GM 3.4/3.5 Intake Leak Rant.

[Arnold]

Ok..sorry..pardon my ignorance about this because I do not know a lot about this.
 What I do know is that this was a problem with coolant leaking into the oil..and GM paid out..(here in Canada anyway). I then heard that this was only a problem until Iirc2002/3 models. Then something was changed in the engine design/construction and that was supposed to fix it. Then I heard that the 3.5 was a completely different engine in 2005 I think.
 
Reason I mentioned this as in every now and again I toy with the idea of
one of those GM mini vans as a beater.Newer..and  newer.
 Aaaand EVERY time I look..I see that this is a problem here in Canada anyway..because there are a bazillion of them for sale with the SAME old coolant at the intake leaking in the oil game.Wow.1999-2007 anyway.3.4/3.5
AND lol..a SUPPOSED fix   The problem has still stayed the same..and continued as I have looked for newer and newer ones

  I am still sortta thinking about buying one and maybe pre empting
this nonsense by doing it BEFORE it goes  

[wayne petty]

hmm the famous intake gasket failures...


at one point.. the entire auto industry was out of intake gaskets for these..

as  gasket manufacturers were running durability and failure testing on them..

some cars were parked for 6 months because of lack of gaskets and gasket manufacturers not wanting to proceed until they could be assured of no failures.

these were molded plastic with silicone inserts .. but there was not enough plastic around the coolant passages to support the unexpected mechanical pumping pressure inside the block and heads created by the water pump flow above the 16 pounds of radiator cap pressure...

this just pushed out TOO HARD on the minimal surrounding area of the water passages..  was not long before the plastic failed and the molded silicone seal blew out..

the issue was very similar to the TBI and vortec intake manifold gaskets issues..

are there other failures with broken intake manifolds?  around los angeles the chrysler mini vans out sold the gm mini vans..

i have always liked the voyager caravan versions from 2000 up with a 3.3 and a 4 speed auto..  and they work great after cleaning the G100 ground location under the battery tray on the top of the frame rail.  thats the ground point for the PCM and ABS modules  so its only moderately important.(if you want to drive it) . probably why its not really shown in the service manual very well.

http://s1207.photobucket.com/user/waynep712/media/2006_caravan_battery_tray_zps018a1158.jpg.html

[Arnold]

hmm the famous intake gasket failures...


at one point.. the entire auto industry was out of intake gaskets for these..

as  gasket manufacturers were running durability and failure testing on them..

some cars were parked for 6 months because of lack of gaskets and gasket manufacturers not wanting to proceed until they could be assured of no failures.

these were molded plastic with silicone inserts .. but there was not enough plastic around the coolant passages to support the unexpected mechanical pumping pressure inside the block and heads created by the water pump flow above the 16 pounds of radiator cap pressure...

this just pushed out TOO HARD on the minimal surrounding area of the water passages..  was not long before the plastic failed and the molded silicone seal blew out..

the issue was very similar to the TBI and vortec intake manifold gaskets issues..

are there other failures with broken intake manifolds?  around los angeles the chrysler mini vans out sold the gm mini vans..

i have always liked the voyager caravan versions from 2000 up with a 3.3 and a 4 speed auto..  and they work great after cleaning the G100 ground location under the battery tray on the top of the frame rail.  thats the ground point for the PCM and ABS modules  so its only moderately important.(if you want to drive it) . probably why its not really shown in the service manual very well.

http://s1207.photobucket.com/user/waynep712/media/2006_caravan_battery_tray_zps018a1158.jpg.html

 Wayne..Thank You As Always.. That is some great info

 Very interesting and informative.I have looked at a lot of stuff for sale in the last several years..coming from doing an insane amount of driving and not wanting to buy a new vehicle..TRYING to save money.Need to save money on your drving costs? Buy an old GM 1 ton work van..bite the bullet and feed it..
 I have had enough bad experiences with Chrysler mini-vans. Interestingly enough..their awd mini vans are really,really cheap used up here and I never see anything wrong with them used? Hmmm.Maybe that is the way to go??

  What I just can't get with the GM 3.4/3.5. They KNOW there is a problem. They get caught. The SAY they are going to fix it..they don't. They end up paying out. Then they make some modifications..supposedly.
Then they build another engine..SAME deal.

 Thanks Wayne..

[58 Yeoman]

On a different line, but the same stupidity, was my 1988 Chevy K1500.  The brakes were never right, and I eventually found out that the brake booster was too small from the factory.  It was their fault, and they still charged me $100 for a new one.  They had a 'recall'...yeah, right.  Last Chevy I ever bought.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Yep, I fixed my brothers 3400 engine intake gaskets 3 yrs ago. It was a low mileage car with 60 k miles on a Lumina. Car still runs fine after we changed oil a few times to clean out the engine

[chimp koose]

I have had 2 dodge caravans an 85 and a 91. Both were bought in need of a transaxle.I owned the 85 for 10 yrs. I put in 3 transaxles ,one cracked cyl head replacement,one broken camshaft/cyl head rebuild-W/rings and rod bearings while i'm in there,one burned valve,replace engine. After the last transaxle ,it started leaking coolant again and I feared the same head gasket leak they are famous for (2.6l)so I parked it.The 91 needed a transaxle when I got it so I traded the 85 for one. This van went well for one year and then one cold morning the rocker shaft pedestal broke off with no warning signs at all.not repairable ,must replace the head. I immediately started to strip the van of any usefull parts including the middle seat for use in my model T.I like the ride of a caravan they are great vehicles from the windshield on to the back,but under the hood they are not to be relied on in Canadian winters. I bought a 92  chev extended cab short box to replace the vans . I have replaced a fuel pump, water pump ,alternator ,starter solenoid and a few minor other items in the past 5 years . fuel economy similar but not as good as the vans,but reliability well beyond .

[wayne petty]

I have had 2 dodge caravans an 85 and a 91. Both were bought in need of a transaxle.I owned the 85 for 10 yrs. I put in 3 transaxles ,one cracked cyl head replacement,one broken camshaft/cyl head rebuild-W/rings and rod bearings while i'm in there,one burned valve,replace engine. After the last transaxle ,it started leaking coolant again and I feared the same head gasket leak they are famous for (2.6l)so I parked it.The 91 needed a transaxle when I got it so I traded the 85 for one. This van went well for one year and then one cold morning the rocker shaft pedestal broke off with no warning signs at all.not repairable ,must replace the head. I immediately started to strip the van of any usefull parts including the middle seat for use in my model T.I like the ride of a caravan they are great vehicles from the windshield on to the back,but under the hood they are not to be relied on in Canadian winters. I bought a 92  chev extended cab short box to replace the vans . I have replaced a fuel pump, water pump ,alternator ,starter solenoid and a few minor other items in the past 5 years . fuel economy similar but not as good as the vans,but reliability well beyond .

chimp...  broken rocker stands on V6s just need a LONGER bolt installed.. there is a TSB on it..   actually all the bolts were too short for the rocker arms.. but i would have to reread the TSB...

about 2/3rds of the way down describes one way to fix them.

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/33.html

please practice my voltage drop tests when you have 2 minutes with any hood open... and a volt meter in your hands..

alternator failures and other failures can be traced directly back to BAD GROUNDS or BAT positive connections..

[chimp koose]

Wayne this stand broke off to the bottom of the hole. I knew about the longer bolt deal but that is mainly for cracked stands. this stand was broken off.I was not about to remove the rear cyl. head to repair it.