Engine, 3.8L (231 cu in) V6, 3800, balance shaft (VIN C)

Years 1988–91 Models 4

Also described as Engine, 3800 3.8L V6, multiport fuel injectionEngine, 3.8 L V6, BuickEngine, 3.8L V6, multiport fuel injection

Also documented for Oldsmobile Pontiac

Documented applications

Electra — C-body, front-drive (1985–1990)

1988–1990 Single-source

VIN code C; 165 hp, with a balance shaft; Wikipedia's Electra article names the LN3 from 1988 and its Buick V6 article gives it to the 1988–1990 Electra; the 1989 NICB manual prints VIN C for 1988–1989; gnttype.org's tables end at 1987

LeSabre — H-body (1986–1991)

1988–1991 Single-source

165 hp in 1988, 170 hp in 1991 with tuned port injection; replaced the optional 3.8 L for 1988 (Wikipedia's LeSabre article); the Buick V6 engine article lists the LeSabre for 1988–1991, but a second Wikipedia article is not independent; gnttype.org's VIN tables end at 1987 and the NICB manuals print no RPO codes

Reatta — E-body derivative (1988–1991)

1988–1990 Confirmed

the only engine for those years; Wikipedia's infobox gives the LN3 for 1988–1990 and the Reatta Owners Journal prints "LN3 - 3.8 engine" on its Reatta service-code list (two sources agree on the code; Wikipedia dates every year); no Buick or Chevrolet factory page for the Reatta is in the archive

Riviera — E-body (1986–1993)

1988–1990 Single-source

Wikipedia's Riviera article says the LN3 was used from 1988 until 1990 and its Buick V6 article lists the 1988–1990 Riviera under LN3 (VIN code C); the two articles are one source; matched to the car by meaning; decoderpo.com's GM-wide dictionary reads LN3 as the 3.8L V6 multiport fuel injection engine but names no vehicle

This page aggregates every documented appearance of LN3 in the Buick reference. Confidence and citations are shown per application — the same code can be better documented in one year than another.