Alrighty.... I bought the car on Monday and on Wednesday I drove the thruway for the first time with the car and noticed shaking, sorta like a misfire but didn't hear the engine miss. Happened Thursday when my dad drove it too... both incidents at 55mph at curves on the thruway. Since then I noticed the engine idleing rough on acceleration, sorta like it'* hessitating. Tonight (Saturday) I was driving home from work and noticed the prevously mentioned hessitation but at a stop at an intersection the car started shaking bad, most noticibly felt in the steering wheel and the shifter know where my hands were and a couple minutes later the service engine soon light went on.... so to Autozone I went and the code is P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected.

I then popped the hood and started the car for the guy working at Autozone and the first try I got a horrible screetching noise I've never heard before and it didnt start. The 2nd try it started. The worker said he noticed the engine moving significantly and it looked odd that first time but wasn't sure how uncommon it was. He then checked under the oil cap and noticed antifreeze in the oil and showed me some condensation droplets and a white puss and told me that I need to get this to the dealer as quick as I can. He wasn't sure what was causing it, but stated that it was probably the intake manifold and he had a similar problem with his 97 Bonne that he has which the dealer shafted him on.

Sorry to go in detail so much, but does anything I've mentioned indicate any one problem over another with anybody? The dealer i bought the car from seems very.....cheap to say it nicely and I have a feeling they'll give me a problem come Monday when I bring it back. Any advice/suggestions/ diagnosis of the problem?

Please help me, this is not what I expected at all after 5 days of ownership!!!!

~Dave

....I guess I'm going to buy the extended warranty that I have the option to purchase within 3 weeks....

oh, forgot to mention.... I checked and the intake recall that occured on the Bonne'* was addressed by the previous owner in 2003. And my car now has 78,xxx miles on it if that helps any.

Return it to the dealer. Depending on how long it was on the lot with the UIM/LIM gasket failure could mean the engine may not last another month. If you plan to keep the car, change the oil TODAY.

This may be combined with ignition problems such as bad spark plugs or wires.

Hans,
Do you mean return it to the dealer as in get my money back or have them look at it and fix a gasket?

I think the chances of them giving me my money back are slim and my other car is now junked. :?

I'd have them pay for the new motor. (it may last but if it was sitting with coolant in the oil for 6 months or something it may not be recoverable)

Odds are they will want to replace the LIM gaskets and UIM, and keep the motor, but the bearings may be toast. its hard to say, some last and some dont.

My LIM gaskets have already failed twice and I think they failed (again) this last week since I went thru a half gallon or so of coolant in a week. Dexcool sucks.

Hi Cowboy.. sorry to hear of your issue. Please read the below link. It describes the most common problem on a naturally aspirated 3800 built from 95 up until they started using a metal upper intake manifold in the last couple years. Your problem seems to be a ruptured upper intake manifold.

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...e=article&k=38

As well...I believe the party you purchased from is probably responsible for a certain timeframe under most laws.

I know they changed the oil before I bought the car and told me that they had the car on the lot for 2 months.... but I'm not sure if they're telling the truth or not.

I'm expecting them to just want to replace the UIM and LIM gaskets. I'm not familiar with the barings that you spoke of. If i get a dealer opinion that the engine needs to be replaced to guarantee faliure won't happen again should that put more pressure on them and how can a dealer tell if that'* what needs to be done in the sinario? I do have a 60 warranty mandated by New York State but it covers components like the manifolds block, etc... so I'm not sure if I can get them to replace the whole engine? Any way I can tell if it'* been sitting and needs a whole new engine?

When my first LIM gasket failed, my engine did exactly what yours did. Running really rough, stalling, rpm'* all over the place, oil gauge all over the place. Once antifreeze gets into your oil, more than likely your engine is toast. 24 hours after my engine started running rough, my engine gave up. So i have a different engine in my car now. Your dealer should be getting you a different engine and if not, get an attorney.

My car hasn't started stalling or having the oil pressure gauge go nuts yet. I have a feeling this will end up in an attorney'* hand. They gave grief because I wanted the brakes changed before I bought the car...who knows what'll happen with an engine! Did you get a rebuilt engine or a brand new one put in? Is their choice in that matter? What proof do I need to prove that they should put in a new engine?

This may not all be as bad as you think............

<<and noticed shaking, sorta like a misfire but didn't hear the engine miss.>> <<P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected. >>
Comment: Probably IS a misfire. Replace spark plug wires and plugs.

<<the car started shaking bad, most noticibly felt in the steering wheel and the shifter>>
Comment: May be a combination of the misfiring AND motor mounts. Do you experience any strange noises or weird shaking when launching from a stop?

<<got a horrible screetching noise I've never heard before and it didnt start.>>
Comment: Do you mean it would not "turn over" or not start? Not turning over, short of a weak battery, could inticate a real seizing problem, but I doubt it. Screeching noise may be a slick glazed belt if the engine was turning over freely without bearing drag.

<<noticed antifreeze in the oil and showed me some condensation droplets and a white puss>>
Comment: How di he "see" anti-freeze in the oil? Explain what he saw. Did he see antifreeze droplets down in the valve galley area, or did he see grey goop down there or what? Condensation droplets and a white "puss" on the underside/inside of the valve cover cap IS indicative of an antifreeze leak into the oil, but it may not be THAT bad depending on how long it took the "puss" to build up AND what he saw inside the cover. If I check my '01 SSEi oil cap after a start-up but before she'* good and hot I also see a "little" condensation on the cap on a very cold day. I see that on my other cars too. Usually after a few miles that bit of condensation boils off and the cap is "clean". I know I probably have a very slight seepage of anti-freeze into the oil (for about 6 mos. now) but its controllable for now. If you want to prove to yourself that the condensation is anti-freeze touch your finger to it then do a little taste test. If antifreeze, which I'm sure it is, the taste will be sweet. Another test for a more major leak is to take a whiff of the exhaust. A sweet, sickening smell is indicative that you are burning more antifreeze than just a slight seepage.

I'm not making light of the antifreeze leak, because you really DO need to get that checked out on your SE model; I'm just saying there are to many unknowns to just assume the worst and assume your bearings are toast.

What does your warranty cover, length? Might not be a bad idea to purchase it.

Regarding the "cheesy" dealer, I would certainly get him to replace the upper and lower gaskets if you are certain that you can not get your $$ back. Your concern, and that work, should be well documented should you have to take the sucker to court. I don't know how you would go about getting the dealer to "make good" at a later date if the engine fails. Talk to the guy in a calming, but determined manner and let us know what he says.

Okay guys and gals, this fellow needs some help. How about some experts here who have been on either side of the fence on a problem like this....................