96 Grand Am 3100

[aquadood]

I'm having a problem, was losing coolant, and now it is in oil. How do I differentiate if it is a head gasket or the lower intake manifold gasket failure this engine is (in)famous for? Thank you.

[GTP Dad]

Do you have steam coming from the exhaust? This is a sure sign of a blown head gasket. You can also pull the plugs and look at them, if there is coolant in the cylinders you should see some evidence on the plugs. A compression test will also indicate if there is a problem. With this particular engine the manifold gasket is where I would start especially if there is water in the oil.

[aquadood]

No steam from exhaust, not ever overheated, will check plugs today. Thanks for the input.

[aquadood]

Update, it was the intake manifold gasket which had blown. No water in cylinders, and not too bad a fix either, will finish buttoning it up today. Thanks.