excessive oil leak.

[optimuspain]

I own a 2000 grand prix and it leaks oil. I took it to pep boys to get it checked and they said i needed to replace the oil pan gasket and the intake gasket. the estimate was about $1,450 which i thought was too much. what options do i have? Also, how much should i expect to pay if i take it to the local backyard mechanic?

[Jrs3800]

First replacing the oil pan gasket on this car is a Royal PITA... Been there and done that before.. Its a disaster... I would charge an arm and a leg.. I'd say for the oil pan gasket kit( $30-$40 ) and$400- $500 for Labor.... If this was a Bonneville I'd charge $140 to do this.. Gasket included...

The lower intake gaskets are a bit involved... $350 just to do the lower gaskets and I would include the aluminum gaskets in this... But you have to look at the upper gaskets and upper intake as well.. If they needed to be replace I would charge for parts only as I am already there..

I'd say parts oil and all I would charge you $900 depending on the condition of the upper intake...

[tblake]

How big of an oil leak are we talking? Mine burns/leaks about a quart between changes. At this point I'm not concerned.

Its possible oil can leak from the LIM valley gaskets. Its also possible oil could leak from them and seep down and appear to be leaking out the oil pan gasket. Do you have any coolant loss? Is there any coolant puddles near your injectors?

There is a gasket between the block and the oil filter adapter that is known to have issues. If the majority of your oil is leaking from that area I'm betting thats your problem.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by optimuspain

I own a 2000 grand prix and it leaks oil.

To start please post the engine. The Series II 3800 engine suffers from bad oil pan leaks and crank seal leaks not the 3100 Vin "J". Also, the infamous UIM plenum and intake gaskets issue. Highly recommended to replace the UIM plenum, UIM gaskets and other seals and the LIM gaskets all in one job. Did the quote have all of this?

BTW - Pep Boys is the last place I would have this work done but it is your choice. Most of us do this work DIY to save money.

[optimuspain]

Thanks for the info guys. the engine is a 3800. sounds like im gonna have to pay a decent amount of money to fix this. diy is out of the question since im a noob. im gonna lean towards keeping it as is since its a 2000 gp with 118000 miles. the leak does stain my driveway so i may look into placing something under the car to absorb the oil. at this point, im not sure if its worth the amount of money to stop the leaks or just buy a replacement vehicle when the gp grinds to a halt.

[tblake]

Have the valve cover gaskets been replaced on this car yet?

The dealer recall was only to replace the front gasket (to my knowledge), but both gaskets leak.

Mine were leaking when I bought the car at 70k. Swapped them with fel-pro myself and didn't even pay attention to the stupid dealer recall notice.