1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette: engine failure

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Engine · 45,000 miles · VA

Our 1998 oldsmobile silhouette has 45000 miles and needs a new $5000 engine. It has been maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions and the engine has been destroyed by a intake manifold gasket leak which allows corrosive dexcool coolant to leach into the engine. There are many other victims of this flaw, and details of the problem are available at: http://www.cartrackers.com/forums/live/yourlemon/231.html http://www.petitiononline.com/gmcnsmrs/petition.html http://www.geocities.com/gm_intake/ http://www.gm-v6lemons.com/ we were initially told by koons chevroloet in vienna, va that we needed to replace our engine because of antifreeze leaking into the engine. This was caused by the defective intake manifold gasket. When we furnished them with the information on the defect, a service rep then told us that the'd work with gm to see what the could do for us. They came back with "we'll replace your engine". We agreed to that remedy and when we called to see if the work on our car was completed, the service rep, said "by the way, we didn't replace the engine we rebuilt it." we were very dismayed by the fact that they misrepresented what they said they would do and proceeded to do the work without our authorization. We were about to pull the car from that dealer to go get a second opinion. Any way the work was done with no charge to us.we complained to gm customer service and after much negotiation, they offered us an extended warranty on the entire engine. Subsequent to that we took the car to farrish of fairfax in fairfax, va to inspect the work that was done at koons. They said it looked ok. Well, since then, as recent as this week the "low coolant" light has lit up on the dash. This was the precursor to our problem in the beginning. We now have an appointment to bring the car back to farrish. It seems that the fix was not adequate, but we'll let you know.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Engine · 80,000 miles · AL

A defect in the intake manifold of my 1998 olds silhouette van caused the engine to fail. This failure occurred while my pregnant wife (3 days past her due date) was driving with our 5 yr old son. While driving 40 MPH on a high traffic road, the engine failed. This could have caused a serious accident/injury. Other motorists in her vicinity saw the problem and avoided a collision.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Engine · 134,000 miles · UN

Complete engine replacement, 3.4l 6cyc minivan.

Filed Feb 26, 2003 · Engine · 80,000 miles · AL

Faulty intake manifold on 1998 oldsmobile silhouette has caused an engine failure. This failure occurred while my pregnant wife (3 days past due) was driving our 5 yr old son home from the dentist. She was driving 40 MPH on a high traffic road when the engine failed! This sudden engine failure could have caused a serious accident.

Filed Jan 21, 2002 · Airbags, Body · PA

I have had numerous problems with this car since I purchased it. The power sliding side door has benn repaired 2 or 3 times and still works intermittently. The headlights have been repaced once and repaired once and they now have water inside causing the lights to perform poorly. The air bag warning light was repaired at a cost of $80 due to corrosion causing the light to come on. The check engine light comes on if you drive over 100 miles then eventually goes off. Now, the major problem is that I have been told by my mechanic that I have a blown head gasket or cracked block which is causing antifreeze to leak into my oil. There is a possibility that the engine needs replaced. I noted numerous instances of blown head gaskets on gm message boards. This seems to be an ongoing problem. I contacted gm and received no offer of help. The request # given to me was 06214553. This is the 7th or 8th gm vehicle I have owned and have never had any problems. This one has been nothing but a problem. Does this classify as a "lemon"? Any help would be appreciated.