Intake Manifold Leak 2000 Impala

Was just told by the dealer that my intake manifold has a leak and wanted $1,200 to fix it (3.4L V6). I think not!!!! Anyone out there have any advise on the difficulty scale to do the job myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have done a lot of work on older engines...but these new ones with fuel injection are a bit different.
Thanks in advance for any advise.

I just found out the same Darn thing.. I'm looking @ $1K.. to fix.. The parts guy @ the Chevy dealership has all the parts in stock.. so my mechanic seems to think that indicates Chevy is aware of the problem... no suggestion on the "do-it-yourself" approach... Please let us know how it turns out.

if you have never done one don't do it. thay are very easy if you have done them before. If you do attempt to do it remember the push rods are differant lengths on the intake and exhaust. Good luck

This is a very common problem for the 3.4 engine. GM forgot to put locktite on the manifold bolts so over time they back out and you get coolant leaks. This should have been a recall but you know the car companies. Anyway, you can purchase a new manifold gasket kit for under $50 from most autoparts stores. Doing it yourself will take 3-4 hours if you have the tools. Remember the locktite! This is much better than spending $1000-1200 at the dealer.

Just had mine done. I didnt think its that difficult...of course i was watching the mechanic and i am mechanically inclined. Remember to get new bolts from the dealer. You are suppossed to change them.

Well.... I did it... I changed the intake manifold gasket on my own. The job wasn't too bad... less than $200 in parts and that includes new spark plugs too. It did take me the better part of the weekend...but, it was better than paying the dealer a grand plus! I'm sure it would have been faster too, if I had done it before. If anyone want's to do it, I'd say you could as long as you have any kind of mechanical ability and just put on your patience cap and take you time. I'll be happy to share any inside info with anyone who needs to do the job as well... just email me. Happy Motoring.

Well.... I did it... I changed the intake manifold gasket on my own. The job wasn't too bad... less than $200 in parts and that includes new spark plugs too. It did take me the better part of the weekend...but, it was better than paying the dealer a grand plus! I'm sure it would have been faster too, if I had done it before. If anyone want's to do it, I'd say you could as long as you have any kind of mechanical ability and just put on your patience cap and take you time. I'll be happy to share any inside info with anyone who needs to do the job as well... just email me. Happy Motoring.

My parents Impala (2000 3.4, 47Kmiles) just started leaking, looks like it's leaking right at the bolt hole near the temperature sensor and behind somewhere. Other than the loc-tite on bolt threads, did you apply sealer anywhere and if so, what type? Any other gotcha's you can share will be greatly appreciated. Did you replace the Dex-cool with regular green stuff?

Thanks,
Ed

Mornin' Gang.. I got the work done last Friday.. $1,246... the mechanic suggested I hang on to the my receipts, since there may be a recall on the problem. The GM dealer (parts manager) told the mechanic they have been keeping 4 sets of the necessary parts in stock @ all times, since there have been so many of problems. He also said Chevy has sent them a bulletin on this issue.

Has anyone contacted Chevy on this?

The most frustrating thing was that in opposite corners of the intake manifold the bolt is situated in a little cavity of the manifold itself and there is literally no way to get a torque wrench on it. You need a crows foot attachment (which of course I didn’t have) So I just had to tighten it manually. I do have the torque value adjustment formula if you do have a crow’s foot attachment. Just email me for a copy of the file. Email is: [email protected]

As far as sealers go.. . I just used the black silicone to provide a seal at each end of the block, where gaskets were not provided. Also, I did buy the Prestone Dex-Cool stuff, it was only 2 bucks more than the regular green stuff and I figured it was worth it to just use it.

For what it’s worth, I really didn’t think the job was all that bad. The Haynes manual was good for figuring out the firing order and not much else. It tells you to remove all the fuel injectors and the whole nine yards…. I left the fuel rail and injectors all alone. I just disconnected the wiring harness and disconnected the fuel lines (which you will need a special tool for). The manual really doesn’t tell you that you’ll have to take off the alternator and it’s mounting bracket and also the power steering pump.

I also went thru about 4 cans of carb cleaner – degreaser to clean everything while I had it apart. When I started I couldn’t see the little holes at the bottom of the injectors, put I could when I was done. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I also changed the plugs… it’s very easy to do when the top of the engine is off.

Oh and I also forgot to mention, you’ll have to remove the rocker arms and the push rods in order to put on the new gaskets. Be sure to make up a box with some marked holes and put everything there while you’re working. Everything must go back into it’s original location… don’t get them mixed up as the intake and exhaust rods are different lengths. I also used some moly-lube on the rod ends when I put it back together.

Also, as a side note, for me, there was one electrical connector back near the ignition coil pack that didn’t have a home. The entire wiring harness seems to be Murphy proof so you can’t plug things in the wrong place!!! Very nice. But, like I said, don’t be surprised if there is one that doesn’t plug into anything. It about drove me crazy trying to find a home for that one plug! I must have wasted 2 or 3 hours just on that. Not including the time I wasted on that, the entire job took me about 11 hours and one banged up knuckle…. Not too bad.

I am wondering, how can I test for an intake leak. I have noticed that when the RPMs are over 3K and it shifts or I left off the gas I can clearly hear a whistle like a blow off valve. Is this an indication of a leak? Please help.

Is your engine starting to overheat or have you noticed any antifreeze in your oil? I guess those are the obvious signs. I really couldn't tell until the dealer pointed it out to me. I'd take it to the dealer or a mechanic who could more acurately diagnose your whistling noise. Could just be a disconnected vacuum line too. Good luck.

Having recently spoken about this topic to a long time certified GM tech I was told that GM 2.8, 3.1, & 3.4 V6 equipped car owners could expect to have to replace the lower intake manifold gaskets on a regular maintenance schedule of somewhere between every 50 to 125 thousand miles.
The problem is one of different expansion rate characteristics between the cast iron cylinder block and the aluminum cylinder heads and intake manifold sections. As the individual components heat up and cool down over many driving cycles this literally wears out the gaskets between the surfaces even if the very best silicone sealers and loc-tite products are used on the sealing surfaces and corresponding mounting hardware.
If the engine coolant on your car suddenly seems to be going somewhere but there are no signs of external leaks, check the oil level on the engine oil dip stick for a higher than usual level or an unusual muddy or foamy look to the oil itself. If any of these symptoms are suspect do not continue to drive the car until it is properly tested and diagnosed. There are many reports of catastrophic engine failure due to coolant being picked up by the engine oil pump causing severe bearing damage and in some cases even causing camshafts to break. This is possible because the antifreeze and water mixture is actually heavier than motor oil and will settle to the very bottom of an oil pan completely displacing the motor oil that would normally be circulated to all of the engine bearing surfaces, especially during a cold engine start up.
Check out the following links...

http://www.autosafety.org/uploads/SB-10001282-8175.pdf

Master Tech Dude,
Thanks for the excellent info! The lower intake on my 01 Malibu leaked oil on the backside of the engine at about 30kmiles. I was lucky to have it fixed under warranty.

Here are a few links to more info on this common problem…

GM TSB 03-06-01-101 (http://www.autosafety.org/uploads/SB-10001282-8175.pdf)

http://www.geocities.com/gm_intake/

:)

Was just told by the dealer that my intake manifold has a leak and wanted $1,200 to fix it (3.4L V6). I think not!!!! Anyone out there have any advise on the difficulty scale to do the job myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have done a lot of work on older engines...but these new ones with fuel injection are a bit different.
Thanks in advance for any advise.\


wat u can also do is call GM recall customer service they have a recall on the coolant leak u can call them and see the # is 800-263-3777 and i cant remember the the code # 4 da service cuz am havin da similar problem so call them and find out...u can email me also if u have any other question.. [email protected]

Thank you for the great information.! I just had to get my 02 intake gaskets replaced. Some talk about dexcool and gaskets causing some of the problems too.


Having recently spoken about this topic to a long time certified GM tech I was told that GM 2.8, 3.1, & 3.4 V6 equipped car owners could expect to have to replace the lower intake manifold gaskets on a regular maintenance schedule of somewhere between every 50 to 125 thousand miles.
The problem is one of different expansion rate characteristics between the cast iron cylinder block and the aluminum cylinder heads and intake manifold sections. As the individual components heat up and cool down over many driving cycles this literally wears out the gaskets between the surfaces even if the very best silicone sealers and loc-tite products are used on the sealing surfaces and corresponding mounting hardware.
If the engine coolant on your car suddenly seems to be going somewhere but there are no signs of external leaks, check the oil level on the engine oil dip stick for a higher than usual level or an unusual muddy or foamy look to the oil itself. If any of these symptoms are suspect do not continue to drive the car until it is properly tested and diagnosed. There are many reports of catastrophic engine failure due to coolant being picked up by the engine oil pump causing severe bearing damage and in some cases even causing camshafts to break. This is possible because the antifreeze and water mixture is actually heavier than motor oil and will settle to the very bottom of an oil pan completely displacing the motor oil that would normally be circulated to all of the engine bearing surfaces, especially during a cold engine start up.
Check out the following links...

http://www.autosafety.org/uploads/SB-10001282-8175.pdf

Thank you for the great information.! I just had to get my 02 intake gaskets replaced. Some talk about dexcool and gaskets causing some of the problems too.


Having recently spoken about this topic to a long time certified GM tech I was told that GM 2.8, 3.1, & 3.4 V6 equipped car owners could expect to have to replace the lower intake manifold gaskets on a regular maintenance schedule of somewhere between every 50 to 125 thousand miles.
The problem is one of different expansion rate characteristics between the cast iron cylinder block and the aluminum cylinder heads and intake manifold sections. As the individual components heat up and cool down over many driving cycles this literally wears out the gaskets between the surfaces even if the very best silicone sealers and loc-tite products are used on the sealing surfaces and corresponding mounting hardware.
If the engine coolant on your car suddenly seems to be going somewhere but there are no signs of external leaks, check the oil level on the engine oil dip stick for a higher than usual level or an unusual muddy or foamy look to the oil itself. If any of these symptoms are suspect do not continue to drive the car until it is properly tested and diagnosed. There are many reports of catastrophic engine failure due to coolant being picked up by the engine oil pump causing severe bearing damage and in some cases even causing camshafts to break. This is possible because the antifreeze and water mixture is actually heavier than motor oil and will settle to the very bottom of an oil pan completely displacing the motor oil that would normally be circulated to all of the engine bearing surfaces, especially during a cold engine start up.
Check out the following links...

http://www.autosafety.org/uploads/SB-10001282-8175.pdf

GM sort of pulled through on my Intake problem. After a few letters, faxes and a couple phone calls. I received a telephone call the other day from the GM customer assistance center and they are willing to reimburse 50% of the repair (or about $400), which is better than nothing and puts some form of renewed faith in me. The rep I talked to was very calm and polite, she explained even though the vehicle was out of warranty (50k) they were going to help out in the interest of providing customer service. I am sure this forgoes my claim for any class action lawsuit but at least GM is doing something for me.

2002 Impala, 3.4L
3/18/05 @ 56k miles
9 registered trips to 4 dealers in Central PA - still looking for a good one!!

1. Intake gasket @ 52k - thanks Dexcool, $800+
2. Brakes @ ~10k, 15k, 25k, 40k, 50k - warping rotors - $250-350/each time. - had problems all the time, finally the rears were done this last time seems to have fixed the shimmy/vibration when braking lightly at high speeds, I am sure it will return. Front rotors have been turned 3 times now, replacement next.
3. Rear Doors hard to open - still an issue, someone suggested lubing the door seals. Seems the handles are hard to grab.
4. Intermediate Steering Shaft (ISS) - $220 (twice)
5. I had to replace some steering boots - had clunking in wheel when turning at low speed (driveways, stop and turns). Felt like loose brake caliper or popping cv joint.
6. Ignition switch @ 11k
7. And other parts I am sure I missed.

I have not had the “transmission” issues yet and the car seems to have enough power for me, which will be about the time I start looking for a new car. I don’t think it will be a GM.

Pros
- I do like the ride, very comfortable
- Cool styling

Cons
- Repairs, Repairs and more repairs.