Stalling problem in car with potential IM Gasket leak ?

This is my mother's 2000 Malibu V6 3100. Have experienced a coolant loss for somtime now, always refilled and continued on. Never really had any other problems with it although we never could find a leak.
Last week, the car stalled in almost the same exact spot on a 20 minute trip, and once it died, would not restart for approx 10-15 mins. It would spin, just not ignite until those 10-15 mins passed.
I was thinking it was maybe a heat related problem ?
BUT, Started the car, and let it run, waited for it to heat up, and Tstat opened and fans kicked on.
On a cold start the car will run fine, but it's like whenever it heats up, it starts to hav trouble.
I'm stumped as to why the car just shuts off.
Any ideas or suggestions ?

Another tidbit of information that may or may not be related: The blinkers and hazards work occasionally :screwy:
Thanks,
Andy

This is my mother's 2000 Malibu V6 3100. Have experienced a coolant loss for somtime now, always refilled and continued on. Never really had any other problems with it although we never could find a leak.
Look for coolant on the block under throttle body/power steering pump.

Last week, the car stalled in almost the same exact spot on a 20 minute trip, and once it died, would not restart for approx 10-15 mins. It would spin, just not ignite until those 10-15 mins passed.
I was thinking it was maybe a heat related problem ?
BUT, Started the car, and let it run, waited for it to heat up, and Tstat opened and fans kicked on.
On a cold start the car will run fine, but it's like whenever it heats up, it starts to hav trouble.
I'm stumped as to why the car just shuts off.
Any ideas or suggestions ?
MIL? any dummy lights?
If you get a THEFT light could be a passlock problem.
Also, in another recent thread I figure STCALDWELL has a bad PCM ground.
When your car shuts off, with the key still turned to ON do all of the gauges drop?

Another tidbit of information that may or may not be related: The blinkers and hazards work occasionally
Do tell more.

-Mark T

On the stalling issue, I haven't seen the low coolant/intake issue cause heat related stalling, but if it's diluting the oil with coolant, that could be doing it. If that is the issue, I'm afraid you may have some lower end bearing damage. I would say that if it's not making any horrible noises before it stalls, that you have a crank sensor/cam sensor/ignition module issue causing the stalling. The blinker hazard issue is your hazard switch, which contains the flasher unit for both the hazards and t/signals. Gm part number 22594146.

Well we took car to dealership today to have it properly diagnosed. They say there is a problem with the IM gasket, BUT, it's the fuel pump that is causing the car to stall. They state it is not pumping, and no fuel pressure.
Does this sound about right ?
They are saying the part is about $400, and labor included is around $800... Does this sound right ?
IS this something possibly someone with some mechanical skills could do ?

:screwy:

It wouldn't make any sense for the motor to instantly cut because of a worn out fuel pump, then start and run normally after 10 minutes.
Replacing a fuel pump in the driveway would cost you ~$250 in parts and a couple to a few hours pacing yourself.


Back to trying to help:

MIL? any dummy lights?
If you get a THEFT light could be a passlock problem.
Also, in another recent thread I figure STCALDWELL has a bad PCM ground.
When your car shuts off, with the key still turned to ON do all of the gauges drop?

There can be many, many causes of a no-start situation. Through process of elimination hopefully we can narrow it down for you.


About the blinker problem:

If you hear an intermittant clickitty click from the hazard switch/relay you might just need to clean out your MFS. 30 minutes with 1/4" socket, flatblade driver, little torx bit, q-tips, and dielectric grease.

-Mark T

I't shure does make sense. The fuel pumps are very intermittent. I had the car not start, and suddenly stall on many ocasions before I had the fuel pump replaced. Also, check your oil level. If the LIM isn't leaking externally that may mean it's leaking into the crank case. You shouldn't have to constently add coolent. If you do you better have the engine looked at. It don't heal itself.

You should be able to hear The fuel pump should spin up in the key on position for 2 seconds prior to cranking. If not, the pump is bad or going bad

What about the underside of your oil cap. See any funny stuff in there? If you got green snot on the cap of your resivor, which I bet you have, then you're beginning to mix your oil / coolant. I would think @ temp, your motor is squeezing some of the fluid past those bad seals. I gotta do it to my malibu here shortly. But I did see a motor out of a Montana, 3.4 same block / design, and they did the same thing you're doing. Adding coolant to a leak 'for a while'. It cooked the oil down in the pan, and none of that is good. Get a weekend, and do what I'm going to do. Intake gaskets with the new Fel Pro kit, swapping out a new water pump, flushing the old crap out. Then I'm going to drain the oil, drop the pan, clean all that crap out, and probally swap in some new rod bearings. With almost 100,000 miles, it's good preventative maintance. I don't wanna work on this thing again for a while, might as well bring it in for a 'good tune up'. Get a chance to swap the thermostat, plugs, wires all that. Just finished my SHO, now I gotta hack into this Bu.


Slow coolant leak up top leads to this down below!!!

This is where mine is leaking...

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/thepimpskillet/P1010038.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/thepimpskillet/P1010039.jpg

She's been parked since I found it.. Here's that van with the same leak..

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/thepimpskillet/P1010085.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/thepimpskillet/P1010081.jpg

Those odd ball little holes are the only oil return passages, if this area is starved from coolant (pressure loss, because of leak) It cooks. Bad design I think.. anyway..

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/thepimpskillet/P1010082.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/thepimpskillet/P1010078.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/thepimpskillet/P1010080.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/thepimpskillet/P1010079.jpg

Rod bearings on that motor were almost ready to be changed, and should be, no copper showing yet, but very close. Main's however looked worse, and I wonder how well these things are balanced. ??? Thats why I said I'd rather swap those bearings, if you have coolant in your oil, they are eating those bearings. Fix it right, and be done with it. If you 1/2 ass it my guess is that you'll be back at it again within a year.

Maybe GM should strike a deal with Toyota to install thier engines in GM vehicles.

There is no reason that you shouldn't be able to get 150K miles in a modern engine that's taken care off without a overhaul...The best part is when GM tried to blame it on the coolent! Ha,hahahaha! Many manufactures utilize Dexcool with no problems what so ever. It would be interesting to know, as a percentage, the number of prermature gasket failures on all the GM 3.1 and 3.8 V6's

john

Maybe GM should strike a deal with Toyota to install thier engines in GM vehicles.

There is no reason that you shouldn't be able to get 150K miles in a modern engine that's taken care off without a overhaul...The best part is when GM tried to blame it on the coolent! Ha,hahahaha! Many manufactures utilize Dexcool with no problems what so ever. It would be interesting to know, as a percentage, the number of prermature gasket failures on all the GM 3.1 and 3.8 V6's

john


Yea I think the 3.8 are different, and dont see those failures. BUt it is neat how people latch on to phrases like that. "Deathcool" ? I've heard from a bunch of places. Me personally, I know what any coolant can look like at 40,000 even on a good running system. The aluminum head, iron block, are the worst. Why not flush it out? 100,000 is for lazy people and for them being lazy, if something else is wrong, then they pay for it. What ya get for being lazy. :2cents:

:) My SHO had 181k on it when I spun the bearing, and my oil pan never looked like that. Maybe some dirt / oil in the corner's of the pan, but no sludge whatsoever. In a FORD. LOL ? Its' all in how you take care of your car. They will all last if you listen to them. :smokin:

Well that's how they marketed Dexcool. Long lasting, change at 100000 mi.

And then GM had the stones to recomend using sealing pellets to solve the leaking gaskets.. when the whole problem could have been solved with a better gasket on the production line. But GM also knew that the vast majority of these engines would fail after 60,000 mi, and out of warranty.

When my first engine had to be replaced. There were no warnings, purred like a kitten. I figured the coolent was leaking out of the thermostat housing, no big deal. But when i checked the oil I noticed it was milky and 4 inches up the past the full-mark. Now I know what to look for as far as a blown head gasket...bubbles, white smoke...but I never considdered an intake manifold, engineered with coolling passages that would leak into the head. WHAT IDIOTS!

ps: i changed my oil every 3k miles, and never raced the engine...took real good care of her