the low cost will be enough to entice somebody to get to work here. This Olds is located in the beautiful Pocono Lake Preserve area of eastern Pennsylvania, and can be found here on Craigslist. We’d like to thank reader Mitchell G. once again for providing another tip here!
The Cutlass Supreme went from being the top-selling convertible in the United States in 1972 to being dropped from the lineup when the third-generation was introduced the following year, with the droptop not reappearing until 1990. In 1995, some 4,490 ragtops were produced before this option disappeared again for the final time. About the only information we get from the seller regarding the condition is that the car has been weathered, and no attempt has been made to clean up or even wash the exterior. Hopefully, underneath all that dirt and grime will be a body that’s not overly deteriorated, although it’s sort of hard to speculate how solid the sheet metal remains.
For 1995, the standard engine for the Cutlass Supreme was a 3.1-liter V6, which received a factory horsepower rating of 160. Some good news here is that this one came with the upgraded V6, a 3.4 featuring a DOHC that raised that number to 210. The seller tells us the car was running well until the belt issue, which is said to have happened at a slow speed. He also mentions that the engine will still turn over, so perhaps it’s worth digging into and investigating the components inside before settling on a replacement powerplant.
It would have been nice if a tarp had been thrown over the canvas to prevent any water from flowing into the interior, and it looks like quite a bit of moisture damage can be found inside. However, for just $900, maybe this 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible could turn into a decent project for those on a budget who’ve got the know-how to make the needed repairs. Is this one worth all the effort that will be required here?
Not sure Stephens. 😕 🤔
Probably another call 📞 to our friends at 1-800-the-hook 🛻🪝
Agreed
yea the belt failed at low speed……
A quick web search says that while the 3.4 DOHC was considered a non-interference engine, failure at high RPMs can result in interference and the resulting catastrophic damage. I suspect that the seller has seen that as well, thus the unverifiable “low RPMs” comment in the listing.
If the body is solid (a dubious proposition, given that unless the owner put it away every winter it would have been driven during PennDOT’s peak years for calcium chloride use, combined with the fact that they’ve allowed the car to sink into the mud to the point that the underside is now lying on the ground), unless it can easily be determined that the current 3.4 DOHC still has excellent compression (no valve, head, or piston damage), the prudent course of action would likely be a 3800 swap, or maybe even an LS4, as the 3.4 was a low volume option, and parts for low volume GM engines of this era tend to be hard to find.
t belt broke slow speed or not then the motor is junk. sitting 10yrs this is now a parts car. maybe 500.00 or less
Another one for the history books!!
Twenty seven days on the market at $900 and no takers is a reflection of the level of interest in this car. As has demonstrated regularly on this site, good deals don’t last.
Steve R
Having had 3 w-bodies with the 3.4 DOHC. I had 2 throw the timing belt, both were repaired with no internal damage. However working on these cars with this engine is a complete nightmare. I was told by the Pontiac dealer with the Grand Prix GTP that the final assembly line check on these cars were they poured a bucket of water over the engine and if any water comes out of the bottom they know something was missed, I thought that was funny but the repair cost in 1995 was 750 dollars. Also, over the years having talked with other owners of these. It has been said that the best method of maintenance on these is every 50000 miles drop the engine cradle replace the timing belt, water pump, alternator at one time.
I had one of these, and it was truly deserving of the title “Rocket Oldsmobile”.
Tossed the belt at about 55 and survived with no damage to the engine. The biggest problem I had was finding body parts for it after a raccoon strike, as the convertible had some specialty side parts that were no longer available and had to be fabricated.
Unfortunate that they let it set out in the weather. Could have been a nice car, but now it’s probably not not worth much more than parts for another one.
This will make twenty, nice, new Chinese washing machines.
It’s not a bad looking car. If you like it and can check it out in person it might be a decent deal. Other than the mold and tree droppings it doesn’t look to be in bad shape, but only an in-person examination would tell. I have never had one of these so don’t have any idea about how much work it is to fix it. Good luck to the buyer.
If it were closer I’d sure that a chance
These cars in good condition can often be found for $10K or less. Why take the chance on this pig in a poke? Because of the “rare” color combo?
Crusher Bait. ‘Nuff said !!!!
I don’t know. If the tranny is still good a engine shouldn’t be that hard to find. What I’d be worried about is rust how much I may have to invest in internal electricals. The body looks salvageable.