GM 3.1 and 3.4 litre gasket situation, revisited

As I mentioned on an early post, I contacted Federal Mogul FelPro for a comment on the gasket/sealing problem for the GM applications.

To clarify for newcomers, the 3.1 and 3.4 engines can have rapid failures due to leaks at gaskets. GM has 'developed' a new gasket, supposedly, but it does not seem to be widely available. It is not known whether this is a fix or a bandaid.

The later 3.8 litre engines have a problem of a different nature. It seems to stem from distortion or decomposition of plastic plenums, due at least in part to locallized heating. This problem is different from the one mentioned above.

Anyway, FelPro responded as follows:

"" Larry,

Fel-Pro is aware of the sealing challenges facing the late model GM 3.1L and 3.4L. Our current intake design varies slightly from the O.E. design in order to help resolve some of the sealing problems with this engine. We are currently researching alternative designs with the goal of introducing a part to the aftermarket that will permanently fix theses sealing problems. But as of now these designs are still in development.

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.

Jxx Dxxxxx Product Manager - Fel-Pro Gaskets