New safety Notice/Recall Buick regal

[fastmoney]

Im not sure if this has been posted but i searched and didnt see it

I recived a letter from gm today on a safety notice and it reads as folloing

Gm will soon anounce a safety recall to correct an issue that may cause a fire in the 2000 buick regals with a superchargered engine

We believe the fire is caused by drops of engine oil beingdeposited on the exhaust manifold through hard breaking. If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield it may ignite into a small flame and in some instances the fire may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel .This may have happened in one of one thousand vehicles.

Three very important precautions to take are
- we strongly recommend to not park in a garage , car port, or other structure
- IF you notice a burning order, you should have your buick inspected by the dealer free of charge
- Use 91 octane or higher in your vehicle

Questions call gm customer assistance 1 888.832.8425

There you go but if u smell a burning smell? hard to say if most of these engines leak at valve cover, oil pan and rear main. Ill try to limit my driving until recall fix. Since this is my second car.

[BNaylor]

The recall is applicable to all '97-'03 Buick Regal GS and Pontiac Grand Prix GTP models only which have the L67 SII 3800 supercharged engine.

[HotZ28]

So why was the PA Ultra L67 Series II VIN (1) S/C engine not included? Do they not think we drive them as hard? I have noticed that "burning smell" in my Ultra when I arrive to work in the morning, after several 1/4 mile blast and "some hard braking"! Strange thing is, it is only on the front valve cover. I was planning to change the gasket this weekend, if it don't ignite first? Strange that it took 12 years for GM to admit to this problem!

[BNaylor]

Good question Bo. Not only should it be applicable to all Vin "1" L67 GM cars but the L36 Vin "K" as well. I believe the difference is the way the engine mounts. The "W" bodies have the two dogbone front engine mounts and probably more engine movement during braking since this is when the problem is supposed to occur. Also, it involves a mod to the ignition wire mounts.

The recall is moot or worthless in my book since I have replaced all of my valve cover gaskets as many owners already have.

[stripe]

Originally Posted by BNaylor

Good question Bo. Not only should it be applicable to all Vin "1" L67 GM cars but the L36 Vin "K" as well. I believe the difference is the way the engine mounts. The "W" bodies have the two dogbone front engine mounts and probably more engine movement during braking since this is when the problem is supposed to occur. Also, it involves a mod to the ignition wire mounts.

The recall is moot or worthless in my book since I have replaced all of my valve cover gaskets as many owners already have.

I have the "K" code.
When I heard that recall on the radio I checked it out quick.
I have 500,000 on mine and I hope it doesn't start the garage on fire.

cheers

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by stripe

I have the "K" code.
When I heard that recall on the radio I checked it out quick.
I have 500,000 on mine and I hope it doesn't start the garage on fire.

cheers

Needless to say the recall does not cover the L36 VIN "K". However just do a closer inspection just in case. Look for oil seeping out of the front valve cover gasket and dripping down the cylinder head or onto the exhaust manifold. Also, you may smell burning engine oil or see smoking.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by BNaylor

The recall is moot or worthless in my book since I have replaced all of my valve cover gaskets as many owners already have.

That's probably why GM waited so long. They were probably hoping owners would replace the gaskets already at their cost thus saving GM some money.

[fastmoney]

so i take it this just covers the frontgastket?

well i changed my front gasket in october. it was leaking like crazy.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by fastmoney

so i take it this just covers the frontgastket?

well i changed my front gasket in october. it was leaking like crazy.

That is correct.

Originally Posted by '97ventureowner

That's probably why GM waited so long. They were probably hoping owners would replace the gaskets already at their cost thus saving GM some money.

Yeah it figures Tom. One problem is I don't see why the VIN "K" 3800s are excluded and the recall is not applicable to other GM cars with the L67 other than "W" body.

[HotZ28]

Something interesting I discovered when purchasing and replacing the gaskets on my L67 S/C Ultra. The L67 & L36 Felpro gaskets have a different shape, due to the location of the injectors on the SC manifold. (Notice pics below) In addition, the L36 is a blue rubber, where as the L67 is red rubber (silicone) both Felpro brand. The price for the L67 SC gaskets was 50 bucks, vs. 14 bucks for the VIN “K” L36. Grommets for the L36 had to be purchased separately @ 8 bucks for the set. Sorry, but they are not interchangeable! I can’t imagine how the gasket design, or color of the rubber, would have any effect on long term durability, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Another thing I noticed, the heads do not have adequate oil drain back @ the base of the heads (low spot) so therefore, the oil accumulates above the valve cover gasket area and is just looking for a way to escape.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by HotZ28

Another thing I noticed, the heads do not have adequate oil drain back @ the base of the heads (low spot) so therefore, the oil accumulates above the valve cover gasket area and is just looking for a way to escape.

That is good info to know Bo. Thanks.

On the FelPro gaskets I really don't know what the significance of the color coding is.

Now as an alternative good ole Autozone has the Duralast brand valve cover gasket set for the VIN "K" 3800 which are supposedly made by Felpro for AZ. Part number is VS50080R for around $10.99 depending on where you live in the U.S. Interesting thing is this set has both valve cover gaskets and the 12 rubber grommets for the cover bolts. 6 are needed on each side. As you can see by the color they are black.

[BNaylor]

I decided to do the front valve cover gasket on the wife's '99 Regals LS (VIN "K"). It was first replaced back at 65K miles. Now replaced at 128K miles. It was a GM/AC Delco gasket and orange in color. I noticed it was flattened out but no deformation or significant bad spots but it was leaking. Doubled check the torque before removing it and it appeared to have been properly torqued down at 89 in-lbs. Other than being dirty the valve cover bolt grommets looked OK.

Talking about a PITA job due to the right engine mount. The whole dog bone engine mount bracket had to be removed to get the valve cover off.

[eccs19]

I got that same notice as well for my 99 Regal. I have never changed mine, and I don't think it's leaking. (yet) I wonder if GM will actually change it when they put the recall out?

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by eccs19

I got that same notice as well for my 99 Regal. I have never changed mine, and I don't think it's leaking. (yet) I wonder if GM will actually change it when they put the recall out?

How many miles do you have?

Since it is a safety recall with a possibility of engine fire GM will replace the front valve cover gasket and do the ignition wire mod free of charge. Regardless of whether you have an oil leak.

I still get recall notices from GM concerning recall issues that I elected to waive or not have performed like the headlamp issue. They are persistent.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by BNaylor

I still get recall notices from GM concerning recall issues that I elected to waive or not have performed like the headlamp issue. They are persistent.

Yes they are Bob. I still get recall notices every so often for vehicles I no longer own , and have even sent back the little postcard they send with the recall notice informing them that I no longer own said vehicle.