Engine woes (rant)
 

Trying to keep cool considering the circumstances. In August 2009, took my 2003 SLE in to have a coolant leak looked at. $1,100 later and a lower intake manifold, I thought she'd be good for a while. Only had 65,000 miles at the time, and I am first and only owner. At 68,000 (three weeks ago), during an oil change at my regular (non-dealer) shop, they spontaneously write me up an estimate...wait for it...for the same service I had in August, and is described above. Needless to say, I drove directly to my dealer, who did the work.

Turns out this time that my leak is caused by a warped upper plenum and unrelated to the work done six months prior. Dealer covered labor, I paid for the part.

Fast forward to yesterday, Home Depot parking lot. I don;t normally look under my car in parking lots, but the puddle forming there was unmistakably mine. I got under and eyeballed the pink pool, and did my best not to implode right then and there. Dex-effing-Cool again. I know the history and I know about the class action lawsuit, and I know how irresponsibly GM handled this issue.

So this morning I am told that it is now either a cracked block or a freeze plug causing the 'new' leak. This engine is a sieve. It will/is cost(ing) me $750 to see what the exact problem is, as the tranny is in the way. A '200,000 mile engine' is not behaving as such at almost 70,000 miles, and I'm pissed about it. I know and trust the Service Manager and the Dealership - I went there because I know people, the part that kills me is GM's role in this. The car was a dream for 65,000 miles, and is now a nightmare.

I have decided to pay for the $750 diagnostic as the engine likely has many more miles on it considering I've taken care of the top three most expensive maintenance items. I like Bonnie, but am not sentimental about her - I'd drop her in a heartbeat if the dealer offered me fair BB value, but that ain't happenin'.

I rant here only because I found nothing in the 2000-2005 forum about the warped upper plenum or the freeze plug. The DexCool/gasket issue has been beaten to death. If anyone has a similar experience, please respond!

Brutal, just brutal.

Find the leak yourself. What side is the leak? Right side? Could be a simple $2 coolant elbow. Never trust a shop, look yourself. Take pictures and post them. I don't see this being a cracked block.

The prices you are mentioning are outraegous to me. I am well aware of what things should cost.

For example that $750 appears to be pulling a transmission to look for a leak. This is an easy to see engine. There is no way in hell that a mechanic can not find a leak by simply looking at the motor or putting in the standard dye treatment to see where the leak is coming from.

You might trust the dealership you are talking about, but they are not giving you any help except in the area of lightening your wallet if they tell you they can't find a leak w/o a $750 fee to look for a leak. Another motor wouldn't cost you that much.

BTW .. if in Aug 09 you had 65K miles and now you have 68K miles...and you are the original owner. You aren't really driving much are you?

Todd... there's a guy that isn't currently a member here (Venom will be getting a message to help out) who is in Colorado and going to be in Colorado Springs on Friday. I'll pm you his info.

Thanks, Bill. I was under the car as far as I could get and could not nail down the location of the leak. I am incensed that this thing is falling apart so early.

Shouldn't be. Now you can meet up with Greg, have the forum and you'll be on the same road that we all enjoy...the length of time our 3800's should last. :thumbup2

As long as they used aluminum-framed LIM gaskets, I wouldn't worry about those ever again.

They had to pull the UIM to change the LIM gaskets, so I'm surprised there weren't any signs of its impending failure. Regardless, as the dealer said, those are two separate failures; the parts only just happen to be next to each other.

Assuming both parts were installed correctly, the most likely culprit is the coolant elbow, as Dan mentioned. Also check your radiator, hoses, and then your heater core. I don't see too many posts about cracked blocks, so that should be last on your list.

I will definitely be giving Greg a call, even if only to glean some information and learn more about my car. She will be retired for the summer anyway as I spend most of my time on the road on two wheels (bicycle). I will feel better once I know that I can take care of the next GM-related catastrophe. What a mess. If she were at 100,000 miles, I'd completely understand, but as gently as she's been driven there's no reason for events such as this.

Got the verdict - they say it is the rear seal, and could not diagnose this issue without first removing the tranny. If this is true, I understand why they had to do the work they had to do, but not the cost. Lesson learned, and making sure I get back ALL old parts, regardless of how small they may be. It is also the final trip to this shop in Bonnie's lifetime. Thanks for all the help and encouragement you guys. Came close to giving her up, but am going to hold onto her and maintain her myself.

Hey gang - since I am committed to this work by the effing dealer, would it be worth it to have them replace the elbows while they have it apart? I think they'll throw it in, considering the trouble I've been put through.