and i thought the 3800 was solid

[car audio dave]

well, i took the olds into the dealer for a routine (sp?) oil change. i asked him to check why my coolant reservoir keeps emptying. i knew to look for the standard leaks like on the 3400, but no drips. i also couldnt smell dexcool.

well i get a call, the crank case is FULL of dexcool. theres also a small leak at the water pump. apparently, the dexcool was leaking INTO the oil rather than to the outside of the engine like the GA. well thats not the kinda leak that you let continue, so the car is under the knife now.

$1000 = new gaskets, coolant flush, new spark plug wires, redesigned upper intake manifold.

$350 = new water pump with lifetime warranty

$350 = new lower intake manifold.

all of this with 33000 miles on the car. Oh yea...GM really knows how to build an engine. (to help their dealers make some money.)

at least the car should have slightly more power when i get it back this week. well see...i am getting 10% off since sandys gaskets were also changed at the dealership and my water pump was also changed there in the GA.

[RocketFast321]

Man you getting rip off on that water pump, and on the plugs and wires most likely. I believe the dealer charges like $17 per plug.

[RomeoGAOC]

the 3800 is a very reliable and strong engine. you must have gotten a factory flub because after 33k miles, you shouldnt be having any problems whatsoever.

[lamonpat]

My 2,3L OHC was leaking antifreeze too when I sold the GrandAm at the end of March. And it only had 79000 km, with the head gasket remplaced at only 48000 km 2 years ago and a half ago.

[DontPassTheFence]

yea, my LD9 died at 90K miles, spun bearing number 3. and the new engine is perfect, but the motor mount is shattered into 3 pieces. GM is all about shoddy workmanship. My 89 Retta GT -- cylinder head cracked, my dad's 95 GAGT (QUAD DOHC) overheated a lot. and, uhm... my mom's 04 cavy (2.2L eco) has a rough idle and leaks a little bit of oil... Not to rag on GM, since I still love htem through all my shitty endeavors with them, they need to step up the quality, just a bit.

then again, on the flip side of the coin, my Grandma's 01 GASE (3400) is fine, runs smooth. I wish it was a 5speed, though.

[car audio dave]

well i got them to include the spark plugs for free, they originally wanted $1000 for just the gasket change.

oh and i got 10% off everything...the prices i gave were before the discount.

the car use to be my grandmothers, and then my uncle drove it. chances are the oil wasnt changed regularly, and it was not taken care of very well i guess.

[99blackSE]

yeh 3800's are tough :shit:
Ours Olds is still going strong, now has ~90,000 km on it. Me and my sis beat some ricer Teggy in the city with it lol.

[Prospeeder]

havent u seen the bonnevilles with the 3800, going on 300k miles and still running stong with minimal problems, and no rebuilds, u musta got a lemon, or one that the factory ****ed up on the gasket, who knows

[car audio dave]

yea well now its all fixed. ill bet it was low on coolant for a while and my uncle never checked. that probably dried out the gasket, now that i think of it. or maybe the oil wasnt changed often enough...i totally expected the engine to be the 300k mile warrier that hear so much about.

apparently they had an updated upper intake manifold, so they threw that in as well. you know...it was the same price ($1000) to fix the gaskets on the GA, but that didnt include the upper intake manifold.

[92CamaroRS]

You got ripped sooo bad, a new waterpump costs like $30, and then 30 minutes to change it.

[car audio dave]

well my dad didnt want me to do any work, and he paid for it all, so i dont care, plus its GM parts and GM warranty. water pump has lifetime warranty.

[Night Wolf]

water pump for my 3800 was $40.... and I have a lifetime warrantee too

BTW... what you describe.... err.... you have DEXcool... not a surpries at all... Dexcool is known for eating the gaskets internally and causing lots of rust....

do a google search for dexcool lawsuits... you'd be surprised.

[Prospeeder]

True^^^ ****, we got got that shit in our car, the freaking mechanic put it in, my dad mixes it with the stuff that says can mix with green or orange coolant, so he puts that in

[car audio dave]

well ive heard mixed reviews on dexcool, but my dealership will only use dexcool. im sure its all about how my uncle abused the car, chances are he never changed the oil or checked his fluids, so im just lucky the engine isnt blown.

BTW im about a month into the new stuff and its running great. i still get around 25 mpg, not much acceleration, but its solid. i have the GA if i want speed.