which buicks have problems with plastic intake manifold??

Question

I have a 1999 buick lesabre. It has 100,000 miles on it and it's running fine. I noticed the smell of burning rubber yesterday when I opened my car door to get out. I did some research to find an extremely common problem with the intake manifold being made out of plastic causing it to melt and rack up damages around 800$.
My first question are which years and models have that plastic part? I read something about either 3.8 or 3.6 engines have it and something about K or L???
Please excuse my ignorance I'm trying to learn what these things are.
My other question is if you're aware you have the plastic piece, is it recommended to replace it before it causes problems?
Thanks.

Answer 1

Subject: Engine Coolant Consumption or Coolant Leak (Inspect for Material Degradation/Replace Intake Manifolds) #01-06-01-007C - (09/20/2007)

Models: 1995-1997 Buick Riviera
1995-1999 Buick LeSabre, Park Avenue
1996-1999 Buick Regal
1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina, Monte Carlo
1995-1996 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight
1995-1999 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight
1998-1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue
1995-1999 Pontiac Bonneville
1997-1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
with 3.8L Engine (VIN K -- RPO L36)
This bulletin is being revised to add to the 1999 model year. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 01-06-01-007B (Section 06 - Engine).

Condition

Some customers may comment on excessive engine coolant consumption, or an engine coolant leak near or under the throttle body area of the upper intake manifold.

Cause

Upper intake manifold composite material may degrade around the EGR stove pipe and could result in an internal or external coolant leak.
Correction
#1. Follow the upper intake manifold removal instructions found in the Engine Unit Repair Section of the Service Information Manual.
# 2. Refer to the arrow in the illustration of the upper intake manifold above. Inspect the inner diameter of the EGR passage for signs of material degradation. Degradation will appear as "pitting" of the composite material in the EGR port passage.
#3. If degradation of upper intake manifold composite material is found, replace the lower and upper intake manifolds with the following part numbers:
• Gasket Kit, Upper Intake Manifold -- 89017554
• Manifold Kit, Upper Intake -- 89017272
• Gasket, Lower Intake Manifold -- 89017400
• Manifold, Lower Intake -- 24508923
# 4. Follow the lower and upper intake manifold installation instructions found in the Engine Unit Repair Section of the appropriate Service Manual.
# 5. If degradation is not apparent, skip to Step 7.
#6. Verify the repair.
# 7. If no degradation is found, evaluate the vehicle for other causes of excessive coolant consumption as noted in the Engine Diagnosis Section of the appropriate Service Manual.

This is a huge problem with the above mentioned vehicles. the bulletin specifies to replace the lower manifold as well. I know several people who based on the mileage of the vehicle will only replace the upper manifold, as the amount of time it takes for the material to degrade may be longer than the service life left in the vehicle. I have also seen vehicles burn through the intake manifold in less time than one would think it would take so it is up to you weather or not you want to replace the lower intake as well. Fell free to email me if you have further questions by viewing my profile here on yahoo.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
which buicks have problems with plastic intake manifold??
I have a 1999 buick lesabre. It has 100,000 miles on it and it's running fine. I noticed the smell of burning rubber yesterday when I opened my car door to get out. I did some research to find an extremely common problem with the intake manifold being made out of plastic causing it to melt and...

Answer 3

1998 Buick Lesabre Problems

Answer 4

You're not ignorant General motors is too cheap to cast good solid aluminum intake manifolds. I think all Chevrolet's, Pontiac's and Buick's have had lousy plastic intakes for at least 10 yrs. All the above brands use the Buick motor.

If you shop for another Buick intake consult with auto parts stores who sell Dorman Products to get a price before folding to a GM Dealership.

Answer 5

2002 Buick Lesabre Problems

Answer 6

You have an intake that is made of a hard plastic. Most GM products with a 2.2 or 2.4 4cyl. & 3.1,3.4, & 3.8 6 cyl.have this problem between the years 1994 to current.What you are smelling is actually anti freeze leaking & burning off.More than likely it's just the intake gasket needing replaced.Very seldom does the intake crack, but it can happen.What causes this to happen is the GM anti freeze Dex Cool. Replace this with the new anti freeze on the market that mixes with any make,model or color,after repairing your gasket,contrary to what some believe it is acceptable to use. Dex Cool will eat away other gaskets,including head gaskets & can damage your radiator & water pump.If you're not able to do the work yourself find a mechanic you can trust.

Answer 7

Typical for GM, they produce cars without testing them first and leave it to the public to pay for their under-engineering. I believe that Fel-pro makes a gasket that can repair this problem. You might be able to get their old metal casting from a sympathetic junk yard and use the better gasket kit. Make sure that your radiator fan switch is working properly, as well. If in doubt, replace it. Also, use Mercedes Benz coolant, it is gentler to gaskets and aluminum parts and can fore go future problems. Audi coolant is good, too!!! Good Luck!!