GM 3.8L engine intake manifold problem

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there is that well know issue with GM's 3.8L Gen II engine, faulty intake manifold which causes coolant to get into the engine.

I also heard that not all 3.8L engine were affected, that supposedly the ones with the supercharger were not.

I am looking to buy this 1998 Buick Park Avenue supercharged and need a confirmation that it's engine is OK, meaning does not use a plastic intake manifold that will melt.

http://www.topix.com/forum/com/gm/TRGPSHN4K8V7QD8GB/p5
 
Older Park Avenues are high maintenance, and supercharged ones are doubly so.

You've been warned.
 
I was under the impession that 3.8 supercharged did not have that issue..

My experience with high-end GM cars of that vintage was very positive... But the engine stuff is scary, the 'net is full of disaster stories. It doesn't look like GM ever admitted it had the issue.
 
If its a good deal, why not wait a few days, pull a UOA, send it out and see if coolant is going in... if positive, skip the buy, if not, buy it and proactively have the gaskets replaced?

if its not a good deal, why buy such an engine that while real good, will likely cause higher fuel consumption as compared to a smaller car and more benign engine?
 
Originally Posted By: MrCritical
Older Park Avenues are high maintenance, and supercharged ones are doubly so.

You've been warned.



I've never heard this from owners of these cars. I think benzadmiral would strongly disagree - he's got a park avenue and talks highly of it often on these pages. Also-I've had a Park Ave, Regal GS and Riveria over the years with the SC engines and never a problem.
 
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
I've seen the SC ones leaking from the gaskets too.


Yup. Helped a good friend of mine tear apart his cousin's GTP that was fubar due to coolant getting into the oil and sludging it to death.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
If its a good deal, why not wait a few days, pull a UOA, send it out and see if coolant is going in... if positive, skip the buy, if not, buy it and proactively have the gaskets replaced?

if its not a good deal, why buy such an engine that while real good, will likely cause higher fuel consumption as compared to a smaller car and more benign engine?



Good advice -
 
I`ve never heard of any problems with these engines. I took mine to almost 300K (`87 Olds Trofeo) and I never had a single hint of an issue with it. Seemed indestructable! But mine wasn`t the gen II. What`s the difference exactly between the gen II and the older ones?
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I`ve never heard of any problems with these engines. I took mine to almost 300K (`87 Olds Trofeo) and I never had a single hint of an issue with it. Seemed indestructable! But mine wasn`t the gen II. What`s the difference exactly between the gen II and the older ones?


I think the old ones used an aluminum manifold and traditional gaskets.
 
If you like the car, price the repair at the dealer and reduce your asking price that much.

Those big Buicks are pretty stately.
 
If the 3.8L supercharged even had that issue, then I will stay away from it, period.

It's a 98 Buick Park Avenue with 150,000 miles and the asking price is $3200.

I think I will pass on it, because on Ebay I see them going for much less than that, under $2K. So it's doubtful I can negotiate.
 
It seems to be a hit and miss issue with the 3.8 engine. Some have the problem and some don't. I think it has to do with good maintenance of the coolant.

I had a 1998 Old 88 with 70,000 miles that all of a sudden overheated. It ended up the coolant leaked into a cylinder and
"hydrolocked" that cylinder. Since the water could not be pushed out of the water filled cylider fast enough it threw a rod thru the block! Cost me a rebuilt engine.

Those engine are great low stress engines and can last a long time if the intake gasket issue does not surface or is taken care of with the better gasket kits they have now.
 
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That's pretty high for that mileage and year. It would have to be immaculate for me to consider for that price.

Yes, the upper intake gaskets on the 3.8 suffer the same problem on the supercharged engines as well as the regular type. However, the upper intake gasket is much easier to replace on the 3.8's compared to the lower intakes on the 3.1's. I don't even look at used vehicles with the 3.1's anymore, but the 3.8's are easy to repair, and usually, unlike the 3.1's, they stay fixed.

In my experience, the supercharged 3800's are a nightmare to buy used. If someone hasn't run synthetic for the life of the engine then expect burnt valves, bent guides and a warped or cracked head. If you experience the coolant seepage into the block then immediately repair it. There's no margin of error to play with unlike the regular 3.8.

The Park Avenues, LeSabres and Riviera's of this vintage are great cars, I would just stay away from the supercharged ones, especially in the + $3000 range.
 
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: MrCritical
Older Park Avenues are high maintenance, and supercharged ones are doubly so.

You've been warned.


I've never heard this from owners of these cars. I think benzadmiral would strongly disagree - he's got a park avenue and talks highly of it often on these pages. Also-I've had a Park Ave, Regal GS and Riveria over the years with the SC engines and never a problem.

True. I've had the big car for 15 months, and the wor$t repair item has been the self-leveling shocks in the rear, and the wor$t maintenance deal was the front brakes and rotors. The coolant level on mine has not dropped since I had the coolant changed around 48K miles. I'm using UOAs to keep an eye on the coolant matter, and if the next one comes back with high sodium and lead, I'll see about having the intake manifold gasket(s) done.

You want to talk high maintenance? My Benzes, which I loved, were all much older than the PA, true, but when they needed something, it was always more pricey than the GM car has been. And the 5-speed auto tranny on my latest Benz went out at 89,000 miles. The PA has been very relaxing by comparison.
 
There is no higher maintenance in a SC 3800. The supercharger has it's own oil that will need to be topped off every 30-60k or so. Our SC PA has 160k on it without any engine problems. Yes the lower intake gaskets are a problem, but they are a relitively easy fix to the new aluminum gaskets, and there is no worry about the upper intake and EGR passage. If anything the SC engines are less maintenance.

-T
 
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