03 Impala coolant leak

[jhuckaby]

I've had the temp spikes in my 2003 Impala with 24,000 miles. Radiator has been flushed and filled twice in 4 months. Hard to crank at times... Brown sludge is horrible. Dealer says pressure tests are okay, no leaks, but temp guage spikes when idling, takes forever for guage to go back down, cooling fans don't seem to run oddly. Smell of antifreeze is apparent. I guess the dealership would've charged me out the ass when the motor finally blows, even though it's still under warranty. What a shame GM had to put out such poorly designed engines. I decided to trade for a Honda Accord this weekend. Love the ride and drive of the Impala...too bad GM ruined it with a bad motor.

[rtebeau]

Originally Posted by public

Search around. The Dexcool is horrible. A lot of people have the sludge and there had NEVER been any green anti-freeze in there. GM says it is from running low coolant levels at high temps.??? I flushed out the dexcool on all three cars and replaced it with regular green coolant over a year ago. No more problems. Good Luck.

Did you have any other follow up problems. I would think Gunk would clog up water pumps etc...?

[rtebeau]

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.

[public]

Originally Posted by myknsteph

I have a 2003 Impala 3.4L V6 that I just got back from the shop. I took it in to have the coolant flushed due to dark brown fluid in the overflow reservoir and they told me I have an intake manifold leak that is leaking oil into my radiator.

Is this common for the leak to go this way?

Are there any inexpensive fixes for this?

Yes it is common, and the only cheap way is to do it yourself.

[rtebeau]

Originally Posted by myknsteph

I have a 2003 Impala 3.4L V6 that I just got back from the shop. I took it in to have the coolant flushed due to dark brown fluid in the overflow reservoir and they told me I have an intake manifold leak that is leaking oil into my radiator.

Is this common for the leak to go this way?

Are there any inexpensive fixes for this?

Would be interested in knowing how many miles you have on the car? seems like the trend is about 40-60k miles. It is common for the intake gasket to go out on the 3.4L. Had to replace mine at 50k on my 2002, but was not under warranty. Dealer charged about $800 to replace (labor intensive work?). Repairs came with parts listed on the related TSB bulletin. I did not think a car gasket should go at 50k in today’s vehicles, neither do a lot of folks, many having the same problems. So I opened a case with the GM assistance center (800-222-1020), they agreed to pay for 1/2 of the repair even though it was out of warranty. This is good news for me but I still have yet to see a check and this of course this was after a few letters, documentation and phone calls. Really had they paid for 100% of the repair I probably would not have found this forum. Now I am aware of the other Impala problems others are having.

When I talked to GM, I made it known that I buy new cars regularly (about every 2-3 years) and failure to help me on this problem will impact my next car buying decision and the decisions of everyone I could talk to. GM probably should have recalled the cars but it would cost them $$ on thousands of cars. I am not sure what the payoff was for GM because most people having these issues, probably won't buy a GM again or at least for a while. I personnaly have owned at least 12-14 GM vehicles since 1987, this is the first one that I have had any major mechanical problems.

The gasket problem was covered by a GM TSB #03-06-01-010 March-2003. The TSB (technical service bulletin) covered many GM models with 3.1 and 3.4 engines. Impala’s range was 2000-2003.

GM won't say Dexcool is causing the problems but my bet and guess based on reading, discussions and physical evidence would be the combination of Dexcool and the plastic gaskets. From what I have compiled, Dexcool is composed of organic acid, this acid has a tendency to eat plastic. Plastic gaskets were used in many of the V6 engines. The redesigned gaskets now have fiber/metallic material; this should be resistant to Dexcool properties. Dexcool was designed as a long lasting coolant for aluminum intake manifolds and heads.

I had my vehicle in for it’s 55k oil change the other day and I was talking with the mechanic who pointed out my problem earlier, which turned into the replacement. I asked him how many GM vehicles he sees with sludge in the coolant or black film. He told me about 1 in 10 cars coming through the shop. I asked him about replacing the coolant with the standard green stuff, but he told me it was not good for aluminum and can pit it. He told me they make green coolant for aluminum but make sure it states it on the bottle. His recommendation was now that I have the gasket replaced would be to replace the Dexcool every 20-30k miles.

[Hunterpage]

I have a 2002 Chevy Impala with the same problem. Severe problem with coolant in the oil. I pulled the intake manifold (alot of work) and did not see a clear problem with the gasket. I pulled the heads thinking that maybe it was a head gasket problem. No obvious problems. I thought I was getting oil in the radiator which made it more confusing. It sounds like the radiator problem maybe seperate from the coolant leak. There maybe no way around a big labor bill if someone else is replacing the intake gasket. Alot of time involved. If anyone has any answers, please reply... Thanks

[billyo69]

Bermis
It sounds like your fans are not working. You better make sure they are BOTH working or you will wreck the motor.