3400 LIM AGAIN??

[Prospeeder]

My moms 3400 grand am has a bit of milky nasty oil like it has water on it you know, and the PCV is coverd in it, but i think thats from the LAST time we had the LIM replaced and the guy never cleaned it. Shes not had a problem since but now her coolant light has started to come on now and then, is this a super slow leak or just condensation building up from the cold? The Dipstick doesnt have anything on it, just the PCV and the oil cap itself, nothing around it i can see.

[R Dubya]

if the coolant light is on its more than likely losing coolant, somewhere somehow. was it done under warranty, and how long ago was it done? who did it, if not the dealer, and the first thing you do is contact them to make sure they replace the mainfold bolts. its a fairly commong thing, and like i said on the other forum, they never fixed the problem with those gaskets, they are still the same. they may have upgraded the metal that is impregnated in the plastic, but they are still shit. raise hell and take it to whoever fixed it, request a parts slip, and if the bolts werent replaced, find out why and make them do it again, given of course that they are leaking.

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

Did they do the headgaskets too? At the dealership they usually do both on the 3400s, as that is a somewhat common problem.

 

But, FWIW I noticed a *tiny* bit of old coolant on my oil cap and PVC a couple weeks ago, however I do beleive that it's still from before cause I've only changed the oil once. After I cleaned it off it's still running clean, and it's not losing ANY coolant.

 

I've talked to several mechanics and they said that the intake bolts aren't needed to be changed (so I didn't change mine) but you need to use threadlock on them.

[R Dubya]

we change them at work every time, 3100's and 3400's just to be safe, bolts are torque to yield, sometimes you can't be 100% sure that they are going to hold twice. when it comes to warranty standpoint we do it so we don't do it twice.

[SigEpCutlass]

milky is bad dude. i'd get that looked at asap.

 

EDIT: fixed spelling

[Prospeeder]

Yea my dads taking it into the shop we took it to last time, hes pissed! They most likley didnt change the bolts

[GP1138]

We didn't change the bolts when we did the intake swap, and we did head and intake gaskets. No milky coolant at all, and no losing coolant either.

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess it's the headgaskets. Keep us updated. :?

[Prospeeder]

its been about a year scince we did it also, ill keep yall updated, Headgaskets can let coolant into the oil also?

[White93z34]

i highly doubt that even IF there is coolant mixing with the oil, that its something like intake bolts casuseing it.

 

that said i'd clean off suspect parts and drive a few days and see if it comes back.

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

i highly doubt that even IF there is coolant mixing with the oil, that its something like intake bolts casuseing it.

 

that said i'd clean off suspect parts and drive a few days and see if it comes back.

 

 

 

Or to be safe, park it for a couple hours (let the engine get completely cold), and drain the oil. Draining it cold will show coolant much more than if it's warm and mixed together. Place a cup as soon as it starts coming out, cause coolant settles to the bottem of the oil.

[R Dubya]

yeah I'm not saying this is definetely the cause, but there is a possibility. Could be something simple too, who knows. Take it and have it checked, let us know.

[Prospeeder]

Ok! We took it back, Its being replaced, Free labor, and it turns out they didnt replace the bolts, and the local GM dealer said you need to replace them. Its leaking externally and internally from the LIM i belive.

[R Dubya]

89017279 x1 LIM Kit, 12346141 x1 GM adhesive, 12578451 x4 bolts, 12578452 x4 bolts, 10154775 x2 rocker gaskets, and that distributor o-ring, can't remember the number. dammit. xxxx4565 i think.

[Canada]

The head gaskets could be leaking externally, but they typically don't leak into the engine. It sounds like a hack may of dd you your intake the first time. Sometimes, they like to put sealer around the coolant passages witht he gasket as well....this causes the gasket to break and get pushed out when the intake is bolted down.

 

Just because you are a wash bay bitch, doesn't mean you can diag cars....espessically online.

 

Don't forget the coolant nipple for the thermostat housing and the o-ring for the water pump pipe.

 

BTW.....who is doing the work?

[Prospeeder]

Local place, Dusy's Auto repair

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

Just because you are a wash bay bitch, doesn't mean you can diag cars....espessically online.

 

k thx

[R Dubya]

way out of line there I think..

 

this forum should be a little more about posting knowledge than demeaning people. He posted his opinion, valid points that a supposed GM expert told him was/was not necessary to do. He may not be an expert but he's here and trying to post information that may/may not lead to a solution, and pointing out things that could be trouble spots is something that you shouldn't jump on him about.

[GP1138]

way out of line there I think..

 

this forum should be a little more about posting knowledge than demeaning people. He posted his opinion, valid points that a supposed GM expert told him was/was not necessary to do. He may not be an expert but he's here and trying to post information that may/may not lead to a solution, and pointing out things that could be trouble spots is something that you shouldn't jump on him about.

 

I was going to comment on it, but I decided it really wasn't my place. I agree. No need to be a dick.

[Prospeeder]

Wow was that aimed at me or Cbad or what? Im reporting what a fuckin Shop and Dealer said

[loominaz34]

Back to the topic (temporarily, I'm sure"): ALWAYS replace a TTY bolt. They DON'T hold twice, they're physically stretched permanently and they can damage the threads in aluminum parts. They will hold togethr like a normal bolt but they stand a good chance of coming loose again shortly, causing leaks.

[DaveFromColorado]

as Loominaz said, you do want to replace these bolts - I did a little lookin' 'round and talkin' to the dealerships/parts guys and asked 'em about this, they all confirmed that GM is recomending those bolts to be replaced at the same time the manifold is changed.

 

(tryin' to be friendly here) Secondly, yes, coolant can get into the oil with a headgasket leak - it doesn't happen often that way, normally you'll either burn the coolant in the cylinders, or it'll leak to the outside of the motor - SOMETIMES it can leak into the valley, but that almost never happens, and when you do have a head gasket leak, you've often got many other symptoms to go along with it.

 

--Dave.