intake manifold gasket scared

[irondiezl3]

just got my car a month ago 2004 gl1 50k. car seemed great but after a few weeks notice things here and there broke. recently the most nerve racking one that scares me is when i changed my plugs and notices oil all over them. took to dealer told me today its the intake manifold and also that caused a vaccuum leak. whats that all mean? so ive been driving my car like that a month should i be worried? major damage? changed my oil they are putting the new gasket in now. also they told me my collant was just a little low but whats that have to do with anything? anyone that can expaine this all in lamen terms for me?

[blueolds01]

coolant runs through the lower intake manifold, when the seal between the lower intake manifold and the block breaks, coolant leaks into the oil. the vaccum leak means there was air leaking into the ports after the TB.

i wouldnt worry about any extreme internal damage. we had a 3400 in the shop and oil was litterally like choclate milk. it still ran good after we had fixed everything. yours doesnt sound near as bad.

it is a bit a early for yours to go though, you just shouldnt have to get it done down the road.

[alerored04]

My brother ignored my advice to fix it and drove the car that way for 2-3 months and ended up seizing the motor and jamming a rod through the block. So fix it sooner than later.

[WhiteV6]

Is it the upper or lower manifold gasket? Oil on the spark plugs sounds like the valve cover gasket to me.

If its the lower, make sure they use the metal gaskets that are available. If not, they expect to see you again because all plastic LIM gaskets are junk in comparison to the metal gasket.

[surreal_awakening]

It wouldn't be the valve cover gaskets. I think you may mean the head gaskets. To replace the head gaskets, you have to replace the UIM and LIM gaskets by default. Even going as far as to do the UIM and LIM, which do have a history of failing, you might as well go the extra distance while the engine is apart and do the head gaskets as well. So, IMO, the safe way to go is to get a complete head set and replace all of the gaskets. As far as driving it like that, a little oil on the spark plugs won't be the end of your engine, but consider it a forewarning. If you check your dipstick and the oil is milky, stop driving it and fix it right away.

[irondiezl3]

the dealer is doing it covered under warranty i changed my oil the day i noticed it but who knowes how long it was like that didnt look milky to me tho but they also changed it before i bought it so who knowes. i dont know if it was upper or lower but i know they found this out because i told them i had oil on my plugs but im 99 percent positive they told me they found it to be manifold gasket. she said thats why my car was running a slight rough idle and should fix that problem. theyve had the car f0r 3 days how long of a job is that?

[billytheman1188]

so the people you bought the car off of changed the oil before they sold it..... sounds like they new there was a problem, and they changed it so you wouldnt notice (in case you checked).

[WhiteV6]

I was thinking of the outside of the plug...not the electrode. DOH! That is never a good sign.

[irondiezl3]

wierd carfax showed one owner no accidents the car was definantly taken care ok 50k which i know is kinda high but the car was mint inside and out ii went to change my plugs thinkin it would help idle thats when i noticed some oil on the threads especially on the back ones. but they said intake manifold gasket so when i get the car back should i change oil and flush coolant to be extra safe? what else can i do to make sure im not gunna lose an engine 5 months from now?

[WhiteV6]

Ask them if they changed either first. Coolant should be drained before the lower is pulled off.

[alerored04]

Both need to be drained before you do a lim job so it should have new coolant and oil in it.

[irondiezl3]

so if they didnt change fluids can i raise hell saying it needs to be done to be safe or will they say thats not true and i dont know what im talking about.

[alerored04]

They need to do it to take the engine apart, no ifs ands or buts about it. If you pay them to do the job they must drain the oil and coolant before they can disassemble the engine to change the gasket.

[irondiezl3]

even if just a intake manifold gasket

[alerored04]

What?

[irondiezl3]

they are replacing my intake manifold gasket they still change fluids for that

[WhiteV6]

Coolant only has to be drained enough to lower the level below the top of the block. It should be drained completely bit to say it must is incorrect. Oil does not have to be drained. Should, but not necessary.

[BlackJack]

Not to mention, it's likely if the intake gasket is hosed, there's probably some fluid mixed as it is.

[YALEROYNOT]

open a motor up like that and not changing the fluids is just insaine to me. I would make sure the fluids are new when you get it back. when doing the upper and lower gaskets dirt could and will fall in to the coolant and oil passages so it should be changed and if they didn't or wouldn't do it they would not be touching my car (I would do the job my self in the first place but anyway) it would be shotty work to me if they let it go with old fluids just my 2 cents

[irondiezl3]

its a gm dealership so should i count on them changing fluids out.

[irondiezl3]

can this be what caused the car to have poorer gas milege because there was also a vaccuum leak? they changed both fluids so should i be all set now?

[zzyzzx]

From Wilipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_60-Degree_V6_engine#LA1

The 3.4 L engine is known to be unreliable, usually the result of premature failure of intake manifold gaskets and head gaskets.[citation needed] There have also been instances of piston skirt failure.[citation needed]

So if I understand this thread, I should change out a crappy piece of plastic someplace with a metal one, right? I'm going to be getting one of these sometime soon, and it 's a 1999 with 19,000 miles on it.. Or should I wait for it to break first?

[[ion] C2]

You can wait for it to break, but expect it.

[bigdaddyD]

whats the average life expectancy for the stock plastic to break?

[[ion] C2]

all across the board

[Cliff8928]

whats the average life expectancy for the stock plastic to break?

I have just about 40,000 on stock '99 gaskets..