2002 w/ 3100 - losing coolant, and lots of sludge

[guitarfish]

Originally Posted by RD16

I have a 2002 Buick Century Limited...

Welcome. You should start a new thread, not resurrect an old one that is 7 years old.

Now to your question - the repair, if done correctly, will correct the factory flaw. Whether it's worth $1,600 - that's for you to decide. All the best...

[RD16]

Ok I will start a new thread. Thank you for your response.
So you are saying, if there are no other issues with it, its my preference: new car or not? But I will not see this problem anymore?

Thanks!

[RD16]

How do you start a new thread?

[rkvons]

Originally Posted by RD16

I have a 2002 Buick Century Limited. It has 20,000 miles on it. I have always kept the car in good shape and didnt even use it that much. Recently I was driving locally and the temp light came on and the temp gage was on H. I looked in the coolant tank and it was brown and sludgy. I took it to the mechanic and he said that oil and coolant had mixed and that I needed to replace the head gaskets and the intake manifold and the job would cost $1,600. I read that there is a manufacturer problem with these cars (regarding Dex Cool and the intake manifold, if this is indeed what initially caused it) and I was wondering if anyone had the same issue and had it fixed and the problem came back? I guess my concern is: should I put the money into it only to find that the bad oil went into other parts of the engine or other areas of the car or should i just start new and put the money towards a new car and start over? Once this problem is fixed will i see more problems related to it down the road? Is it ever really fixed? Let me add that the temp light never came on before this and there was no smoke and the engine wasnt even really that hot. I went from having a perfectly good car, to no car at all! Any advice would be helpful! Thank you.

I've had issues with my similar cars. You have only 20K miles on your car. I would fix it and keep it. The problem was a bad intake manifold gasket design. The ones that will be put on should be a correction and you should not have the issue again. However, it depends on how competent the mechanic is. Also, was there a water/oil mix in your crank case for very long? Did it overheat? Only you could best answer these questions.

[Tech II]

So, this "mechanic" looked at this vehicle, and decided both head gaskets needed replacement? Did he do any tests, or was this just an observation of the "stuff" in the reservoir? Was the oil on the dipstick brown? Was the reservoir empty? I believe the level sensor is in the radiator....was the level in the radiator ok? When removing the cap, you will probably find crud on the bottom of it.....that is what happens when dexcool and air start to mix.....If the level is ok in the radiator, that sensor is probably slimed up and has to be replaced, and the coolant flushed(that coolant should be flushed as part of the head or lower intake job)......

You say you do regular maintenance.....oil changes every 3,000 miles? How many miles since your last oil change?

Your car is 13 years old....that coolant should have been flushed at least twice by now.....

If the mechanic just looked at the reservoir, without doing any tests, I would get a second opinion......

That reservoir, will get a brownish build up over the course of 13 years without a flush.....

You have lost coolant......but you don't know where, without testing......for all you know, it could be a weeping water pump, or leaking radiator or hoses, etc.....

Whenever you lose coolant, you create an air pocket which will restrict coolant flow through the engine and cause it to overheat......

More than likely, you have probably have a lower intake leak, which is about half the cost of what you were quoted....

So what I would do, is get an oil change....flush out that reservoir, have the system "burped" of all air, and then check the lower intake for leaks......If heads are suspected, then the vehicle should be tested for a head leak.....

Whether it's lower intake or a head job, the coolant should be flushed, oil changed, thermostat replaced, and dummy distributor shaft seal and o-ring replaced....

[happydog500]

Originally Posted by guitarfish

Now, before anyone starts saying this is normal with Dexcool, I'll mention that I have a '98 and an '02 Grand Prix with Dexcool, they have 218,000 and 158,000 miles, respectively. My oil caps are bone dry. My coolant caps have only Dexcool on them. And my coolant recovery tanks are so clean they look new.

Do the 3100s have any known issues in this area? Whatya think?

I know a guy who got in an accident and wasn't wearing a seat belt. He came out good. This doesn't mean not wearing a belt is no problem.

Same as Dexcool. Just because you have a couple cars that haven't had a problem, doesn't mean nothings wrong with dexcool.

Chris.

[guitarfish]

Originally Posted by happydog500

I know a guy who got in an accident and wasn't wearing a seat belt. He came out good. This doesn't mean not wearing a belt is no problem.

Same as Dexcool. Just because you have a couple cars that haven't had a problem, doesn't mean nothings wrong with dexcool.

Chris.

Necropost much? You quoted something I wrote NINE years ago, lol. But FWIW, since then, I added a couple more Grand Prixs to the stable, all of which are pushing 200K miles, with that gorgeous orange DexCool, nary a problem.

Doesn't much matter to me know though, I only have one Prix left, and it's gonna be traded in another couple years.