Stan9864 Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hi: My first post, apologies if I do anything rude. I recently purchased a 2000 3.1L Buick, that the seller told me had a bad LIMG. I am looking to replace it. Are there any other parts I should definitely replace when I do this job? Should I do the head gaskets while I am in there, or should I let them be unless I know of a problem? I am already going to replace all the coolant hoses. Power steering pressure hose? Mounts? I am not familiar with these V-6 engines. Gasket manufucturer VICTOR REINZ offers a master set for this job (MIS16259WB); it appears to have every gasket and seal needed, as well as new bolts. Recommended? Overkill? Are there any other weak points on these engines? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 I would recommend getting these: FEL-PRO Part # MS98003T PermaDryPlus® Valve cover gskts. & Upper set incl.; PermaDryPlus® int. manifold gskts. incl.; Manifold bolts not incl.; Manifold bolt replacement recommended Found on Rockauto... Those are pretty much the best gaskets out there right now... But personally, I have never replaced the bolts and I have never had a problem with that... I saw those Victor gaskets, but I have never heard of them and I dont know how reputable they are... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 how long has it been getting driven around with blown intake gaskets? if coolant has been getting in the oil long that engine might be toasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 I would recommend getting these:FEL-PRO Part # MS98003T PermaDryPlus® Valve cover gskts. & Upper set incl.; PermaDryPlus® int. manifold gskts. incl.; Manifold bolts not incl.; Manifold bolt replacement recommended Found on Rockauto... Those are pretty much the best gaskets out there right now... But personally, I have never replaced the bolts and I have never had a problem with that... I saw those Victor gaskets, but I have never heard of them and I dont know how reputable they are... I usually use Fel-Pro myself, but I am told that Victor Reinz is reputable, and I like the idea of the master set. RockAuto is where I saw it. I am not all that worried about the bolts, but I don't want to get it apart and figure out that some/all of those other gaskets and seals need to be replaced. I might just order in both gasket sets and return the one I don't use. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 how long has it been getting driven around with blown intake gaskets? if coolant has been getting in the oil long that engine might be toasted. Not sure, previous owner (PO) wasn't aware of the problem until her mechanic advised her of it this past winter. PO mentioned that she drove the car very sparingly after that. I've driven the car about 15 miles, and will probably have to drive another 25 before I can perform any maintenance. Current oil appears to have orange tinge (old Dexcool, or maybe it is just the oil....) to it, but is not cloudy. The current coolant is the green type. OIl level is exactly filled, not overfilled. Engine starts right up, runs quiet, is responsive, and has proper power. The rest of the car appears to be mechanically well maintained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BXX Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Get the Dorman kit. It comes with Felpro gaskets and new LIM bolts, and is cheaper:thumbsup: Part number 615-205 Rockauto Price - $42.79 It would be silly to get the more expensive Felpro kit that doesnt include new bolts when the Dorman kit is Felpro gaskets with new bolts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 i would be really worried that they mixed green and Dex. Thats a big no-no. Id plan a full system flush once the gaskets are replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BXX Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 i would be really worried that they mixed green and Dex. Thats a big no-no. Id plan a full system flush once the gaskets are replaced. Except 90% of coolant out now that you get at a parts store is green and mixes with all coolants. So I wouldnt have worries if I was him. And a good coolant flush after the LIM gaskets are done is a great idea:thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Get the Dorman kit. It comes with Felpro gaskets and new LIM bolts, and is cheaper:thumbsup: Part number 615-205 Rockauto Price - $42.79 It would be silly to get the more expensive Felpro kit that doesnt include new bolts when the Dorman kit is Felpro gaskets with new bolts. I saw that, but skipped it because I don't think of "Dorman" when I think of gaskets. But it could possibly be a great deal. Assuming that they are Fel-pro gaskets, I'd be concerned that they are a standard (or economy ) gasket, as opposed to a premium gasket. My understanding is that the LIMG on these engines have gone through design and material changes, and I want the current premium standard. This does not appear to be a job I want to do over. I'm cheap, but I am also very, very lazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbex Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 I wouldn't have thought that they'd really even offer the old types, but I could be wrong... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Except 90% of coolant out now that you get at a parts store is green and mixes with all coolants. So I wouldnt have worries if I was him. This wasn't a concern, for the reason you state here, AND.... And a good coolant flush after the LIM gaskets are done is a great idea:thumbsup: All coolant hoses will be replaced along with the LIMG. The system will be cleaned, and the water pump, thermostat and radiator cap will be replaced as well. I am also considering replacing the radiator as well, as the car has 130k on it. If anyone has knowledge of what the expected life of a reasonably maintained radiator is on these cars, or what their common method of failure is, then I might be able to save $100. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BXX Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 The gaskets in the Dorman kit are the Felpro premium permadry ones. Buying the Felpro kit would be dumb, costs more money for the exact same thing but without new bolts. Dorman's parts arent cheap crap, I love their parts:thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 I wouldn't have thought that they'd really even offer the old types, but I could be wrong... I didn't mean to imply that the problematic, original design of these gaskets is still being offered, but that of the most recent design, there can be more than one grade available. At Rockauto, this seems to be the case for the Victor Reinz and the Fel-pro brands. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 This wasn't a concern, for the reason you state here, AND.... All coolant hoses will be replaced along with the LIMG. The system will be cleaned, and the water pump, thermostat and radiator cap will be replaced as well. I am also considering replacing the radiator as well, as the car has 130k on it. If anyone has knowledge of what the expected life of a reasonably maintained radiator is on these cars, or what their common method of failure is, then I might be able to save $100. Thanks! I dont see the need in replacing the coolant hoses... Unless they are leaking, I would just clean them out with a hose (run it through the heater core both ways, and through the radiator both ways) instead of replacing them... I also believe that you dont need to replace the radiator and water pump as there failure rates are extremely low, the thermostat and radiator cap are cheap enough that you can replace them just for good measures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 The radiators in these cars are very good. the one in the vert bob got from me has been in three cars... so it has 300,000 miles???? As long as it is happy and taken care of with good coolant mixture... they last. Hey bob, I would like that radiator back to use in another car... I'll trade you a low mileage radiator for it!!! :lol::lol: I WOULD replace the radiator hoses with new ones, since they are cheap enough and offer a real measure of protection if your old hoses show any sign of degradation. I can see degradation in the form of erosion of the inner surface where coolant flows... that makes the hose weak, and hoses don't usually leak, they usually burst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 I dont see the need in replacing the coolant hoses... Unless they are leaking, I would just clean them out with a hose (run it through the heater core both ways, and through the radiator both ways) instead of replacing them... I also believe that you dont need to replace the radiator and water pump as there failure rates are extremely low, the thermostat and radiator cap are cheap enough that you can replace them just for good measures The radiator hoses and what looks to be a bypass hose are in sad shape. They NEED to go. The other hoses will be replaced just because. Besides, if the heater hoses are where I think I saw them, I will want to take a garden hose to the heater core. If the water pump is where I think I saw it, it looks like an easy install and costs $20. That's less than the 2 gallons of Prestone that will be needed to refill the system. I forgot to mention that I will look into replacing the coolant temp sensor as well. I assume that most/all of these parts are original, or at least have been in the car for a long time and many miles. I really just want to overhaul the system, and then forget about it. Cooling system repairs are more annoying than difficult or expensive, and cooling system failures can be very inconvenient and quite expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 The radiators in these cars are very good. the one in the vert bob got from me has been in three cars... so it has 300,000 miles???? As long as it is happy and taken care of with good coolant mixture... they last. OK, if the radiator looks good, and is all metal, I will probably keep it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Should I do the head gaskets while I am in there, or should I let them be unless I know of a problem? No reply on this... but I will probably have a couple of gaskets and a set of bolts available just in case. Are the rear spark plugs on this engine more accessible with the intake manifolds off? My repair manual says something about normally having to lift/rotate the engine to get at them. But I was thinking that perhaps during the LIMG repair they might be more accessible. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 head gaskets are solid. The plugs would be really easy to get to with the upper mani off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BXX Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Ken, why would i remove this perfectly good radiator for another one you have:think: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 The plugs would be really easy to get to with the upper mani off. Outstanding! Is it safe to use platinum plugs on these cars? I had heard of problems on other cars with DIS ignition and the waste-spark firing setup. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 no. dont use platinums. Stick plain ole AC Delco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alec_b Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 OE plugs in 3x00 engines are platinum anyways. Use AC Delco or NGK plugs, never bosch. The waste-spark system hates bosch plugs. Basically any other brand and you're good to go. Hell I use Autolite double platinums in almost every GM car I've ever had and never had a problem. Dirt cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 FACTORY... AND REPLACEMENT radiators are aluminum with plastic reservoir ends. This is fine and lasts great as long as the coolant maintenance is kept up. Don't use platinum plugs? WTF???? 96 or 97+ cars had only Platinum plugs standard. EIther get the acdelco factory plugs, or double platinum autolites, or double platinum NGKs. I would trust nothing else in our cars. DO NOT use any "fancy performance plugs" such as pulstar or E3... and DO NOT USE SINGLE PLATINUM, such as Bosch.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan9864 Posted April 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) FACTORY... AND REPLACEMENT radiators are aluminum with plastic reservoir ends. This is fine and lasts great as long as the coolant maintenance is kept up. OK, I will take the advice here and leave the radiator alone unless I see a problem. no. dont use platinums. Stick plain ole AC Delco. OE plugs in 3x00 engines are platinum anyways. Use AC Delco or NGK plugs, never bosch. The waste-spark system hates bosch plugs. Basically any other brand and you're good to go. Hell I use Autolite double platinums in almost every GM car I've ever had and never had a problem. Dirt cheap. Don't use platinum plugs? WTF???? 96 or 97+ cars had only Platinum plugs standard. EIther get the acdelco factory plugs, or double platinum autolites, or double platinum NGKs. I would trust nothing else in our cars. DO NOT use any "fancy performance plugs" such as pulstar or E3... and DO NOT USE SINGLE PLATINUM, such as Bosch.... All of the cars I've worked on in recent history had readily accessible plugs, and I just used regular AUtolite, AC Delco or NGK copper core plugs. This car, however, has much less accessible plugs. Per my Haynes manual, the factory spec is AC-Delco 41-940, which is a platinum plug. The Autolite Double Platinums seem to be the cheapest. From their website: "Features platinum-to-platinum firing. Virtually eliminates gap erosion, reduces misfires, and provides 100K mile durability. It's the superior-performing spark plug providing preferred technology for DIS engines. Guaranteed for 5 years." I assume that standard installation procedures apply... clean the well threads, use anti-seize on the plugs, and perhaps dielectric compound on the plug wire boot? Thanks. Edited April 6, 2011 by Stan9864 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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