do all the 3.4's leak everywhere

[pontiac3.4]

just got the 95 gtp with 3.4 running of my son in laws and im impressed for a wrong wheel drive v-6 . one question though, do these things leak from every where or what . we fixed on and two more would pop up . any insight into the quirks of these engines would be appreciated . love the 7000 r.p.m. wide open shift points!!!!!!!!

[J-Roc]

What was the reason why your fixed it? Oil or coolant leak?

[pontiac3.4]

coolant leaks . it's got an oil leak but thats because someone didn't put the nylon washer behind the oil drain plug .it was leaking from the intake then some of the lines on the left side of car now the thing is leaking behind the cover under the timing beltonto the crank and balancer. getting frustrating . hoping it isn't something terminal would be a shame . like i said im no fan of wrong wheel drive but it sure does run hard.

[richtazz]

Personally, I'd get rid of it. The 3.4 DOHC is a PITA, hard to work on, tempermental POS in my opinion. It's not a good choice for a daily driver, as they require a lot of maintenance to keep running well. I do a lot of side-work, and I won't touch a 3.4 DOHC. Too many chances for a come-back that have nothing to do with my work.

[pontiac3.4]

yeah but the kid got it for 200 and he's got about 1000 init now so he's gonna drive it, and i wont let a pita get to me just gotta walk away for awhile, and hope someone out here in electric land has some insight into their foibles . personally i like a challenge and it really wasn't that hard to work on to this point just annoying .

[carnutcass]

My wife's '00 Montana has a 3.4 with 78,xxx miles and doesn't leak a drop of cooant or oil. Maybe we're the lucky ones.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by carnutcass

My wife's '00 Montana has a 3.4 with 78,xxx miles and doesn't leak a drop of cooant or oil. Maybe we're the lucky ones.

The 3400 SFI VIN "E" you have is not the same engine being discussed here which is the 3.4 DOHC VIN "X". I think Rich said it best about the 3.4 DOHC.

And I would knock on wood unless you have the revised LIM gaskets. I've got the same engine in my son's '02 Alero GL2. The LIM gaskets were replaced back in 2004 under warranty due to a TSB GM issued on the problem. Coolant will be consumed internally and most likely there will not be any visible external leaks. But maybe you are one of the lucky ones.

[richtazz]

I've done a ton of 3.4 Vin-E (and 3.1 Vin-M and Vin-J) intake gaskets. If you start losing coolant, or notice a funny color/cloudiness in the oil, get it changed ASAP, or other damage can and will result. With the 3.4 vin-E, as bnaylor stated, if it doesn't have the revised gasket set GM (it wasn't used oem until 2004) and Fel-pro came out with, it's not a matter of "if", but "when" you'll need that intake gasket replaced.

[carnutcass]

Entirely possible that the van's LIM gaskets were replaced. Bought it with 50,xxx on the clock and don't have problems with coolant loss or oil contamination.

[guitarfish]

Originally Posted by pontiac3.4

do all the 3.4's leak everywhere

Yes. Every single one of them.

Think like Microsoft: it's not a bug...it's a feature.

Sorry man, just messin' with ya.

[pontiac3.4]

oh well run it till it drops . we've been eyeballin' it to turn it into a rear drive sleeper and put the { oh no ! } 410 chevy small block together i got sittin' around in it . make it interesting .