Well it looks like my GS will be my only means of transportation to work for a while.

not a bad thing, but my car will cost me at least $1,200 to be fixed and there is now way I am going to be able to handle that kind of price at this time.
Somehow coolant is getting into my engine and mixing with the oil, possibly via manifold gasket. I have mud in my oil and water coming out the exhaust. Engine may be ruined. At least I have my bike  
Damn American cars !!


Any advice on using my GS to commute?

Later

I'd be interested in this topic, as I drive about 45-50 minutes on open interestate each way to get to my job.

How ironic that the day I set to work on my GS and fix it,  the radiator in my truck explodes, and causes it to over heat,  and I wind up with the same problem as you.


BTW the coolant in the oil could also be one of the following:


Blown Head Gasket.
Cracked/Warped Cylinder Head
Cracked Engine block.


So I'm gonna have to bike around on my GS for a couple weeks til next payday so I can afford some engine oil flush, and a set of head gaskets.

I'll prolly go through 3 or 4 cans of engine oil flush, and a good 15-20 quarts of oil just to get all the coolant out.  :X

I'm assuming from what you were saying in the price quote you are not tackling this project yourself?

I'm soooooo not looking forward to tearing apart the upper 1/2 of my engine in two weeks.

allow some extra time to take the long way home

I am probably going to give it a try myself, of course with a little help from a friend or 2.
I was quoted that price from a local mechanic and by searching the web.
Damn Chevy Malibu is known for this problem but GM does nothing
http://www.geocities.com/gm_intake/150up

I am hoping that I can get this done in my own garage and its not going to be too difficult. I have too many payments still to make on this baby just to have it sitting in garage dead!!!!

i love commuting on my gs...i lane split...when i pull out of work in my truck i have to wait for people to let me in....on the gs....i can scoot right between every one and right over to the turn around lane.

Scoob,

Fixing it isn't terribly hard,  The problem is when you are getting coolant in the oil, it can be one of several problems.  Basically takes time and a lot of wrench turning.

I'd assume with your vehicle it may, in fact be a documented flaw in the engine, and the intake manifold is the common problem.

Whereas, me with an "old school" Dodge dakota V-6, I have several ways that my problem can be happening.

I'm betting on a blown head gasket, as when I fire my truck up it seems like it has crappy compression (blown head gasket will do that)

good luck with your project.   tearing apart the upper end of any engine is never fun in my book.

scooby, what kind of car/engine do you have?

I may be able to get you some help if you have the kind of car I think you do.

Derek

Quote from: 90gs500scooby, what kind of car/engine do you have?

I may be able to get you some help if you have the kind of car I think you do.

Derek

I have a 2001 Chevy Malibu.
What kind of help can you get for me?  

scooby, i own a grand am with the same engine, its a commmon problem yes, check out www.n-body.net for some help, or even www.grandamgt.com/forum , they both have technical sections with many people that have had this problem, there are many owners in the lower part of michigan and indiana that would probably be willing to help you change out the lower intake manifold gasket if you asked.  My brother has the same car and just had to do this, just make sur eyou get it done before you keep driving it.  The reason being, if you let it go it can over heat the motor causing the aluminum heads to warp!, or worse it can cause your main bearings to go bad and thats just a whole nother topic that you won't be happy with, feel free to pm me with questions.

Derek

I think the most important thing is just making sure everything works ok. Pre-ride checks are important any time, but if you have to ride through industrial areas like I do, I think it's especially important. There's always all manner of crap falling onto those roads. At the very least give your tires a little look each day (I discovered I had a big nail stuck in my tire one day while doing so).

Also, unless you don't mind getting wet, bring some rain gear even if there's only supposed to be a slight chance of rain (especially if the commute is very far).

This may not apply to you, but under the lock cover on the gas tank makes for an ideal place to keep a bridge/toll token if you need one. I see bikers all the time stopped there holding up traffic while they frantically dig through their pockets.  

Oh, and remember to take it easy in the rain if you get caught in it, ESPECIALLY when it first starts raining. You probably already knew that anyway though.

Most importantly have fun, try not to let the cagers drive you too crazy.  

take this thread on gagt.com for example of how much grief this problem gives us owners, and the worst part is gm won't recall it because its a flaw in engine design!

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14199&highlight=leak

Derek

Wow, this is a real problem
Grand Am
Montana
Malibu
and several other GM cars

I am hoping to fix myself, but if the engine has to be pulled for this then I am screwed

ERRRRR!!!!

I got the bike specifically for commuting.  On campus parking is a hell of a lot cheaper for a bike, and my commute is long enough for mileage to be a significant factor in my budget.  I, like you, need to get better about commuting in the rain.  I poke along in it and take turns veeewy slowly.

Quote from: RoadstergalI got the bike specifically for commuting.  On campus parking is a hell of a lot cheaper for a bike, and my commute is long enough for mileage to be a significant factor in my budget.  I, like you, need to get better about commuting in the rain.  I poke along in it and take turns veeewy slowly.

I have about a 35 mile commute each way to downtown Ciny. Its not a bad ride, just a bumpy one on some parts.
But its been raining alot this summer, so thats my only concern. I dont mind the rain on the way home, but it would really suck on the ride to work, it would make for some bad hair days  
And hopefully I can get my car back to shape before it starts getting cold

It does make me wish I was back home in sunny Tampa

Just a question for all those who own those cars with these engine problems.  Were these problems known before you purchased the vehicles?  Did you do any research before buying said vehicles?  Unfortunately one would thing one shouldn't have to do any research on new vehicles, and that warranties would cover problems before the warranty expires.  When my son needed another car, we eyed a few used Dodge Neons, but he & his dad did some internet research & found that there have been problems with the head gaskets on some older Neons.  And more recently I was researching used pickup trucks, such as S-10 and Ranger, but found 50% of the owners of these trucks had problems, and not so many problems with the Toyotas, but I couldn't hardly find any used Toyotas in my price range, in this area.

My dodge is just suffering from "too-olditis"   it's a 94.  radiator split a seam, and I should have left it sit and called a tow truck.


Bad things happen to cars when you run them too long w/o coolant.

Hopefully for me it's only a weekend of work and $200 worth of gaskets, motor flush, oil and filters.

Quote from: EvilScoobywater coming out the exhaust.

that is not a bad thing
an efficient motor naturally produces water

My GS is my only transportation. My RX-7 blew an Apex seal and seized

Well it looks like this is a huge problem with many GM cars
I hope yours is not on here
http://groups.msn.com/GMConsumers/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=288&LastModified=4675478149425519881

I am jsut going to give it a go and try to fix it myself and then get rid of it

What sux is before I purchsed this vehicle I went to comsumer reports and my Malibu got really good reviews.
Next time I will jsut search the net
:x

scooby, first welcome to the commuter bike world!! I love my 40 mile ride each morning and again each afternoon.... I would never go back to riding in the car.

second, I'm a a.s.e. mastertech, have done several of those lower intake gaskets, it's not as big a job as you think.. (takes me like 2 hours, if I don't get pulled away from the job.)

basically, grab a camera, take lots of pictures of where everything goes...(electrical connectors especially) and make sure to clean the gasket surfaces really good... other than that, there isn't any real complications, its a simple unbolt, rebolt job. do you have the 3.1 or 3.4 motor? (not much difference, but if you like I can get you the mitchell repair guide sheets from work, and fax them to you.
anyway, don't stress is too much, when your ready, I'll help...