engine problem
8.9
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$2,331.00
Average Mileage:
84,190 miles
Number of complaints:
13 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replacement of intake manifold (5 reports)
- replace intake manifold and engine (4 reports)
- not sure (2 reports)
- replace intake manifold, major tune up and new oil change (2 reports)
Helpful Websites About 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix leaking coolant, cracked intake manifold gasket
2007May 13
(reported on)Grand Prix GTP 3.8 V6
- Automatic transmission
- 87,000 miles
still bushes fault that and Pontiac's are just horrible cars power is great but problems ..... well lets just say im basically paying for 2 cars at once with just one car
2008Mar 01
Grand Prix SE 3800
- Automatic transmission
- 68,800 miles
Brought in for an oil change and found out intake manifold had crack allowing coolant and oil to mix in the engine, which creates a sludge. This sludge doesn't allow the engine to lubricate itself properly so it overheats, cracks block etc.. GM is a piece of shit for not recognizing this problem and doing a recall!
2008Mar 10
Grand Prix 3.1L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 101,000 miles
The intake manifold cracked causing coolant to leak into all cylinders of the engine and even go as far as into the exhaust system. It ended up to be a very shitty ordeal....had to get a replacement engine for the car. It was just a pain in the ass
2007Nov 16
Grand Prix 3800 Series V6
- Automatic transmission
- 96,537 miles
The FUHK'N Plastic intake manifold melted a hole from the EGR chamber to the coolant chamber,which allowed coolant into engine. Hydrolocked engine with water and oil mixture.(Solution) Had system purged, new intake manifold installed, major tune up and new oil change. $750 problem with year warranty. Takes 3 hrs to fix! Signs of same problem: while driving, continuous flashing service engine soon light, car drives like the tires are flat, excess exhaust, stinky coolant smell inside of vehicle, the car will accelerate but only to about 40-60 mph. Not to mention I only had the car 3 months and I just got paid as soon as it happened, ain't that a Bitch!!!!!
2007Sep 20
(reported on)Grand Prix GT 3.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 124,633 miles
I bought my vehicle 01/13/03, 19 yrs old, first car ever, buying on my own, the car had less than 50,000 miles on it, three months later and 8,000 miles later, my engine stalls, it froze up, i had the car towed to a shop and they checked it and said the intake manifold had an eternal leak on the inside and ended up frying your motor little by little, there was no sign of any leaking, and you cant tell by the naked eye that it is going on, u have to have the equipment to test and tell. It ended up costing me $6,232.00 to replace the engine and intake, and even the radiator, when the intake had a crack in it, it leaked water into the engine oil and contaminated my cooling system. GM should of done a recall on this part, this is the only thing that is plastic on the engine, that is connected to the engine, a engine produces constant heat as it runs, up to 220 degrees at normal running temperature, heat melts plastic, i had to get a personal loan to fix this problem and i ended up going in to debt because of this. If you own a gm or anything made by the company get rid of it.
2007Sep 20
(reported on)Grand Prix GT 3.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 124,633 miles
I was having trouble with my transmission so i took it in and had it rebuilt, less than 3 weeks later it went out again, my warranty i got with the rebuilt covered it, why they were fixing that they found out that i had a blown head gasket, so i sent it to the shop where i originally had the engine replaced, they found that my intake manifold has an eternal crack in it again, this is the second time, this time i caught it before it became a bigger problem on my engine. It blew my head gaskets and my radiator, fried my tranny, ended up voiding my warranty on my engine cause of the intake, this is the second time it has done this. I am pissed off and it is causing me to stress, i am in debt still from the first time this happened. I am near losing my job, so now i am dealing with the California dept of new and used vehicle bureau and they are going to deal with gm out of court if they dont want to settle then i am going to take them to court. There should be a recall on this intake they are using. Ford had the same problem on there crown victoria and they made a recall on theres. This is not right, there are to many others having the same problem and gm is not caring, and doing nothing about it.
2007Sep 11
(reported on)Grand Prix LX 3.1L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 49,070 miles
Had to replace the intake manifold gaskets. Cost $894.00. Glad I had it done. A new engine is a lot more expensive. GM really needs to address this instead of listening to the Cost Accountants trying to save them a few dollars per car. This is a real pain. To note this problem exits on 3.1L, 3.5L, 3.8L, and 5.5 L GM engines. Not just on Pontiacs but on all GM products for example: GMC, Buick, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac. They need to address this problem because it is making customers very angry and is easily fixed by using a non-plastic gasket material. My mechanic had to replace his on his wife's Suburban. My mechanic told me on my wife's Buick LaCrosse to watch and see if anything is leaking from the gaskets and bring it in when I start seeing it. Her car only has 23,894 miles on it.
2007Jan 11
(reported on)Grand Prix GT 3.8L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 64,000 miles
Plastic intake manifold melted a hole from the EGR chamber to the coolant chamber, allowing coolant into engine. Hydrolocked engine. Had system purged and new intake manifold installed... ~$950... 2 weeks later engine went bad. Had used engine installed ~$1800. Lasted 2 weeks, had another used engine installed $500 (mechanic split the labor, engine covered), within 12 months, replacement intake manifold melted allowing coolant into engine, caught early but still another intake manifold. (mechanic did no charge, great guy)... engine seemed fine for the next 6-12 months when car was totaled due to failure of brakes (mechanically sound, full pads, no leaks, fluid still full). GM wouldn't do a damn thing about it, even under their "goodwill" warranty. See petition of intake problems on ~98-02 3.8L V6 engines (Venture, etc) at http://www.petitiononline.com/GMcnsmrs/petition. html (13555 signatures so far), yet it isn't a design flaw!? Wish I could file small claims but don't know business & address to file against. Puts a BAD taste in my mouth!... and this was my dream car, saved 7 years for and paid cash!... never again!
2007Feb 15
(reported on)Grand Prix GT 3.8
- Automatic transmission
- 72,000 miles
heard this is a problem with this engine because the plastic melts, think GM would rectify and help out
2007Feb 12
(reported on)Grand Prix GT 3.8
- Automatic transmission
- 48,000 miles
GM has a history of this same issue and yet does nothing...
2006Oct 08
(reported on)Grand Prix
- 111,000 miles
The intake manifold cracked causing coolant to leak into all cylendars of the engine and even go as far as into the exhaust system. Lucky for me no damage happened to the engine, it was just an expensive and extreme inconvienence.
2002May 17
(reported on)Grand Prix
- 72,000 miles
The intake manifold on my Pontiac cracked because it is made out of plastic. Water and coolant leaked into the engine causing the pistons to hydraulic. Water does not compress like gas. The starters nose cone shattered and luckly none of the rods bent. In doing research on some other consumer complaint websites, this is happening to my model and the Grand Am. It is a design flaw by GM but they are not doing anything about it.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2000Jun 08
Grand Prix SE 3.6L
WOW!!! I wasn't aware that every one was having this problem with the leaky valve cover issue. My problem was that the engine coolant and heat created a hole in the valve cover. The coolant then leaked into my cylinders and caused my motor to seize. this problem was on the "identified " as a problem list for the year 1998. My mechanic at the time came back from GMC certified traing and knew what my problem. I contacted GMC and they would not accept responsibility for the issue. They wanted a GMC certified mechanic to look at the motor. They went very silent when I advised them my mechanic had just returned from their training course and was certified. They still wouldn't do anything. I went to my lawyer who asked if I had 300,000 dollars for all the experts I would have to hire. Needless to say I ended up getting the new motor myself. No more GMC products for me.
Rodney F.
Morrilton, AR, USA
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