took my car to a mechanic, and he says my #4 injector is bad. my engine is a 3800 series II(pontiac)?

Question

my other problem is my anti freeze disappears, with no visible leaks. the mechanic says my head gasket could be bad or that my engine block could be cracked.The problem that i had with my car was it cranking, but not starting. The first time, i changed the spark plugs, and that seemed to work. But it only lasted a week and a 1/2. The second time, my engine died, i tried starting it, but it would only crank. same as the first time. If the block is cracked, would the antifreeze mix with the oil? I didnt see any evidence of anything mixed in the oil.

Answer 1

The GM 3800 engine has a inherent problem with leaking intake manifolds. Coolant loss will only get worse and will cause major overheating soon if not corrected. This is most likely the cause of your engine miss vs a bad injector. The reason you can't see any coolant coming out is because it is being pumped directly into the combustion chamber when you drive, in your case probably #4 cylinder. Please try and find another mechanic that is familiar with this condition on the 3800's as repair costs are really not too bad. Replacement of the intake and seals are necessary but will cure your problems 99% of the time.

Answer 2

If the block is cracked it doesn't mean the there will be mixing. It just depends on where the crack is. You might have a bad head gasket and the coolant is seeping into the cylinders. In which gets the spark plugs wet and will cause it not to start! Injectors are notorious for going out on Pontiac's, at least I have had to replace allot. There's a few things you can do to determine what is happening. If your positive theres no mixing then skip step one! (1)- change your oil! If theres coolant then you know your engine is bad. (2)-No coolant in oil! Do a compression check on all cylinders. If one of the head gaskets is bad then you'll find one or more cylinders with low pressure. Try these things first if you know of no leaks any where. Good Luck

I can't say anything about the intake gaskets being bad I haven't any come in with the problem. But its very possible because the VORTEC 350 had this problem real bad.

Answer 3

what year is the car, and what model? i had an 86 buick electra with a series 1 3800, and had timing gear issues, they have plastic coated teeth and the plastic gets brittle. the fix is completely metal teeth. also had ignition module issues. your head gasket is probably bad, haven't heard of many of those blocks getting cracks. I have a 96 Boneville now with the later 3800 engine and haven't had any problems with antifreeze, though it does miss and i've changed the wires and spark plugs more than I think I should have to. I know the injectors are an issue though. this is the third bonneville in my family and all had to have an injector cleaning done on them. hope this was of some help.

Answer 4

You need to be able to pick the correct mechanic for a particular job at hand. Personally, I wouldn't have air added to a tire at Mienike let alone a brake job or engine work! I you own the car you should know if the intake is silver (aluminum) or black (plastic). A Chevrolet dealership would have in less than 6 hours.

Answer 5

there are 2 different kind of cracked engine. first kind of cracked will show coolant and oil mixed.another kind of cracked cause engine loss of cylinders compression. the way u describe your problem point to a damage headgasket. it is the most common problem on this engine. having an injector and headgasket goes bad at the same time are rare. the most accurate way to see if you have a leak headgasket is to use a emission gas analyzer and sniff it inside the radiator. once you confirm it is the leak headgasket,start by removing the cylinderhead and inspect the damage.

Answer 6

The correct repair for your problem is to replace the upper intake plenum. Not the lower intake gaskets.

Answer 7

Your intake is leaking antifreeze into the cylinders. its a very common problem with these engines. I see this every day. I can assure you its not that big of a deal.

Answer 8

intake gasket, those things go out all the time. replaced one on a buddy of mines and keep hearing about that engine and intake gaskets.

Answer 9

check oil dipstick for cream color if so blown head gasket