Good morning: I several issues with this car that has 191,000 miles on it. Great Car!!!!! 1. Losing coolant slowly, is this engine suseptible to gasket failures as the 3800II engines???? 2. Drivers door does not lock sometimes intermittent power actuator??? 3. A/C air is cold enough but the blower volume is insufficient have replaced blower motor and it seems to run at full speed 4. Code 41 cam sensor postion fault. Is it more likely with 191,000 miles on it that the magnet has fallen off than a bad sensor???? Thanks Arne

Good morning: I several issues with this car that has 191,000 miles on it. Great Car!!!!! 1. Losing coolant slowly, is this engine suseptible to gasket failures as the 3800II engines???? 2. Drivers door does not lock sometimes intermittent power actuator??? 3. A/C air is cold enough but the blower volume is insufficient have replaced blower motor and it seems to run at full speed 4. Code 41 cam sensor postion fault. Is it more likely with 191,000 miles on it that the magnet has fallen off than a bad sensor???? Thanks Arne

Welcome to AutomotiveForums, Arnea!

1)The series one motor never had the head gasket problems it's successor did, but I wouldn't rule that possibility out. About how much coolant are you losing? How often do you need to refill?

2)The lock actuators in these car are VERY prone for failure, I've had my share of experience with them:disappoin . They cost between 30-70 dollars new, depending on the brand and where you buy them, but I got 2 from the junk yard for $25. FYI, the actuator is the same for both front and back doors as long as they are from the same side of the car.

3)Check vaccuum hoses (the vaccuum pump is the black box on the firewall right next to the master cylinder) I recently found that the insufficient airflow in my '92 was due to a deteriorated blower box, the housing where the blower motor attaches to had moisture build-up underneath and the plastic finally just crumbled at the very bottom. (I'm guessing that the drain hole got clogged and the condensation just stayed trapped inside the box) I rolled underneath the car with the A/C on and I felt the cool air blowing right out of the damaged area (appx. 4in x 1/2in crack!) I tried using a tube of black silicone for a makeshift repair, but I felt only a slight improvement:banghead:

4)My '92 got the code 41 about 3 years ago, it had somewhere around 146,000 miles at the time. With that many miles, it's highly advised that the sensor, magnet and timing set (chain and sprockets) all be replaced at the same time. With 191,000 on your car, if you have never changed the timing set before, it's time to, now! Typically the 3800 is due a timing set change at 150k, so yours has lasted a good while!

Good luck with everything!

Thanks LoeKee 75: The coolant leak is slow but it is there. I loose the entire coolant overflow and some of the radiator level over 1 thousand miles. Can it be the intake mmanifold gaskets????? Also do you have to drop the oil pan to get the timing cover off????? Thanks Arne

The coolant leak is due to the lower intake manifold gaskets breaking down and allowing coolant to leak into the engine. The series 1 gaskets are made the same way as the series 2 (but not interchangeable), so they have the same problems. Make sure you get a new plastic coolant elbow before you pull the manifold, as your chance of breaking the old one is about 99.9%. You want to do this soon as antifreeze in your oil is very bad for you bearings!

You don't need to drop the oil pan to remove the front engine cover, just a few oil pan bolts.

Thanks LoeKee 75: The coolant leak is slow but it is there. I loose the entire coolant overflow and some of the radiator level over 1 thousand miles. Can it be the intake mmanifold gaskets????? Also do you have to drop the oil pan to get the timing cover off????? Thanks Arne

Have you thoroughly inspected your radiator, and all cooling system hoses for leaks? A small leak can simply run along a hot radiator, hose, or anywhere around the block where the hoses connect, and evaporate before even dripping to the ground. Don't assume the head gasket is blown until you cover all the bases first. In 1,000 miles, in my opinion, a slow but present EXTERNAL leak may be present and could cause the loss of coolant you're experiencing.

Is the motor oil discolored? Does the exhaust have a "sweet" smell to it? Did you check under the carpet, passenger side floor pan, for coolant possibly heater core?

1st, the Vin-L 3800 in your car doesn't have the problematic coolant elbow or intake gasket design that the vin-k 3800's do. The coolant leak is probably due to the plastic screw-in hose nipple that comes out under the alternator or the water pump bearing has failed and it is leaking out the "weep hole" in the water pump casting.

The code 41 could be either, but I'd bet it's the magnet not the sensor.

The timing cover can be removed without dropping the oil pan, but since it's a relatively simple job (nothing in the way), I'd replace the oil pan gasket (a weak point on these engines) while I had the timing cover off if you're keeping the car. You'll also need a special harmonic balancer puller to get the timing cover off.

Can you replace the sensor without using the special postioning too GM J37089???Thanks Arne

yes you can, but you're taking a chance of it getting munched up by the harmonic balancer. With an assistant, you can get the sensor positioned so it has an equal size gap on each side of the reluctor (part of the balancer), then have the assistant tighten the nut from the bottom. I know of people whom have used a narrow strip of paper folded to get the right thickness, tehn shoved in the gap, and tightened the sensor themselves, but that is a frustraing way to attempt it.

Rich brings up a good point but I heard you can use a rubber band on the early 90's 3800 VIN "L" engines pre Series I and II according to our GM resident expert. BTW - Seriously. See link below. :dunno:

Click here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=618623&highlight=rubber+band)

Thanks for the reply guys... Does the tool exist anywhere??? Also the car has 192,000 miles on it. Would it make sense to replace the harmonic balancer while i have it off????Thanks AQrne

Probably not a bad idea to replace the harmonic balancer. As far as the special tool new costs around $350 plus. You may be able to find a used one on EBay.

All the J37089 special tool does is help center the sensor and so there should be no effect on timing if you decide on going with the cheaper alternative methods described above.

$350 buys a lot of rubber bands...Thanks Arne...... PS. I am going to replace the timing gears and chain and cam sensor while I am in the area. Does anyone know if the cam sensor magnet comes with a replacement timing gear or do I have to purchase it separately??? Anything else I should replace????The waterpump is fairly new...Arne

$350 buys a lot of rubber bands...Thanks Arne...... PS. I am going to replace the timing gears and chain and cam sensor while I am in the area. Does anyone know if the cam sensor magnet comes with a replacement timing gear or do I have to purchase it separately??? Anything else I should replace????The waterpump is fairly new...Arne

Firstly, buy the timing chain and gears. I can't remember if it comes with the magnet. Open the package at the auto parts store and look. If it comes with it, good. If it doesn't, just say, "oh, and one more thing...."

order the timing gear set and the magnet does not come with the gear...Arne

I am going to change the crankshaft postion sensor since I am working in the area. What is the best way to adjust it without having the tool. Than thanks aren

When changing the timing gear set...should the chain tensioner be replaced along with the harmonic balancer pulley???the car has 192,000 miles. Thanks Arne

Yes!!

Arnea, your two threads posted on a very similar subject, have been merged into your original thread. This is to prevent duplicate post and advice on the same subject. Thank you for your future cooperation.

1st, the Vin-L 3800 in your car doesn't have the problematic coolant elbow or intake gasket design that the vin-k 3800's do.

While you are correct about the coolant elbow(opps:eek:), the series 1 gasket is constructed in the exact same manner as the series 2. I have also had to replace my series 1 Buick's LIM gaskets, and they were degraded in the exact same way as my series 2 Bonneville. Just something to keep in mind.:wink:

Since i am draining the coolant, replacing some hoses any way and doing the timing chain should i just replace the intake mainifold gasket with 192,000 miles on it???? ( it doesn't appear to be leaking although I am losing some coolant in the overflow tank very slowly)Arne




While you are correct about the coolant elbow(opps:eek:), the series 1 gasket is constructed in the exact same manner as the series 2. I have also had to replace my series 1 Buick's LIM gaskets, and they were degraded in the exact same way as my series 2 Bonneville. Just something to keep in mind.:wink:

Since i am draining the coolant, replacing some hoses any way and doing the timing chain should i just replace the intake mainifold gasket with 192,000 miles on it???? ( it doesn't appear to be leaking although I am losing some coolant in the overflow tank very slowly)Arne

How slowly are you losing coolant? How long does it take to drop an inch? While evaporation does occur, it shouldn't drop more than an inch in a few months.

the overflow bottle empties out between oil changes at 3000 miles....


How slowly are you losing coolant? How long does it take to drop an inch? While evaporation does occur, it shouldn't drop more than an inch in a few months.

That definitely indicates coolant loss.:frown: Assuming you don't have a tiny leak somewhere that is whizzing out coolant under pressure, I would suspect the LIM gaskets. I think you have enough on your plate now, so you could wait a little bit to do the job. You'll need to change the oil after you do the job, so you could time it with an oil change. The thing that tipped me off to a leaky gasket, besides the coolant loss, was a little trail of highly concentrated green ooze seeping out from under the LIM. You are topping off the expansion tank to make up for loss right? I wouldn't just let it drop between oil changes.:nono: