When did GM change their intake manifold gaskets?

[carterpuma]

Hey,

Bash me if you want but I really want to get an Impala(2004/05) but I need to know something. Did gm ever fix the bad intake manifold gaskets for the 3.4 engine??? They put out a technical service bulletin which stated that the problem cars were from 2000-2003 but did they replace the gasket with a different one in models starting in 2004 and later??? If they did then the motor should be reliable for awhile. I'm been looking on the internet for the past 3 days for an answer to this and I would REALLY appreciate any responses.

thanks
Drew

['97ventureowner]

GM put out a redesigned manifold gasket in July 2002 for the 3.4 . They also recommend new intake bolts with sealer pre-applied on them to do the job correctly.GM part number for the gasket is 89017279 and the bolts are (short bolt) 11588915 and (long bolt) 11588914. You might want to recheck those part numbers with your GM parts dept. if you need to order them as those are the numbers I used back in '02 for my Venture (3.4),that I have on file.

[carterpuma]

thanks sir. Sounds like they should have the new parts in the 2004 models

[richtazz]

2004 is the first year that they used the new gaskets exclusively. Some early 03 models still came with the crappy plastic/rubber gaskets. Buying new bolts is unneccessary, as long as you clean the old threadlock off with a wire brush and re-apply threadlock during re-assembly. The old bolts are not TTY, and I have re-used them on every one of these jobs I've done with no issues. GM's bulletin includes the new bolts so the dealers can soak the warranty companies for more $$$$.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by richtazz

. Buying new bolts is unneccessary, as long as you clean the old threadlock off with a wire brush and re-apply threadlock during re-assembly. The old bolts are not TTY, and I have re-used them on every one of these jobs I've done with no issues. GM's bulletin includes the new bolts so the dealers can soak the warranty companies for more $$$$.

Didn't we have this argument in another forum awhile back?? It is my understanding that the new bolts are stronger and have a revised torquing procedure for better clamping and retention. Why not do the job correctly the first time rather than having something simple as a bad bolt cause you to have to re-do the job all over again at great expense. It could be considered as a "cheap insurance policy" to replace the bolts at time of gasket replacement for added "peace of mind".

[crazy Jim]

I reused the original bolts as well with no issues.

['97ventureowner]

Well, the choice is yours. You can use the old bolts ,(which I have myself when I rebuilt engines in the past or replaced a certain part that allowed me to re-use the bolts,)OR you can err on the side of safety and spend a few extra dollars and get the recommended bolts with the pre-installed special threadlocker. I, myself would rather spend the few extra dollars on bolts, especially after spending all those hours and grief R&R the intake gaskets, which is no easy job on many of these GM vehicles. How would you feel if you spent all that time and money doing the gasket replacement, only to complete the job and then have problems down the road in a short period of time which is traced back to a bad intake bolt (or 2 )? Don't "cheap out" on the job, do it right the first time.

[richtazz]

Bolt replacement is totally unneccessary. The revised torque values are only for the proper clamping force on the revised gasket. The new GM bolts have the exact same head markings, so they are the identical hardness/strength of the old bolts. You can replace them if you wish, but there is no need to do so if you clean the old bolts and re-apply thread-lock.

[Greg Brady]

Thank you everyone who responded to this question.
I just bought a used 04 3.4 Chevy Impala and I had seen videos posted by people who had gasket failure and it wasn't pretty.
I was getting ready to spend big bucks to have the gaskets updated to prevent leak issues when I decided to check online when the gaskets were updated.
You guys saved me a lot of money with your information and I thank you for it.
Best wish's to all of you.