1999 Oldsmobile Alero: engine overheating

Filed Jul 7, 2008 · Engine · 80,000 miles · TN

Car began to overheat two days ago. Intake manifold gasket replaced a year ago. Dealership stated the intake manifold needs to be replaced again. We also found out that we may have a blown head gasket and possibly a cracked engine--which means a new motor. Car has 80,000 miles on it and has been very well taken care of. We are devastated as this is our daughter's car and she is about to be a freshman in college. The car broke down on her while traveling down an interstate-at night.

Filed Jan 26, 2007 · Brakes, Electrical · 75,000 miles · TX

I have had an 99' oldsmobile alero for 7 years. It has had almost every problem listed on this website. It has had an over heating problem every year since I got it and I have spent thousands in repairs for the cooling system, fuel pump, poor interior manufacturer, AC/heater blower motor settings failure, fuel gauge failure, transmission leakage, poor springs/struts, gear slipping, hard starting, water leaking in from rain under glove compartment, off alignment (set three times in year), poor gas mileage, overheating or running above normal temperature and sudden overheating without notice of gauge lights or sounds. Has had front right caliper failure locking brake pads down against rotor causing burnout of pads,rotor warping, caliper cylinder damage. Has had power steering pump leakage. This car is a lemon and gm should not be allowed to get away with selling unsafe, worthless vehicles. The only reason I still have mine running is because I have put a lot of personal as well as paid labor into its upkeep over the years due to that I cant afford another car.

Filed Feb 1, 2006 · Brakes, Engine · TN

I purchased the car & immediately had to have the brakes fixed by the dealership. In 3/05 had complete look at car -at chevy. Dealership, they flushed radiator, clean fuel lines-things along those lines "to make my car run better". In june of 05 I started noticing a small puddle of water under my vehicle & it started overheating. Was told my repair man that radiator cap needed replacing. That seemed to help a little. By october 05 the car was leaking antifreeze from under the car. Didn't have the money to have it fixed so I didn't drive it because I was a stay at home mom. Dec 05 I went to work and its been downhill. My car now will overheat if it idles for very long, leaks antifreeze (I have to add coolant every morning), and we was told that it was the probably the intake manifold gasket gone bad which will cost about 900.00. This is just 1 of the many problems we have experienced since the purchase.

Filed Jan 14, 2005 · Engine · 68,000 miles · MI

Engine coolant leak onto engine block and transmission housing. Intake manifold gasket needed to be replaced. Oldsmobile dealership stated that this was a common problem with the 3400 v6 engine.

Filed Nov 11, 2004 · Engine, Steering · 32,000 miles · NY

Purchased the car in february'03. Bad vibration when driving at speeds over 45 MPH, tires rotated and balanced 4+ times, both front wheel bearing/hub kits replaced in less than 6 months after purchase, still occurs and have just grown accustomed to the shaking. Engine coolant leaks: replaced pump and "o" ring. Power steering pump and return hose replaced. Driver side window does not roll back up(believe dealership replaced prio to purchase). Driver side mirror motor has never worked properly, dealer(in rochester) put on receipt of last repair that they replaced motor, but didn't actually have part, but was on order. Never received a phone call back when or if part came in(dealership is over 300 miles from my home, purchased car on the internet).

Filed Apr 5, 2004 · Engine · 62,797 miles · MI

At 50k miles, low coolant light would flicker on and off so per the manual dexcool/water mixture was added. This alleviated the problem only temporarily however. Light continued to come on, and later at 61k, oil leak was noticed on the side of the intake manifold. An appointment was made to bring the car to the dealership the same week, during which the security dummy light came on (for no apparent reason). Also during this week, the "change oil" dummy light came on 100 miles before the oil change was due (at 2900 miles). The car was brought to the dealership to fix per its appointment, and not only was coolant leaking into the engine, but the upper and lower intake manifold gaskets required replacement. In addition, on its way to the dealership, the engine started to misfire causing the "check engine" light to flash for several moments before turning to a steadily lit dummy light. Car has always been given routine maintenance and oil changes every 3k or as necessary, so this performance and obvious design flaw are very disappointing. Would not recommend this car/3.4l v6 engine to anyone looking to purchase a new vehicle and considering this make/model/engine type.

Filed Mar 18, 2004 · Engine · 96,540 miles · GA

I bought my alero in may of 2003, and it is not march 2004 and I am replacing the motor. Started out with brake problems, then went on to the leather under the windows and on the dash "bubbling" up in the sun. Next, I had coolant/oil leaks at the intake manifold. Low trac light came on all the time, low tire pressure light stays on, the fan for the A/C or heat only worked in the 3-5 positions. (it's full blast or nothing.) coolant light frequently came on, transmission fluid vanishes, coolant leaks, yet no one knows where from. The temperature gauge never goes below halfway, and it ran hot a lot. Had to replace the coolant cap and overflow resevoir. The gas hand sticks, the speedometer sticks, the leather seats are tearing, had to replace the factory radio because it would not pick up any channels, rear defrost works only when it wants to, and service engine light stayed on about half the time. I took this car to 7 mechanics, had it hooked up to diagnostic computers, had everything checked-yet no one could tell me what was going on. Finally, I left the mechanic shop after being told that the car was "good to go" (which I would never put in the same sentence with alero again.), and it starting skipping. I had it towed, only to find out that I had a cracked block and cracked heads. (new motor needed-final prognosis) my mechanic told me that it would do absolutely no good to put a motor in it because in 2 years-the new motor will do the same! Oldsmobile should be ashamed that they would recall a glove box latch, yet not the motor. After reading the reviews that I have read in the past week, I am seeking legal action in regards to this issue. I did not pay $17,000 for a lemon, which is all I got!! Don't buy!! Buyer beware!!

Filed Mar 2, 2004 · Engine · 72,936 miles · VA

I own a 1999 oldsmobile alero with a 3.4l engine. At a cost of $652.01, on 28-october-2003 I had service performed on my vehicle because I was loosing coolant at regular intervals and it was not leaking onto the ground. The severe cause for concern was after I had refilled my coolant reservoir, drove approximately 3 miles, and all of the coolant was gone. The temperature guage shot up to the red zone, and I pulled over immediately. I had the car towed to the dealer and they indicated that this was a common problem for vehicles with this engine. They replaced the intake gasket and I was on my way. A few weeks later I noticed the coolant level was low again, and I had to add more coolant. I took the car back to the dealership on 25-november-2003. They checked the car and said they could find no leaks. I continued to drive the car. Consistently, every 2 weeks, I was refilling the coolant resevoir. This has been happening until recently (february 2004). In late february 2004 I started losing coolant at a much faster rate, about 3 day intervals. On 2-march-2004 my car did not start the first 2 times I tried, on the third it caught. I decided to inspect the oil, using the dip stick, and found that the oil was a thick goo. This prompted me to call gm and the dealership to identify my options for having this problem resolved. I am frustrated, aggrevated, annoyed, among other things, and I fear that had this gone undetected, the oil would have gotten to a state where it would not have allowed the engine to function, perhaps leading to an accident. Not only do I fear for my safety, but I am concerned that having a severe problem like this "fixed" only to find that it happens again will only lead to the samething happening yet another time. How many times will I have to have this problem fixed? Is this a recurring safety concern?

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Engine · 48,536 miles · NH

Car overheated. Had to have it towed. Rear of intake manifold was found to be leaking. Intake manifold gaskets had to be replaced.

Filed Nov 22, 2003 · Engine · 46,000 miles · TX · fire

Engine abruptly overheated. After immediately pulling over, the engine began smoking. Car was towed to nearby service center where it was discovered the engine lower intake gasket was faulty.

Filed Oct 22, 2003 · Engine · 72,000 miles · MD

The "coolant" light came on - then the car died & overheated...apparently coolant was leaking into the engine because a gasket failed...now the engine must be replaced at 70,000 miles. Starting at 3,000 miles, the check engine soon light came on & it has been in and out of dealerships ever since!!! Gm hasn't done a thing to help me! I just spent $1,300 to get the gasket replaced in the intake manifold & now they tell me the engine needs to be replaced!!! Please help me - I need a contact for gm - the customer service line has not done a thing to help & apparently this is a common problem...

Filed Aug 29, 2003 · Engine · NY

Coolant is leaking from the radiator, causing vehicle to overheat.