back in the day i had a 2000 malibu with a 3.1L and also used to have a 2.8L s10... both motors were crap. the 3.1L had massive overheating problems and i replaced the intake manifold gasket twice, water pump twice and thermostat twice... after that i got tired of messing with it so i sold it... definitely wont own another 3.1L from GM again... the 2.8 in the s10 wasnt so bad i guess, just the transmission was sh!t... thats just my and experience with these motors...