YACT: coolant in oil.

[HomeBrewerDude]

Looks like $1,700 will soon be pumped into local economy, courtesy of me.

the good news is that there is probably not any damage to the engine.


UPDATE: after going around with the mechanics a few times, they agreed that it was the air intake manifold gasket. They have it half way done and it will run about $800 instead of 1,700 😀

 

[Accipiter22]

did it run with the coolant in the oil?

 

[Analog]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

YACT: coolant in oil.
Looks like $1,700 will soon be pumped into local economy, courtesy of me.

the good news is that there is probably not any damage to the engine.

What kind of car / year / engine / mileage?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22
did it run with the coolant in the oil?

yes but only briefly before the wifey shut it down.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: yellowfiero

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

YACT: coolant in oil.
Looks like $1,700 will soon be pumped into local economy, courtesy of me.

the good news is that there is probably not any damage to the engine.

What kind of car / year / engine?

99 chevy Venture. 3.4 Bought the car used last fall for $6,000. I don't really like it, but with two kids, we need something like it.

 

[FrustratedUser]

No sweat. Just drain the coolant and fill with oil instead ---> no more mixing 😛
j/k

No harm done, just get it fixed and be happy.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
No sweat. Just drain the coolant and fill with oil instead ---> no more mixing 😛

heheh i had the same thought this morning while I was drinking my coffee 😉

 

[Damn Dirty Ape]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: yellowfiero

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

YACT: coolant in oil.
Looks like $1,700 will soon be pumped into local economy, courtesy of me.

the good news is that there is probably not any damage to the engine.

What kind of car / year / engine?

99 chevy Venture. 3.4 Bought the car used last fall for $6,000. I don't really like it, but with two kids, we need something like it.

the good ole' GM intake manifold gasket leak eh? If they want $1700 to replace that, and they aren't talking about additional work in the engine, you are getting the 'no lube' version of the repair. My Uncle had his 99 Venture intake gasket done and it cost a tad over $500.

 

[Jmman]

Isn't coolant in the oil usually the head gasket (or worse)?

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: Jmman
Isn't coolant in the oil usually the head gasket (or worse)?

It could be, but with the 3400 sfi engine, more than likely it's the lower intake manifold gasket. It's a very common problem with the crappy gaskets they used from the factory.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Hellspawn

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: yellowfiero

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

YACT: coolant in oil.
Looks like $1,700 will soon be pumped into local economy, courtesy of me.

the good news is that there is probably not any damage to the engine.

What kind of car / year / engine?

99 chevy Venture. 3.4 Bought the car used last fall for $6,000. I don't really like it, but with two kids, we need something like it.

the good ole' GM intake manifold gasket leak eh? If they want $1700 to replace that, and they aren't talking about additional work in the engine, you are getting the 'no lube' version of the repair. My Uncle had his 99 Venture intake gasket done and it cost a tad over $500.

Thats something I will bring up after I let the mechanics have a look. I know the intake gasket should be under 1k, but a head gasket is considerably more expensive. I am not convinced at this point either way. Over the phone my mechanic was thinking head gasket, but he hasn't seen it so maybe it is the air intake mani gasket.

Whats the best way to accurately trouble shoot between these two options?

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: Jmman
Isn't coolant in the oil usually the head gasket (or worse)?

It could be, but with the 3400 sfi engine, more than likely it's the lower intake manifold gasket. It's a very common problem with the crappy gaskets they used from the factory.

If that's the case you can fix it yourself. Just like I did on the 3800 V6. It takes some time if you're a n00b like me but just go slow and label everything.
:thumbsup:

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: Hellspawn

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: yellowfiero

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

YACT: coolant in oil.
Looks like $1,700 will soon be pumped into local economy, courtesy of me.

the good news is that there is probably not any damage to the engine.

What kind of car / year / engine?

99 chevy Venture. 3.4 Bought the car used last fall for $6,000. I don't really like it, but with two kids, we need something like it.

the good ole' GM intake manifold gasket leak eh? If they want $1700 to replace that, and they aren't talking about additional work in the engine, you are getting the 'no lube' version of the repair. My Uncle had his 99 Venture intake gasket done and it cost a tad over $500.

Thats something I will bring up after I let the mechanics have a look. I know the intake gasket should be under 1k, but a head gasket is considerably more expensive. I am not convinced at this point either way. Over the phone my mechanic was thinking head gasket, but he hasn't seen it so maybe it is the air intake mani gasket.

Whats the best way to accurately trouble shoot between these two options?

If the leak is really bad you should be able to spot coolant in teh combustion chamber by removing the plugs but this is only when the leak is so bad the car barely runs.
Otherwise you might be able to look inside the intake by removing the air intake duct to the manifold (the one with the throttle body). If you can spot coolant it is most likely a broken intake, otherwise it's the head gasket. That's what I did.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Biggerhammer]

$1700 is steep. Are you going to dealerships, or does your mechanic just have a boat payment to make?

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
Looks like $1,700 will soon be pumped into local economy, courtesy of me.

the good news is that there is probably not any damage to the engine.

$1700? I replaced my head gasket for $70.

 

[thujone]

my friend's dad's van blew a head gasket... they said it would cost $900 to fix.

instead... he bought some coolant from them, topped it off, drove directly to the dealership and traded it in.

his dad's a genius of sorts lol

 

[alphatarget1]

at least it seems like your wife is smart enough to shut the engine off!

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

coolant in oil = blown headgasket = get a new engine or spend the ungodly time dismantling the top end. Another way to tell is turn the car on and see what kind of smoke pours out the exhaust pipe. White smoke = burning coolant. Don't worry about starting the car in the condition it's in..the damage is already done.

IMO I would check the junkyards for a motor replacement. No money but time? Then get a cherry picker, pull the engine, and start taking it apart. Wish you would have bought a Honda Odessey? 😉

Good luck.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Oooh, that's a bad one. Cracked block or blown head gasket.

 

[frankgomez75]

Let us know when you will be holding funeral services.

 

[RU482]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: yellowfiero

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

YACT: coolant in oil.
Looks like $1,700 will soon be pumped into local economy, courtesy of me.

the good news is that there is probably not any damage to the engine.

What kind of car / year / engine?

99 chevy Venture. 3.4

yeah, there used to be a site called GM-V6Lemons about the problem with the 3400 V6. I just bought an 03 Pontiac Montana w/33k miles. Before I signed the papers, I took it in to the service department and pointed out the moisture around the upper intake manifold gasket area. Fixed free under warranty.

GM really dropped the ball on this and the 3800 in the mid 90's. Integrating cheaper inferior gaskets and plastic engine parts is costing joe blow middle class alot of money for driving a used car. And in turn costing GM future sales. No wonder they are changing the name of every vehicle in their stable.

 

[tfinch2]

Would everybody stop assuming it's a cracked block or blown head gasket? If you've never turned a wrench in your life please check yourself at the door. The 3400 engine has a problem with the sealing of the gaskets between the lower intake manifold and the cylinder heads which can lead to coolant leaks. The lower intake manifold has coolant channels that match up with the head. Sometimes they have an external leak and the coolant drips down the side of the block. Usually it's undetected because it burns up before it hits the ground. In this case, the gasket broke on the inside, causing coolant to drip down in the oil. If you label all of your pushrods correctly, and know how to put something together exactly the way you take it apart, to replace the gasket is a 2 hour job, 4 if it's the first time you've ever opened your hood.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

UPDATE: after going around with the mechanics a few times, they agreed that it was the air intake manifold gasket. They have it half way done and it will run about $800 instead of 1,700 😀

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
coolant in oil = blown headgasket.

EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Wrong.

I just picked up my 2000 Monte Carlo last night from the shop, and I got my intake manifold gasket replaced as well.

For the record, I paid just over $700 and I was a$$r@ped. It does NOT take that long to do this.

 

[Ilmater]

Also, OP, I hope you, like myself, will never buy a GM car again. I see it this way:

GM said, "Let's reduce costs." They then looked at getting cheaper intake manifold gaskets. Then, someone in their finance department calculated how much more it would cost them from increased warranty work and concluded that the savings were worth the cost.

Clearly these morons don't know a really bad part from a bad part, and they cost you $800 and me a little less than that.