Other Engine Info: Name Plate: Chev, Pont, Olds, Buick
Plant City: Orion
Plant Company Name: NA-GM Corp
Plant Country: United States (USA)
Plant State: Michigan
Seat Belts All: Manual
Series: SE
Vehicle Type: PASSENGER CAR
Windows: 4
Model year
COMPONENT
Complaint
1998
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
NOTICED SLOW LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT (NO OBVIOUS LEAKS) OVER THE MONTH PRIOR TO INCIDENT DATE. ON INCIDENT DATE, ENGINE POPPED, BANGED, AND RAN EXTREMELY ROUGH ON START-UP. I HAD READ ABOUT A PROBLEM WITH THE 3.8 LITER V-6 GM ENGINE, AND BROUGHT VEHICLE TO DEALER. DEALER FOUND WARPED/CRACKED PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD, WHICH WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $700. PONTIAC/GM WOULD NOT CONSIDER ANY COST SHARING ON THE REPAIR. FAILURE WAS IN AREA OF MANIFOLD/PLENUM WHERE THROTTLE BODY/EGR VALVE MOUNT, AND IS DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT BUILD-UP OVER TIME. THIS PROBLEM IS A DESIGN DEFECT (USE OF PLASTIC MANIFOLD VS. METAL IN HIGH TEMPERATURE APPLICATION) ON THIS AND SEVERAL OTHER GM V6 ENGINE TYPES FROM 1995 TO AT LEAST 2002. GM INSTALLS THESE ENGINES IN VARIOUS MODELS OF PONTIACS, BUICKS, OLDSMOBILES, AND I BELIEVE SOME CHEVROLETS. I ESTIMATE THAT GM HAS WELL OVER 1,000,000 OF THESE PROBLEM ENGINES IN VEHICLES, AND THEIR POTENTIAL COST LIABILITY IS IN THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. I DON'T EXPECT THEM TO INITIATE A RECALL WITHOUT GOVERNMENT MANDATE. IN OTHER CASES I HAVE RESEARCHED, THIS PROBLEM HAS APPARENTLY LED TO COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE, AND IN SOME CASES, ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES. *LA
1996
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1996 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE PLASTIC MANIFOLD IN ENGINE FROM MANUFACTURE BROKE CAUSING DEX COOLANT TO LEAK INTO ENGINE DESTROYING SEALS/HEAD GASKETS. REPLACE AT DEALER GASKET,GASKET KIT,VALVE,VALVE KIT,UPPER MANIFOLD, LOWER MANIFOLD RESEAL,COOLANT. DEALER DOES NOT HONOR RECALL. *TR