Intake Gasket Failure Question

Why? The problem was well known and documented long before 2002.

As long as people keep buying their garbage designs, GM will keep cranking out garbage designs.

Well, wait until everyone starts seeing all the head gasket failures that we are seeing on the later model 3.4 engines. Of course, the head gaskets are simply seeping coolant to the exterior of the engine, but they are leaking all the same. Oh well, keeps me busy.

Ian

Damn never new about the Camshaft , what years were the problem must have been back in the 50's? I dont think a recurrent camshaft problem would continue like that in modern day with so much competition from Japanese. If what you say is true and just recently happened then I cant see how GM is still in business with that type of track record. I mean would you by another GM if you had a camshaft failure out of warranty. Engines today are not supposed to break any time soon with regular maintenance.

60s, 70s and 80s The earliest model year small block chevy I recall replacing a camshaft on because of worn lobes is a 1968.

Marion Barry was re-elected mayor of Washington DC -after- being busted for crack cocaine. Never under estimate the ability of the general public to make illogical decisions.

I've only owned two GM products; a Chevrolet W4 truck which was actually built by Isuzu, and a Cadillac Seville. The W4 was pretty decent, the Cadillac was a turd.

True for many companies, but not GM.

My family has been buying GM vehicles since forever... I dont recall any of the "engines" ever "breaking". The only engine I recall in the family having a break down was a toyota or honda with a failed timing belt. Not sure what your problem with GM is but for not owning any to speak of, you sure like to shove your biased opinion onto everyone.

I had a 2001 Malibu that suffered from piston slap.

At only 42,000 kms, GM had to replace the engine because the cylinder walls were so badly damaged from the pistons banging around.

That's "breaking" in my book, and it should not be happening.

Brad

=?ISO-8859-15?Q?Bon=B7ne=B7ville?= wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news-server.woh.rr.com:

I had the 2.2 engine head gasket problem, as did most other owners, but after replacing, the car was very reliable after that except for the normal items which need replacing with mileage. GM has had more than its share of engine problems recently which hit the owners in the pocketbook. You don't have 100% failure or 100% reliability on any vehicle. Sounds like your family has been very lucky.

Problem was most pronounced on the 307, but 350 and 400 of the same era had the same problems.The 307 "lived" from '71 to '73 for sure, possibly '70 too. Replaced by the 305 in '74. Problem was not totally gone yet in '76, where the cams would still go flat on some 350s and 400s.

2.2 Ecotec? I havent seen or heard of any issues like that with the Ecotecs. After doing regular maintenance on quite a few of those I've come to have a lot of respect for them. They're very well layed out and the only 4 cylinder engine I actually like, aside from antique motorcycle engines...

I'm talking about "engines breaking". GM engines are hard to break, unless you never pop the hood to check fluids... Luck has little to do with it. It has more to do with catching problems before they blow up in ones face. My dad had a jeep with a warped head... I wouldnt call that "breaking". My 3800 had a coolant leak that I addressed right away but the engine wasnt what I would call broke. Our cars havent been "without problems" but theres no reason to get a hair up ones ass over little issues like coolant leaks. I'd drop 600 bucks on a 3800 to have the gaskets and intake repaired "the way I fix them". That engine is worth the investment.

Impossible.

Sample size.

Maintenance item.

First; try not to take what I say personally. Second; I've been a mechanic for over 35 years, so my "opinions" are based upon what I've seen in those years. Third: I'm not shoving a damn thing, if you can't handle reading a dissenting viewpoint, you'd best leave usenet.

He wasn't talking about the Ecotec engine.

Your definition of "breaking" is different from what other people consider "breakage". The problems with the Gen II 3800 are quite a bit more then "little" issues. I guess you haven't encountered as many as I have that come in at certain mileages needing well over 2 grand worth of work just to fix "little coolant/oil leak issues". Pretty unacceptable for most folks that own them.

Ian

Ian, show him the pictures of the broken 3.1 camshaft, maybe

-that- fits his definition of "breaking." ;-)

Damn I was cross posting this stupid thread. No wonder it picked up so many damn trolls. I'm getting rusty...

2000, canadian, dealership... Yeah thats the standard I use, sure... Its more acceptable when they "shop around" and also relize there car isnt a shopping cart and they will need to pop the hood to check things. Cars will require investing some money in from time to time and thats a fact with any car. I "fix" the intakes and replace the upper and lower gaskets for $500-$600 US dollars and I reseal the oil pan gasket for about 150. The cost of 2 timing belt replacements on a honda is equal to or more than the one time repairs I do on a 3800's. That is if you dont have to replace worn out belt pulleys on the honda. Then the honda cost more in one shot...

Ah, so everyone disagreeing with you is a troll. Riiiigght...!

I don't think that you have standards. Probably why you like to extol the virtues of some of the crap that GM turns out.

Still 750 dollars too much on a low mileage engine that shouldn't need those types of repairs that early. Oh yeah, you missed the rear main seal housing gasket that splits all the time.....subframe and trans have to come out to repair that....I guess when you see one or two 3800's a year, you don't run into this. Either that, or you misdiagnose it as a leaking oil pan....and then wonder why you have to keep repairing it over and over again.

Ian

No, people whose soul reason for being in here is to attack GM are=20 trolling. I dont goto the toyota group and harass them about their crap.=20 If I needed some help from them I would politely ask for assistance on=20 an issue, not troll around their group bitching about their issues.

Boy if you werent a regular I would swear that is the exact type of=20 ignorant comment a troll would make. What does any of what I said there=20 have to do with what you just pounded out on your keyboard? I'm simply=20 pointing out that you are in canada, work in a "dealership", and you=20 never clarify the currency you are quoting.=20 Fact: Dealerships charge exuberant prices Fact: It takes more Canadian currancy to equal US currancy Fact: You belittle and berate GM as if they are the only car=20 manufacturer with issues.

Its a mechanical device made by man that is problem prone like all other=20 mechanical devices made by man. Get over it.

I extol GM because I

1. Dont work in a GM dealership so I dont get a pissy one sided=20 attitude.
2. unlike you, I work on non-GM cars, more than I want to.
3. Feel most GM vehicles are often simpler to work on.
4. know first hand other manufactures arent short on their own issues=20 and issues come with car ownership.

Most people dont worry out minor seepage from the oil pan and dont have=20 it done. They tend to leak less than most of the none GM cars I see at=20 that mileage. (what the hell do you think a Acura cost to seal if you=20 could seal all of their frig'n oil leaks) Usually upper/lower gaskets=20 and a upper intake fix is only 500. Oil, coolant, tstat, new EGR pipe=20 for pre 99's, etc etc run upto $650. A simple upper only fix is 350=20 bucks and thats what some people choose because at most the lower=20 gaskets only seep a little. (seepage is not uncommon with any make car.) Either way it still beats the majority of other non-gm engines in the=20 long term and short term. Most 3800's wont show issues until cold=20 weather comes around when they have about 60-80k miles on them here.=20 Most people consider 100k high mileage. So 70k to them wouldnt be a low=20 mileage engine.=20

Oh yeah, you missed the rear main

1 or 2? lol... Nope never missdiagnosed them because its never happened=20 to any of the cars brought to me. Considering I drive 3800's and know=20 many friends with high mileage 3800's who have never had this happen so=20 this is obviously something you are trying to over state or its canada's=20 cold weather doing a number on your seals.=20

Maybe you should find a job at a foreign car dealship since you cant=20 seem to tolerate GM from the sounds of it. I'm sure they will keep you=20 just as busy. With all your condescending of GM I'm suprised you have=20 anything to work on. Like cutting ones own throat. Pretty soon you might=20 just have to go somewhere else...and then begin bitching all over again=20 in another group.

In 1975 My father bought a new Volvo 245 DL. A friend, who worked in Sweden in Volvo service told my father: How it come that you buy this car? In the service where I work there are a bunch of broken engines. This car is still in garage in Belgrade-Serbia with cca 500k km and we didn't have any problem with it.

Boba Vancouver BC

160,000 Km is just getting broken in on a lot of cars - and other than the aggravating intake maninifold problems on 3800s, head gaskets on the old Cavalier 4 cyls, head gaskets on 3.4s, (de we see a pattern here) the engines are not too bad. Definitely no worse than ford's 3.8.

When GM had cam problems on SBCs, ford had valve guide issues, and self destructing bodies, and Chrysler? About then, they were barely surviving the Aspens and Volares. Rust and drivability issues were common.

I guess you are right....I still cant believe Bush was reelected. After what he brought us.............................high unemployment, high gas prices, war, death and destruction to innocent people women and children.

They must not own any 3.1 or 3.8 engines hoovering close to 100k miles, or they would know about the Intake gasket failures that happen like clock work. They may as well pull out there check book and start writing one for $800-900 payable to GM.