Sorry if Im asking a question thats already been anwered, but what I found in the the threads I searched all seemed to address leaking intakes that weren't supercharged.

Ok, My 2000 SSEI is losing coolant. About 1quart + in 6 months or so. I took some pix. I searched and read threads about the intake problem. I saw that dorman makes an intake repair kit for some of the 3.8 engines. I think I can do this. I worked on all my own stuff for 35 years now. But Ive never worked on a supercharged intake before.

I know a couple of you guys here could do this with one hand tied behind your back, Help?

It looks like the intake may be seeping where it mates with the head. Some staining evidence it looks like.

The biggest puddle is up on top near the fuel injector, but there is some in the back of the engine as well.

What do you guys think Im faced with here, Upper and Lower gasket replacement? Were the supercharged upper intakes a bad design or just the non supercharged models?

Any help here would be appreciated, I think she needs surgery, and Im probably going to be holding the scalpel.

BTW, no apparent evidence of coolant in the engine oil.

Where the head and intake mates, minor evidence of leakage




Above the T on the sticker on the valve cover, pic doesnt show very well, but coolant is puddled up around the area where the fuel injector is.

The LIM gasket is a pretty common problem for leaks on these engines. It is a pretty easy fix that should only take a few hours if you are pretty good around an engine. Don't let the fact that it'* Super Charged spoke you, it'* not any different than changing a normal manifold gasket other than you have to remove the SC than the LIM.
I had to change mine not long ago for the same reason, took all of a couple hours & Less than a hundred bucks if I remember right.
One little tip if you do change them, ditch the Dex-cool crap they put in these. Make sure you get it all flushed out & clean & put the normal green stuff back in. I have seen more people with problems than any good with the Dex-cool. You'll find a lot of people who wont use it because it causes nothing but problems.

It does look like the LIM gasket If you have experience working on cars, this especially shouldn't be a problem for you. The Dorman intake is for the non-supercharged cars, so you don't have to be concerned about that. When you do the work, be sure to get the aluminum framed gasket, not the plastic one. It is available at the dealer for a reasonable price, or from vendors like Intense or GM parts direct. Have a good inch-pound torque wrench also.

Thanks for the replies,

A couple more questions, I don't have a service manual detailing this procedure. Does anybody have a tech sheet with the torque values and torque patttern or sequence?

Are there any specialty tools involved, or just metric and torx?

Or Is there a good manual I can buy just for this car/engine?

So there is only one main gasket involved here? The LIM?

In other threads I read it talked about removing the MAF, IAC, cleaning various sensors and also the throttle body. Im guessing these are recommended things?

Sorry for all the questions, but Im the kind of guy that has learned from a few mistakes in my life, some of them just recently. I ask alot of questions before tackling something Ive never done before. Kind of like the carpenters saying " measure twice, cut once"

Yup, it'* your lower intake manifold gasket.
I changed mine last year.
No special tools. I assume you have a good torque wrench.
You will need a supercharger gasket also and the two coolant elbows.
Also replace your injector O-rings.
Always a good idea to clean things up while they are off.

Post your progress with pics on this forum and we will guide you through it.

It'* very easy. Have fun.

Your best bet is a factory service manual, which can be ordered from Helm Inc., or occasionally found on EBay. Another option is AllDataDiy, where you can purchase a subscription. I have both, and spot comparisons show the information almost identical. This link will give you an idea of what to do, however being a vin K, it won't have information on replacing the supercharger gasket. Intake Gasket

Torque specs for the whole job are in Techinfo. Link at the top of the page.

I'm still in the process of wrapping up this exact same job on my Regal GS.

Flush the Dexcool out before you begin. I used a garden hose and dedicated about 1.5 hours of time to it.

I also changed my valve cover gaskets. Mine weren't quite as bad as yours, but since I was already in that far, it seemed like the oportune time.

The aluminum frame gaskets can be purchased from the dealer for about $63. The part number for the coolant by-pass elbows is in my thread, entitled "Upcoming Maintenance".

Get the Felpro supercharger gasket, as it comes with the coolant O-rings that you will have to buy separately if you get the one from the dealer, and a throttle body gasket. Neither the FSM or AllData show a torque sequence for the supercharger, but if you start from the center, working out in a Z pattern, you should be ok. The sequence for the LIM is listed in the techinfo article, along with the torque values.

The Felpro supercharger gasket does come with the o-rings but does NOT come with the throttle body gasket. I had to buy one seperately.