Stupid F@cking Oldsmobile

[CJFusco]

Over the past couple days, when I started my Olds, I would notice that it ran rough, as though it was running on 5 cyllinders, and then it would smooth out. The temp guage would also climb and fall erratically. I figured these two symptoms must be related, and vowed to have the car looked at on Monday or Tuesday...

Well, Saturday I drove the 951 and had a great time. Today, however, knowing it is supposed to snow tonight, I drove the Olds. Sure enough, the car broke down on me on the way to work. It appears to have overheated - it started stumbling as I was driving up a hill, and then the temp guage skyrocketed out of nowhere. After cresting the hill, I was going to coast to the bottom and pull into a nearby gas station; I didn't make it to the gas station, because the car died on me. I had to leave it on the side of the road, about 40 feet from the gas station.

Opening the hood, it appears that it overheated, at very least. Pulling the dipstick, a lot of steam came out, which smelled like burning coolant.

I suspect that I blew the head gasket, maybe even worse. What do you guys think?

If the car just waited 2 or 3 more days to do this, I probably would have been fine -- but now it looks like I am facing the prospect of driving my 951 in the snow tomorrow.

[tdatk]

Rule #1.... NEVER let the smoke out. All things are somehow powered by smoke.... I have seen this situation many many times and it has always been the same outcome. I would suggest plugging the smoke outlets and trading this POS for something else ASAP(Of course make the trade late at night)

[typ550]

my money is on the head gasket.

[CJFusco]

For what it might cost for a head gasket repair on this thing, I might be better off (and a whole lot happier) selling it to a junk yard and trying to find an old Golf.

[HardDrive]

Weren't you the one giving us grief for not appreciating Oldsmobiles a few months ago?

If the oil is milky, then yeah, its a head gasket, or worse yet a cracked block. Steam from the dipstick is bad, bad, bad......

[VincentVega]

GM v6's are notorious for blowing intake gaskets. Hopefully that's all it is.

[CJFusco]

Originally posted by HardDrive
Weren't you the one giving us grief for not appreciating Oldsmobiles a few months ago?

Absolutely not. I've never liked this car, but it's been my bad-weather car for over 2 years now...

Well, if it's a cracked block I would probably just see what I could get from a junkyard.

If it's a head gasket, however, how much do you think a repair would run?

(my GF's father owns the shop that will be doing the work. Obviously I would have to pay for parts and a good deal of labor, but I would probably get a decent break on pricing)

[tab tanner]

If you got water (aka) coolant mix in to the lower end forget it. the bearing's will be on there way very soon after the repair. I think the antifrezze does somthing the the babat material in the bearings. Long story short my best friend lost a head gasket on a Olds acheiva, got it fixed, had a rod knock 4 days later?Driveng a 951 in the snow is not the end of the world, wash it off as soon as you can you should be fine! My employee drives a 93' 968 everyday, though snow, rain, etc, The car looks great after a bath no harm done by driving it

[CJFusco]

The only problem is there is this little impedement called "Avon Mountain" between my house and my work. It is a winding, curvy, hilly... well, mountain. My friend has trouble getting up and down the mountain in his Jetta in the snow. Not sure how the 951 would do, and I don't want to find out, thanks - bad accidents happen there all the time.

[tab tanner]

Can you car pool? The 951 is not the best all weather car made I think we all know that. Check on craigslist.com I'll bet you can find a beater car for less than you think!

[CJFusco]

It looks like I will have to either find a ride to work in the AM or call out (they already know I am having car issues). Luckily, the weather forecast for the rest of the week isn't very bad; with any luck this will be the last snowstorm of the season.

[HardDrive]

Aren't those 3.8L GM engines relatively cheap? The made millions of them. Probably a lot cheaper just to pick up a used engine and had them drop it in.

[rick-l]

Is this car subject to the Dex-Cool class action? The Dex-Cool ate away the gasket on their plastic intake manifold.

Got a notice in the mail for my departed 98 Olds

[CJFusco]

Originally posted by rick-l
Is this car subject to the Dex-Cool class action? The Dex-Cool ate away the gasket on their plastic intake manifold.

Got a notice in the mail for my departed 98 Olds

You have piqued my interest... due to labels all over the engine bay, I have exclusively put Dex-Cool coolant/antifreeze in my Olds since I've owned it. Since I'm the 2nd owner of the car, I would assume that I am exempt from compensation from GM... but is there any more to this story?

[asphaltgambler]

Ditto on intake gasket issue or head gaskets This was a commonly known. As to whether GM corp will do anything is up for grabs.

Take it to a competent Tech/garage and first have them remove trhe intake to check for failing gaskets or electrolisys damage to the intake.
If not then proceed to the cyl head gaskets.

The 3.8 is an excellent engine that will go 225K + miles will average care. Don't trash it. If you buy used you are buying another 3.8 with the same futute time bomb.

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

the settlement will be similar to what they did on jeep cherokees for some fault in the late 80's. you will get a coupon for $1,000 off the purchase of a new olds, (chevy?)

[Scott R]

I worked for GM/Cadillac 1993 to 1996 as a heavy line wrench, head gasket failures were a common place thing on our 4.5L's. In the case of the 4.5L they used a iron block and an aluminum head. Any overheat condition would result in a head gasket failure, and this holds true to many GM engines. As stated above the coolant mixed in the oil ate the bearings.

the cost of replacing the bearings, gaskets, head gaskets, having the cooling system flushed and cleaned correctly outweighed the cost of a crate 4.5. The solution we offered customers was a halfway point, the customer bought the crate motor for something like 2K at the time, and GM would cover the labor. I probably pulled four a week at the high point. Then the 4.9L and Northstar came out and the problem went away, not that others were not introduced....

Maybe you can get GM to cover some of the cost...

[Tim Walsh]

I had something similar happen to me in my olds. The drain plug blew out leaving me stranded. I got the engine REALLY hot before I noticed. Long story short, a new drain plug fixed the immediate problem, but I had to replace the thermostat and the intake gaskets before it ran right. I then drove it for another year before it I traded it in on the GTI. I believe this was because I used the wrong type coolant creating a sludge. I had several mechanics note that the heads/head gaskets are pretty tough on these motors. One thing I was also told was that the coolant system is convoluted and takes awhile to bleed all the air out. It took about 2 weeks before all the bubbles worked their way out.

BTW this was on a 96 with the 3.1L V6.

[Craig 930 RS]

Old Golf?

Are you a sadist???

[rick-l]

Do a search for dex-cool litigation and pick your state.

I doubt I will see any cash even though I had the intake leak and had the water pump clog with purple jello sludge.

The key paragraph in the legal looking paper I received in the mail says "GM denies dex-cool is incompatible with intake manifold gaskets in 3.1, 3.4, and 3.8 liter engines and causes corrosion in 4.3 liter engines". I guess the few hundred thousand failures they've seen are just coincidence.

This is just a little humor at the sad state of the US auto industry and how they stand behind their product.