My intake manifold gasket was made of plastic and my engine locked up, I was informed from my mechanic that gm was aware of this problem and came out with a better one made of metal. This a costly mistake leading to 850 dollars of repair, that could have been prevented if gm would have stepped up with this in the first place and been fixed with the new gasket instead of causing more damage then needed.
1998 Buick Lesabre engine complaints
Page 2 of 8: complaints 11 to 40 of 204, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Bought a used (2 owner) buick lesabre in dec '08 having 37,428 . In early march, '09, after less than 4000 miles, started hearing a brief gurgling when engine turned off. In mid-march, while pulling onto a highway from a slight upward grade the vehicle lost power, and a drive train vibration took place for a few seconds....nearly causing an oncoming truck to collide with us.took vehicle into a national franchised transmission dealer for checkup...transmission checked ok. However, technician discovered radiator fluid in manifold intake area. Suspecting leaking intake manifold seal and/or cracked intake manifold cover. Need to use the vehicle, but have to wait for repair until money can be put together. Am a disabled ex marine,vietnam vet.. Shouldn't have to put up with this problem, especially when it looks like a very prevalent one ,based on what is on the net. Replacement part is only 140.00 through a national parts company. The auto shops are quoting over 800.00 to fix. C'mon, let's get something done about this before someone is killed!!! Haven't you noticed the power failures in some of the reports??I would think gm would do a volunteer recall, rather than risk reputation, and consumer life&limb. The problem is that gm was using havelin's 'orange' antifreeze (dextrol) and it was faulty. It was congealing in the engine, disrupting coolant flow, thereby causing overheating enough to blow intake manifolds and/or gaskets........seems the 8 auto tech's I've talked to over the past week know this. So, why don't the industry and gov."experts"???
The belt tensioner is made of plastic which broke disabling the car which had to be towed. Oil leak came from lower intake manifold gasket, gathered around bottom at oil pan, upper intake manifold gasket, also made of plastic leaked antifreeze into engine. Tensioner was replaced with same plastic because it has not been re-designed,same with the intake manifold gasket, therefore, it will give the same problem in the future. A lot of other people are having the same problem and gm refuses to do anything about the problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. The contact noticed oil in the antifreeze bucket in the vehicle. When the vehicle was taken to the mechanic, he was informed that the cooling coils had burst in the radiator. Currently, antifreeze has settled on the engine block. The vehicle was tested for a pressure leak and the mechanic was unable to find one. The contact was informed that the intake gasket failed. The federal safety agency campaign id number 04v090000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery) was referenced. The current mileage was 31,000 and failure mileage was 26,000. Updated 06/25/08. *lj updated 06/25/08
Had anti-freeze in the oil. Plastic intake gasket was broken. I understand this occurs in many 3.8 engines. Had to have new gasket installed at a cost of about $700 dollars. The car is a 1998 buick lasabre.
1998 buick lesabre with cracked intake manifold. Consumer states that the manufacturer has no intention of sending out a recall for this problem or reimbursing the customers. *kb the consumer stated the manifold was made out of plastic, which caused anti-freeze to mix with the oil.
The engine light came on. The car was not running hot nor did any other light come on. The engine was running as smooth as it always has. I pulled into a parking lot and let the engine cool. I saw the water was low so I went inside and got water to put in it. I tried to start the car and the engine would not start. White smoke came from the exhaust. I had the car towed to a dealer. They knew what was wrong before they checked the car because they had had other customers with the same problem. After replacing the manifold, gaskets, spark plugs, dexcool, pipe asm, seals, thermostat, starter, oil filter, oil, the car ran again. Of course, I was out $1049.27. That was 12 days ago. Tonight the car began clattering and tomorrow the car will go back to the dealer for more repair. It sounds like the lifters need to be replaced. I believe this should have been recalled and repaired before all the trouble began. I want my money back.
My 1998 buick lesabre ltd, 73,943 mi,started to require water to be added to the overflow tank. The car was taken to a gm garage and it was determined that the upper and lower intake manifolds were leaking, causing coolant to enter engine and oil. This repair cost$1200. To correct. Further investigation showed that this is a common problem and gm has turned it's head to the issue. The internet is full of this specific problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle sputtered out of control and stalled. The mechanic stated that the vehicle would need a new engine due to an oil leak. The current and failure mileages were 82,000.
98 buick lesabre. 3.8 driving up hill, down hill, coasting, it doesn't matter. 1 or 2 times a week the engine just dies. Sometimes I can catch it full throttle and it will pick up and run fine. Or throw it in on the fly and restart instantly. New fuel pump and filter usually starts good. Some times I have to stop cranking it after 5 sec 1,2,3 times before it starts. This only happens 1 time every week or two. I can't let anyone else drive the car for fear they will pull out in front of a truck and the car will quit.
1998 lesabre upper manifold plenum over heated, melted, causing a hole which allowed anti-freeze to leak into the oil. *ts
Intake manifold burned at egr passage adjacent to throttle body coolant passage(all plastic- original design was probably cast aluminum). Subsequent coolant loss into engine air intake causes erratic operation and probable engine damage. Replaced manifold with new one at a cost of $500 parts plus 5 hour. Labor complained to gm but to no avail.
Intermittent small leak of anti-freeze/coolant that shows up on the garage floor. Have traced that it emanates from the top of the engine near the throttle mounting and then drips down the side of the engine over the engine mounts and onto the floor. Was advised by a gm mechanic that there was a recall on throttle mounting bolts that may relate to this leakage. Local buick dealer indicated that my VIN was not affected. Nonetheless, I have that problem of coolant leakage from that area of the engine. I replaced the thermostat gasket and there is absolutely no leakage from the thermostat or the radiator hose.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 60mph, the vehicle stalled and the heat indicator gauge dropped to zero. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop for inspection. The mechanic determined the plastic intake manifold needed to be replaced.
1998 lesabre burned a hole in the intake manifold causing vehicle not to start. *ts ***nar the consumer inspected the vehicle and determined that the egr valve was located in such a position that the hot exhaust gases were vented to closely to the intake manifold.
Defective manifold gasket. Coolant degrades gasket causing coolant to leak into engine, catalytic converter and exhaust system.
1998 buick lesabre engine seized causing consumer to come to an abrupt stop. Upper intake manifold had warped causing anti-freeze to go into the motor per mechanic. *ts ***no answer required***
Dt: the contact stated the antifreeze was low . He took the vehicle to shop the to have it checked. They found the intake manifold was leaking antifreeze into the engine. This, in turn could have caused the engine to blow up. The intake manifold was replaced. *ak updated 02/06/06.
Dt: consumer states that vehicle has a plastic intake manifold and after about 80,000 miles it failed, causing engine to lock up. He took vehicle to an independent service department and then called general motors to be reimbursed but because it was not taken to an authorized dealer they will not pay for the work done. Consumer noticed the problem when he tried to start the vehicle and it would not star. Smelled antifreeze. Then, consumer's son examined vehicle and found out it was intake manifold.
Dt: when started vehicle and there was a backfire with a lot o smoke. Care would not start. Took vehicle to buick garage, and they said it was the intake manifold, and they repaired it. *ak *sb
My wife drives a 1998 buick lesabre. She has a disability and is pacemaker-dependent. On 5-17-2005 she was enroute on the highway toward our town in the buick when it started running hot. Fortunately, she was able to make it back to our town, where she then pulled over in a wal-mart parking lot. However, she became very stressed over the situation because the temperature guage had gone well into the red but she was afraid to pull over for fear of becoming stranded on the highway. As it turns out, the cause of this problem is a failed plenum, an issue which occurs frequently with the gm 3800 engine. I submit to you that this problem is well-known to the manufacturer, the federal safety agency, and many mechanics and repair shops. The safety problem comes from the fact that (as far as I am aware) there have been no warnings issued to consumers who own a vehicle with the gm 3800 series ii engine. The potential for situations to occur much worse than ours is not only likely, but it is a guaranteed event. My only recourse at this point is to file a complaint with the federal safety agency, a complaint which I feel should be classified as a safety issue. These engine failures are not just merely a 'consumer misfortune', but will become the underlying cause for inumerable road hazards for the car's owners as well as other drivers. The problem is due to an engineering design flaw (materials used) and future safety problems (including loss of life) can be avoided. This issue should be addressed by the federal safety agency.
Vehicle stalled. Driver pulled over. Driver was unable to restart vehicle, and had it towed to dealer, and mechanic determined that engine needed to be replaced. *ak the chevrolet dealer told the consumer that water got into the engine block and locked it up. They removed and replaced the(manifold) plenum with all new gaskets, new oil, anti freeze and new spark plugs. *bf
While driving at approximately 50 MPH the plastic manifold burst without warning, causing the engine to lock up. Owner contacted the dealer and the manufacturer, and was told that there was nothing else they could do.
Loss of coolant. The plastic intake plenum got a hole in it. This filled the engine with coolant thus causing the car to stall on the highway. I had the defective part replaced at a cost of 900 dollars. I still have the defective part. I'm retired, so this put a strain on our budget. Thank you.
The 3.8l gm engines used '95 - '98 for the buick: rivera, lesabre, park avenue, regal, chevy: lumina, monte carlo, oldsmobile: 98,88,intrigue, pontiac: bonneville, grand prix have a known defect. Service bulletin 01-06-01-007a coolant leak. In december 2004, my plastic intake manifold melted and allowed the engine coolant to fill the cylinders of the engine with coolant. Gm resolved the defect with a design change in 99. I feel that gm is responsible for the cost of the repair of the defective part. Second the engine shut down at 55 MPH in heavy traffic, which is a serious safety hazard that warrants a recall. I contacted gm; service record number 1-293342957 they never called me back after a number of messages (7) then denied the claim.
1998 buick lesabre. Plenum gasket on the intake manifold fails and allows coolant to get into engine. Then engine dies in the road causing people to slam on breaks. No wrecks. This is a well know problem with lesabre's but buick has failed to correct the problem. I had to pay $1200 to fix car and it now probably has engine damage. I would like buick to come forward with this and let people know about it. This has to stop!
Recall campaign received concerning fuel pressure regulator. *bf the vehicle experienced a backfire which resulted in the replacement of the manifold. The problem recurred and the fuel pressure regulator was replaced.
The check engine light came on in my 1998 buick lesabre and I pulled over to discover that there was low levels of coolant. It had just been checked 2 months earlier at an oil change and the week brfore when I got gas. I added coolant and got back on the road. After 5 miles the car quit running in heavy traffic. I had it towed to a buick dealer who diagnosed the problem as a failed plenum that allowed coolant to foul the plugs. The dealer replaced the plenum, fouled plugs, coolant, and oil for $800.00 dollars.
While driving engine light illuminated on the dashboard constantly. Then, engine completely failed. The gaskets had been changed several times. Anti-freeze and oil leaked. Consumer found that it was the intake manifold.
Vehicle returned for inspection with regard to 04v090 12/13/04 complaints poor performance, fuel economy, hard starting, and use of dexcool anti-freeze since recall performed. Decool anti-freeze entering the intake manifold of engine, and engine oiling system from failure or rupture of upper intake plenum near egr passage. Anti-freeze has filled engine lifters causing noise/failure, filling combustion chamber causing hydro-locking of engine, could cause catastrophic failure of engine resulting in possible fire or accident. Dealer refused to repair under 04v090 manifold over pressure condition stated replacement of upper & lower intake, lifter, plugs, oil, anti-freeze at a cost of $1,150 on vehicle that had 77,827 when the recall was done, and now has 80,407 mi. Which is less then 3,000. This could very well have hydro-locked the engine at freeway speed,or caused catastrophic failure resulting in severe damage, injury, and possible fire from engine oil & fuel hitting the hot catalytic converter!
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