1999 Pontiac Grand Prix 3.1L coolant problem

Hi, Here is the deal. My son bought car and found full of bars leak. We were told intake gasket was bad and had it supposedly changed, doesn't look like it was apart to me but I know nothing. Car still uses antifreeze. None in the oil, radiator builds up pressure when running and overflows when cap is removed. None on the ground either. This leads my friend to believe it has a cracked head. So I guess my question is could it still be the intake(my friend says the intake won't put pressure and bubbles in the radiator) or is it for sure a head gasket or cracked head, my friend says it is for sure a bad head. Oh, the guy who put the intake gasket in said he did a leak down test on the cylinders and there was no problem, so it is a head problem this also leads me to believe he didn't put the intake gasket in. Thanks for any info with this problem, Kirk

Reply to
Kirk Frei
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After I changed the lower manifold gasket on a 98 Montana it wasn't real obvious that the top of the engine had been apart. Especially after a few weeks of use. The guy should be able to give you some documentation of the work done. About a year ago GM released an update gasket, manifold bolts and torque specs.

Reply to
DonW

Reply to
Kirk Frei

You are right, that "was" a mistake. Unless he could prove that the aftermarket gasket had the updates that the GM gasket has.....he would be wasting your time. Unfortunately....there are many folks (on these newsgroups too) that seem to believe that anything OEM is evil. Or that some aftermarket gasket like Fel-Pro is the best. Possibly, but in reality, they probably made the first shitty gasket for GM. In most cases, GM gaskets are simply made by one of the aftermarket gasket manufacturers to their specs. Is it the "specs" or the "manufacturer" that causes the problems? Probably a bit of both.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

I did the same repair recently in my 95 Grand Am. I used the Felpro gasket from Autozone. It has been fine since. So is your antifreeze level going down? If it is then there is a leak. If it's not in the oil then it's just leaking out of the area the gasket was and is evaporating on the engine/tranny housing. If the level isn't going down then you don't have a leak. If the repair guy did the job right then you won't be able to tell it was taken apart. You can't on mine aside from one oversided bolt from a broken bored out bolt hole. But he should have used the GM specs. If he didn't then you should talk to him about a refund. If it is still leaking he did not do the job right. Look for evidence of leakage around where the thermostat housing meets the block. Use some Gunk Engine Brite you can get from autozone and thoroughly clean that area. Then drive it a week and then inspect it again. You'll be able to tell if there is a leak there. If there is definitely demand a refund from the incompetent mechanic and use the GM torque specs as grounds. Tell him small claims court is an option if he resists. As long as there's no antifreeze in the oil.

Reply to
Cage

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