Please help, the horrid intake manifold gasket problem....

[jerseyjg]

new here, hope i get the help or advice i need

Ok, the well known intake manifold gasket. Two mechanics told me it is due to using "green" antifreeze and NOT dexcool...true?

Anyway, i searched searched and searched and couldn't find the problem i'm having. I have the leak, but the problem is my lifters are now bad from it. Soon as the lifters started to make noise, I immediatly parked the car, and it's been sitting for about 3 months since. Now's the time i'm ready to fix it, I get about $800 estimates, but the problem i'm having is they tell me there is no way to find out if the engine is bad from this problem at this point. Basically I can get the job done, pay for it, and the engine can still be bad...is this true?

Other than that, what parts am i looking at for this job? Obviously the gasket(i'ma go with the felpro) and lifters, but what other odds and ends am I going to need? I MIGHT be risky and do the job, or buy the parts and take it to a shop to put in.

Ya know, my concern is wasting $800 to change lifters on abad engine. Any signs or way of knowing if the engine is shot? Any help is appreciated or if any mechanics in the nj/nyc area do side work, talk to me

[95ImpalaSS]

First I never heard of green antifreeze causing any leak. The key there is using RTV sealant at all 4 corners of intake and possibly at entire front & rear edge of intake manifold.
Second, hard to say if engine is shot per-say. Did it smoke before this happened? Then if not, bottom end should be ok. You didn't mention milage.
If lifters are shot, you should replace cam too. Heads? Dunno.

OK, lets say the engine is bad. I was going to go this way but, decided to go the 10 grand way for my engine. I know I know this is a boat place, but they do - do car engines too for same price and roller cam/lifters are installed.
It's a long block, all stock, but for $1600 delivered to your door. Hard to beat if you can mustar up the extra 800 bucks and do it yourself.

http://www.rapidomarine.com/default....s/default.aspx

I'm not trying to sell anything here or promote a web site. Just trying to pass on a great deal that I was going to do. You could do short block too, but for the extra 150 bucks for heads included, it's not worth using your heads. IMHO

Wish you luck and remember, you do get 600 bucks from the Gov. soon too. hehe right!

[jerseyjg]

its has around 90k, 3.4L engine. It didn't and still doesnt smoke. When i start up the car, the lifters make a tapping sound under 1 minute but gets a little quieter when I shift the car out of park.having the car in park and pushing the gas, i do notice the leak increasing, like more coolant. Don't know if any of that helps or if they are normal symptoms, just trying to put whatever i can think of to get the best advice possible

Yea, another 800 isn't sounding too good right now, its not a car I plan to keep. Plus I got my preludes motor getting rebuilt in a few weeks as well. Links...bring em, i'm open to whatever at this point.

[wafrederick]

If the cam is bad,the block is junk and washes out the cam bearings.I did find out yesterday from a Jasper rep I know.The block is casted in China,when it was cast.The cam jounals were offset from the factory with chincy cam bearings that GM supplied and breaks the cam.Jasper fixed that problem by alighn boring the cam journals and put in updated cam bearings.Jasper is the only one that does this including the 3100 engines.

[PAman]

OK, I was surfing around and noticed the normal amount of misinformation that's been corrected by others, but I couldn't let this one go:
Research indicates GM had a compatability issue between Dexcool and early intake manifold gaskets. Mine leaked only externally, so I was lucky and drove it for months before I changed them (at 82K). Green coolant is fine, after about 9K miles on this and countless miles on others. The lifters on many of these make noise. Once I got the STP out of mine after the 1st change, mine makes the same amount of noise after 30K. Remember, almost any "rep" worth his salt is trying to drum up business, which sure sounds like what wafrederick related. If what he states is true, everyone would be rebuilding their 60 degree V6's at about 50K, and GM would have trouble selling cars almost instantly. I realize it's an old thread, but I couldn't resist... Hope he didn't go full boat on that 3.4, and yes, extra RTV is required.

[wafrederick]

What I mentioned is true.The Jasper rep I know brought in a 3100 cam that was broke in half and he explained this clearly.GM does not do this.The 3.4 is known for eating cams up and washes out the cam bearings.I scraped one 3.4yesterday and the cam was bad with washed out cam bearings with about 150,000 miles on it.It was in a Chevy Venture van.

[l21banks]

I just had my intake manifold gasket problem fix by the GM dealer. Try calling the GM customer service they will assist in paying for the intake manifold if it is diagnosed by the GM dealer (since there was a class action lawsuit) and the cost of the diagnoses will go towards the repair of the intake and they will also be able to tell you how bad the engine really is. This will save you the time, money, and headache. Because I took my car at first to Meineke and they jacked my car all up trying to put my car back together. If I had would have stuck with the GM dealer at first I would have paid way less money but all is good because I got my money back.