-L82-Loser Posted June 18, 2003 Report Posted June 18, 2003 hooray, first post. since i've owned my car (coming up on a year) i've been losing coolant. it's not a pronounced leak, but i've seen a few drops here and there. i put it up on jacks and traced the leak back to the intake manifold. also, i've heard that the lower manifold gasket can be a cause of leakage on this particlular engine. so, a few questions. is the gasket the problem, or am i missing something? if it is the problem, is there anything other than the haynes manual and relevant TSB that i need to look at before i replace it? any other tips from people who have done this before? also, i want to change trans fluid, since my winter driving habits suck (turn car on in below freezing conditions, drive 5 stop and go miles, twice a day). anything i need to worry about besides the filter and seal? is there the chance that new fluid could kill a trans with 95k on it? thanks guys, i look forward to your responses. -John Quote
Robby1870 Posted June 18, 2003 Report Posted June 18, 2003 I recently had my 3.1L apart, not a 3100, BUT, the heads are similar. And, I did notice that on my heads around the coolant passages, the old gasket was worn and starting to break. There isnt much gasket b/n the end of the coolant passage and the end of the head. I think the lower manifold is prolly the cause. Changing the fluid on a tranny wont hurt it. It will help it tremendously. Just do filter, gasket and new fluid. Be sure to clean the magnet in the pan off, when you change it. And, when you drop the pan, you only change about 50-60% of the tranny fluid, the rest is in the converter, and you cant change it without a torque flush. However, dont worry, just drop the pan, and you should be good to go Robby Quote
ismellrealbad Posted June 18, 2003 Report Posted June 18, 2003 i just did this yesterday. 6 1/2 qts came out. and the new gasket with the filter kit was not as beefy as the one already there. i took a pic of my magnet because it had like twice its thickness of shavings on it. Quote
Slade901 Posted June 18, 2003 Report Posted June 18, 2003 I've replaced both of our 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and 1994 Pontiac Grand Am transmission fluid/filter and the magnet looks like that. I just removed the magnet and cleaned it out and put it back at the same place where I took it out. Quote
ismellrealbad Posted June 18, 2003 Report Posted June 18, 2003 i did the same. funny how this topic went from coolant loss to tranny fluid changes heh Quote
Slade901 Posted June 18, 2003 Report Posted June 18, 2003 [L82]Loser When was the coolant been drained out and replaced prior to owning it? I'd replace coolant every 2 years either green or the orange type coolant. I don't recommend using chemical leak sealer in the coolant system either. Quote
-L82-Loser Posted June 19, 2003 Author Report Posted June 19, 2003 afaik, this is the original coolant. its still orange, and i have a feeling that if it had been changed, it would have been green. plus, the reccomended change interval is 5 years, so chances are that its OE (wince). whats the best way to flush out all the crap that i'm sure is hiding in there? also, what can i use to relieve fuel system pressure and to disconnect the fuel rails from the fuel line line? haynes says i need a special tool for each, but i wondered if there was a ghett.. errr, inventive workaround for this. Quote
cutlassdude96 Posted June 19, 2003 Report Posted June 19, 2003 the coolent would be still orange if it has been change, it called DexCool Quote
-L82-Loser Posted June 19, 2003 Author Report Posted June 19, 2003 the coolent would be still orange if it has been change, it called DexCooloh, i know what dexcool is. trust me. its just that the prev. owner would have gone budget since it was a fleet car and got the green stuff. Quote
Robby1870 Posted June 19, 2003 Report Posted June 19, 2003 To relieve system fuel pressure, there is a schrader (sp?) valve on the front rail above the injector for cylinder #6. unscrew the cap, and press the little needle inside. You'll hear a hiss. Then go open the gas filler cap and push open the metal thing. Then press the schrader valve again. That worked for me. As far as the lines, you dont need a special tool. Use a line wrench (so you dont strip the fittings) and unscrew them from the rails. The "IN" line is on the front rail, and the return is on the rear rail. I think they are 3/4 or 7/8 fittings Robby Quote
-L82-Loser Posted June 19, 2003 Author Report Posted June 19, 2003 by line wrenches, do you mean these: http://www.kenlowe.com.au/_borders/tools.1.jpg ? if so, whats the difference between those and my regular craftsman wrenches? also, will taking the hood off make access to the rear valve cover easier? and whats the best way to clean out the engine bay before i start? thanks for your help guys, i really appreciate it. btw: schraeder Quote
Robby1870 Posted June 19, 2003 Report Posted June 19, 2003 Well, those arent the line wrenches I meant. They are just regular craftsman wrences, but the end has more of a circle on it, so that it grabs more than just two faces of the line. Its hard to describe. It shouldnt matter if you use a regular wrench though. They arent torqued that much anyway. Taking the hood off wont help you get to the rear valve cover. The lower manifold has to come off for that. Theres nothing to really clean the engine bay out. I mean, just start taking things off. Make sure and label each connector you take out, if you cant remember what they are. Honestly, theres not that much wiring. If you want to clean the engine bay, the best time to do it is with the motor half apart. Much easier to get to stuff. If you need anything else, dont hesitate to ask. You can get my on AIM or MSN if Im on. Best of luck, and thanks for the spelling of shcraeder or however you spell it. Robby Quote
Slade901 Posted June 20, 2003 Report Posted June 20, 2003 Are we talking about the adjustable wrech? Quote
mfewtrail Posted June 20, 2003 Report Posted June 20, 2003 to remove fuel pressure w/o the hassle of getting fuel anywhere(a little will come out of the shrader valve, but a LOT will be left in the fuel rail(s)...remove your fuel pump fuse and crank up the car and let it run until it dies = no more pressure. Is your intake manifold leaking on the drivers side right near the t-stat housing and just before the oil pump drive/intermediate shaft "o ring"(that always leaks oil )? Mine was leaking in that area ever so slightly.....they need to make better lower intake mani gaskets for us Quote
-L82-Loser Posted June 20, 2003 Author Report Posted June 20, 2003 to remove fuel pressure w/o the hassle of getting fuel anywhere(a little will come out of the shrader valve, but a LOT will be left in the fuel rail(s)...remove your fuel pump fuse and crank up the car and let it run until it dies = no more pressure. Is your intake manifold leaking on the drivers side right near the t-stat housing and just before the oil pump drive/intermediate shaft "o ring"(that always leaks oil )? Mine was leaking in that area ever so slightly.....they need to make better lower intake mani gaskets for usi know its leaking on the drivers side for sure, and i cant tell if it is on the pass side because the PS pump is in the way. Quote
mfewtrail Posted June 20, 2003 Report Posted June 20, 2003 Loser]to remove fuel pressure w/o the hassle of getting fuel anywhere(a little will come out of the shrader valve, but a LOT will be left in the fuel rail(s)...remove your fuel pump fuse and crank up the car and let it run until it dies = no more pressure. Is your intake manifold leaking on the drivers side right near the t-stat housing and just before the oil pump drive/intermediate shaft "o ring"(that always leaks oil )? Mine was leaking in that area ever so slightly.....they need to make better lower intake mani gaskets for usi know its leaking on the drivers side for sure, and i cant tell if it is on the pass side because the PS pump is in the way. I've personally never seen/heard of one leaking on the passenger side, my gasket looked to be a little brittle on the passenger side, so who knows? I guess it's possible. Anyways, I'm not complaining about my particular gasket problem when I was saying we need better gaskets, hell I had 200K on mine before the gasket leaked , just I've heard of others having problems after 80K or so w/ them. Maybe you people need to drive them more , seriously, I'd rather buy a car from 93 w/ 150K on it rather than one w/ 10K, lots of low mileage cars like that aren't stored properly and once you start driving it a great deal, all gaskets/seals start to burst/fail. Quote
-L82-Loser Posted June 20, 2003 Author Report Posted June 20, 2003 Maybe you people need to drive them more , seriously, I'd rather buy a car from 93 w/ 150K on it rather than one w/ 10K, lots of low mileage cars like that aren't stored properly and once you start driving it a great deal, all gaskets/seals start to burst/fail. a 93 with 150k averages 15k miles a year. a 98 with 95k averages 19k miles a year. so who's not driving enough? well, i'm going to put together a complete list of parts today and order them when i get back in town. thanks for the help. Quote
JS91Z34 Posted June 20, 2003 Report Posted June 20, 2003 [L82]Loser When was the coolant been drained out and replaced prior to owning it? I'd replace coolant every 2 years either green or the orange type coolant. I don't recommend using chemical leak sealer in the coolant system either. My coolant is blue! Quote
mfewtrail Posted June 20, 2003 Report Posted June 20, 2003 Loser] Maybe you people need to drive them more , seriously, I'd rather buy a car from 93 w/ 150K on it rather than one w/ 10K, lots of low mileage cars like that aren't stored properly and once you start driving it a great deal, all gaskets/seals start to burst/fail. a 93 with 150k averages 15k miles a year. a 98 with 95k averages 19k miles a year. so who's not driving enough? well, i'm going to put together a complete list of parts today and order them when i get back in town. thanks for the help. err....that was an example only, my 93 is at 230K and has been since end of january...so 23K a year...not all my miles though Quote
Slade901 Posted June 20, 2003 Report Posted June 20, 2003 [L82]Loser When was the coolant been drained out and replaced prior to owning it? I'd replace coolant every 2 years either green or the orange type coolant. I don't recommend using chemical leak sealer in the coolant system either. My coolant is blue! What brand of coolant is that ? I hope you did not use the winter windshield washer fluid j/k Quote
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