2002 3.4 overheats and antifreeze in oil

G

guidoia

New member
Joined
Sep 23, 2013
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Bought a used 2002 Grand am, 3.4 engine with 95,000 miles. Worked good for a couple months then it overheated. let it cool down and added antifreeze. I drove it home, the engine did not overheat but it got warmer than it should have for the distance. When I got home I checked the oil and it looks like most of the antifreeze went into the oil. Now I can't drive more than a mile or two without it getting to hot to drive. I was reading it might be the head gasket or the lower intake gasket. Just wanted to get some input if it could be something worse and if I should fix it or sell as is.

Thanks for any responses.
 
My money is on a blown head gasket. The mileage figures. Very common for head gaskets to fail in high mileage engines shortly after overheating.

First of all, if you want to save it, don't drive it until it's repaired or you risk damaging the engine beyond repair.

I would pull the plugs and look for water deposits, rusty color.
Then, while the plugs are out, I'd do a compression test. If you see a plug with discoloration, that cylinder will probably come up low in compression.

That should confirm that it's time for a fresh head gasket.
Now, if you do this, you can either buy a new or rebuilt head or have it rebuilt at a machine shop. If the latter, find the best one in town or you could wind up with more problems later.
 
Oh, lest we forget, the cooling system meeds to be checked/overhauled. The radiator probably has an aluminum core. I'll bet it's due for replacement. When I've done head gaskets, I usually replace most of the cooling system too. Radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, the works.

I know you said you bought this car just a few months ago, I hope you didn't pay too high a price.
______________________________
 
Top End Rebuild

Absolutely do not drive it will contaminated oil, oil mixed with coolant does not lubricate at all!!

I did my own head gaskets for about $650 including an engine enamel red and black paint scheme (seemed like a good idea at the time) over 3 weeks time.

$160 for head and valve job by machinist
$200 for full gasket set from machinist (better than autozone/O'reilley)
$100 for stretch bolts (cannot reuse bolts and I think the price was under $100)
$250 for paint, a few tools I "needed", Haynes Manual, hoses and coolant and such

I could have taken a few days off and done it in one shot but I don't have that kind of time off. Mechanics wanted $3,000 and I didn't have that either. I took about 70 cell phone pics as I was disassembling
 
If you're a bit mechanically inclined go ahead and do the job yourself. the guys are here will be pretty helpful and the engine is not too complicated to work on.

Maybe it was only the low intake manifold gaskets which were horrible till idk 2003-04??? some one can correct me. Anyway it is just another 16 bolts (8 per head) to go ahead and replace the head gaskets too (besides the "head gasket kit" comes with the gaskets need for the heads and up. You can get the heads checked by a machine shop to see if they are warped.

Kevlar is right and while a lot of the parts are off it's easier to replace pieces of the cooling system (look where the t-stat is :p). You can also do a tune up.
 
guidoia said:
Bought a used 2002 Grand am, 3.4 engine with 95,000 miles. Worked good for a couple months then it overheated. let it cool down and added antifreeze. I drove it home, the engine did not overheat but it got warmer than it should have for the distance. When I got home I checked the oil and it looks like most of the antifreeze went into the oil. Now I can't drive more than a mile or two without it getting to hot to drive. I was reading it might be the head gasket or the lower intake gasket. Just wanted to get some input if it could be something worse and if I should fix it or sell as is.

Thanks for any responses.
Click to expand...

Hi, i am not a expert in auto mechanics but i would bet my last dollar that its the intake manifold gasket which is very famous for wearing out before its time. Gm did such a crappy job with the 3.4 engine. DO NOT ATTEMPT this job until you have all the facts.

Whether you replace the leaking Intake Manifold Gaskets yourself or you're having it done at your local automotive repair shop... you need to use or ask for the updated Intake Manifold Gaskets made by Felpro. Why? Because the old plastic type gaskets are still being produced and sold.

Everything i know about my 1999 pontiac gram am gt is from my own personal experience with fixing it. You can read more about the famous 3.1-3.4 intake manifold leak here. Good luck.
______________________________
 
BeStPRoGiE said:
Hi, i am not a expert in auto mechanics but i would bet my last dollar that its the intake manifold gasket which is very famous for wearing out before its time. Gm did such a crappy job with the 3.4 engine. DO NOT ATTEMPT this job until you have all the facts.

Whether you replace the leaking Intake Manifold Gaskets yourself or you're having it done at your local automotive repair shop... you need to use or ask for the updated Intake Manifold Gaskets made by Felpro. Why? Because the old plastic type gaskets are still being produced and sold.

Everything i know about my 1999 pontiac gram am gt is from my own personal experience with fixing it. You can read more about the famous 3.1-3.4 intake manifold leak here. Good luck.
Click to expand...

GM really did screw the public with this and many of their other vehicles. The electrical system is a nightmare tangle of bad grounds, weak components and bad connectors. It is a truely "Made in China" quality piece of equipment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top