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    Fuzzy match across codes, option descriptions, and model aliases. Every result is graded and, where the factory documents it, cited.

    Source document

    docs/rpo/pontiac/sunbird-gen3.md

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    Rendered verbatim from the reference. Factory citations shown as ⛭ GM Heritage — …. For filtering, badges, and crosslinks, use the interactive Sunbird — J-body (1988–1994) page.

    Pontiac Sunbird — third generation, J-body (1988–1994)

    The third-generation Sunbird (Wikipedia's "Series 2J") was Pontiac's front-drive J-body compact for the 1988–1994 model years, built at Lordstown, Ohio and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico (Wikipedia). The NICB VIN manuals list it as the Sunbird, Sunbird SE, Sunbird LE and Sunbird GT, with coupe, sedan, station wagon and convertible body types, and the 1998 manual gives the 1994 Sunbird a 2.0L I-4 MFI and a 3.1L V-6 MFI. No Pontiac order guide, data book, Heritage kit or service RPO list for the Sunbird is in the archive, so only powertrain codes are listed: Wikipedia's Sunbird, Family II and 60° V6 articles name and date the 2.0 L overhead-cam fours (LT2, LT3, LE4) and the 3.1 L V6 (LH0), and the Chevrolet Cavalier Heritage kits (its J-body twin) print LH0, the transmission ordering codes MM5 and MX1, and on their MVMA specification pages the transaxle unit codes MD9 (the 3 speed automatic) and MG2 (the V6's 5 speed manual), cited only for those shared codes. No source read ties an option, paint or trim code to the Sunbird, and 1993 has no Cavalier kit, so no transmission code is claimed for 1993.

    Codes

    Engines

    Code Description Years Models/Notes Confidence
    LT2 2.0 L L4, OHC, throttle-body fuel injection 1988–1991 the base engine; Wikipedia's Family II article lists the Sunbird among LT2's applications through 1991, and its Sunbird article names the carryover 2.0 L throttle-body four for 1988 and its replacement by the multi-port four for 1992; no Cavalier order-guide or specification page prints it (the 1991 kit's GM-wide VIN page, p.3, lists it, which is not the Cavalier's offering) single-source
    LT3 2.0 L L4, OHC, turbocharged, multi-port fuel injection 1988–1990 the GT's turbo engine, and in 1990 also the LE convertible's (Wikipedia); Wikipedia's Family II article lists the Sunbird among LT3's applications through 1990, and its Sunbird article says the turbo was dropped after 1990; no Cavalier kit page prints it single-source
    LE4 2.0 L L4, OHC, multi-port fuel injection 1992–1994 the base engine; Wikipedia's Family II article gives LE4 to the Sunbird for 1992–1994, and its Sunbird article dates the change from throttle-body to multi-port injection to 1992; 1994 also from the NICB 1998 manual (2.0L I-4 MFI, no RPO code); no Cavalier kit page prints it single-source
    LH0 3.1 L (191 cu in) V6, multi-port fuel injection 1991–1994 replaced the turbo four for 1991, when it could be ordered on every model but the new base value model (Wikipedia); Wikipedia's 60° V6 article lists the Sunbird for 1991–1994 and its Sunbird infobox prints LH0; 1993 rests on the 60° V6 article (there is no 1993 Cavalier kit); the kits print LHO (letter O); shared J-body code; cited from the Chevrolet Cavalier kit ⛭ GM Heritage — 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.13 · 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.11 · 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.16 confirmed

    Transmissions

    Code Description Years Models/Notes Confidence
    MG2 Manual transaxle, 5 speed 1991–1992 only in: V6; matched to the unit by meaning: Wikipedia's Getrag 282 article names MG2 as the 282's V6 version (from a 1987 GM service training manual) and the Sunbird among the 282's users, and its Sunbird article gives this generation the Getrag 282 and, from 1991, the 3.1 V6, and Consumer Guide's 1990–94 Sunbird review makes the 5 speed manual standard with the optional 3.1 V6 for 1991, but no Sunbird source dates the code; the kit's MVMA pages for the 3.1 V6 head the base manual line with MG2 (built by New Venture Gear); 1989 and 1990 are left out because the Sunbird had no V6 before 1991 (Wikipedia), and 1993 and 1994 because there is no 1993 kit and the listed 1994 pages print no MG2; shared J-body code; cited from the Chevrolet Cavalier kit ⛭ GM Heritage — 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.41 · 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.41 single-source
    MD9 Automatic transaxle, 3 speed (THM 125C) 1989–1992, 1994 matched to the unit by meaning: Wikipedia's Sunbird article gives this generation the 3 speed Turbo-Hydramatic 125C but prints no code; the kit's MVMA specification pages head the automatic line with MD9 (the 1989 automatic page names the unit the THM 125C), and its order guides sell the unit as MX1; 1994 from the MVMA final drive table; 1988 is left out because the 1988 kit names MD9 only inside a multi-unit power-steering weight remark ("1JC00 - 1JE00 & LL8 & MD9"), which dates no year, and 1991 cites p.41 because p.40 prints no legible model year; shared J-body code; cited from the Chevrolet Cavalier kit ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.39 · 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.41 · 1990 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.15 · 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.41 · 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.41 · 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.39 single-source
    MM5 Transmission, 5 speed manual (merchandised order code) 1989, 1991–1992, 1994 matched to the unit by meaning: Wikipedia's Sunbird article gives this generation a 5 speed Getrag 282 manual but prints no code; 1988, 1990 and 1993 are left out because no listed kit page of those years prints the code; shared J-body code; cited from the Chevrolet Cavalier kit ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.12 · 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.15 · 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.15 · 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.10 single-source
    MX1 Automatic transmission, 3 speed (merchandising code for the THM 125C) 1989, 1991–1992, 1994 matched to the unit by meaning: Wikipedia's Sunbird article gives this generation the 3 speed Turbo-Hydramatic 125C but prints no code; 1988, 1990 and 1993 are left out because no listed kit page of those years prints the code; shared J-body code; cited from the Chevrolet Cavalier kit ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.12 · 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.15 · 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.15 · 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier, p.10 single-source

    Sources

    Factory documents (T1)

    No Pontiac factory document for the Sunbird is in docs/factory-docs/ or docs/heritage-ocr/. The rows cite the Chevrolet Cavalier Heritage kits (J-body twin) for shared powertrain codes only, on their listed RPO pages:

    • [HK] chevrolet/1989-Chevrolet-Cavalier.txt — 1989 order guide, RS coupe and sedan (p. 12); 1989 MVMA specification pages, 2.0 L L4 transmissions (p. 39) and automatic transaxle (p. 41)
    • [HK] chevrolet/1990-Chevrolet-Cavalier.txt — 1990 MVMA specification page, 2.2 L L4 transmissions (p. 15)
    • [HK] chevrolet/1991-Chevrolet-Cavalier.txt — 1991 order guide, Z24 coupe (p. 13) and RS coupe and sedan (p. 15); 1991 MVMA specification page, 3.1 L V6 transmissions (p. 41)
    • [HK] chevrolet/1992-Chevrolet-Cavalier.txt — 1992 order guide, Z24 coupe (p. 11) and RS coupe and sedan (p. 15); 1992 MVMA specification page, 3.1 L V6 transmissions (p. 41)
    • [HK] chevrolet/1994-Chevrolet-Cavalier.txt — 1994 order guide, VL coupe and sedan (p. 10) and Z24 coupe (p. 16); 1994 MVMA specification page, 2.2 L L4 final drive table (p. 39)

    Other sources