you can add me to the list of people who have spun bearings on the 3800.

time for a new car :(

Sounds like the shop that did the "work" needs to buy you a new engine.... I'd consider them at fault if it turns out you have water in your oil.

Yeah, seriously. I'd be raising some serious Hades right about now. If they had fixed it right the first time, or even drove the thing to make sure it was running right (like any mechanic should after a job like that), you'd have a good engine today. Did they even change your oil after they "fixed" your intake??

Bottom line is that they messed up. They should have known better, and they should make it right.

I wish you had checked here first before getting the repair done.
When I did mine @ 78k as a preventative measure I was only going to do the upper, but the guys in the club insisted I do the lowers at the same time as it was only an hr or so more work while you have it apart anyway.
Thanks to Vtal49 I did the lowers and was glad I did. They were falling apart.

They did NOT change the oil. I changed it as soon as I got home from picking it up when they did the intake. Yeah I wish I had known all of this last week... although I didn't see any water in the oil when I changed it.

yes, unfortunately, it sounds like your motor is toast. I can't believe they didnt change the oil, how long did it sit in the shop with the coolant in the oil pan? obviously they have not worked on many 3800'*. I would start looking for a new engine or car.

Instead of assuming there was coolant in the oil.. Let'* ask.

Was there any water in the oil?

99% of these that die have no water in the oil that I have seen. If they do..it'* below the oil in the pan and doesn't drain out the plug. What has been noticed is that hydrolocking and trying to start the motor could be causing damage to the bearings.

this also makes me worried. I too have a similar issue. The thing is, when i drained my oil, all i could smell was gas coming out. I looked the oil over and over again, and there was no coolant present. I just hate the thought of me doing all of this work (changing the upper and lower manifold gaskets) and then my motor turns out to be a dud :(

Pull your oil pan off and check your bearings. If you catch it before they spin, you may be able to save the cranks and replace just some beaing. The drain plug on the oil pan does not sit at the very bottom. There is a cup or so left in the pan still. That is where I found all my metal shaving