have a 2002 montecarlo ss 3.5 37.000 miles.
was informed today that their is a recall.something to do with oil dripping on the manifold and that could cause a fire.gm fix for this problem is a spark plug clip.what is your advice on this issue.?dominic
sorry 3.8 v6
thanks mike that was vert helpful.
chevy dealer just called me and told me. he order the clips for the recall.that they were not informed that this recall was even coming out today.chevy dealers have been swamped with calls.have your vin # ready if this recall pertains to you.they will have to order the clips.
dominic
Well my 2000 Impala LS valve covers started leaking to the point I could smell oil burning off the manifold from inside the car. So this past weekend I started replacing both valve cover gaskets, but do to family events only had part of Saturday to work on it. So now it sits still needing be put back together. I was unaware of the recall but I will be calling my friendly Chevy dealer in regards to this matter.
IMHO the proper fix would be to replace both valve cover gaskets which is time consuming with all the thing in the way, plus whatever shield GM plans on putting on.
Its that dreaded rubbery Silicone like gasket that over time looses its ability to hold tension between surfaces that its trying to seal.
had the upper and lower intake manifild gaskets done a couple of months ago.and the valve cover gaskets
These are great engines, but it looks like they need to have the LIM, UIM, and valve cover gaskets all replaced around seven year 100k miles.
Here’s the pertinent information from the NHTSA recall web site:
Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year
BUICK / REGAL 1997-2003
CHEVROLET / IMPALA 2000-2003
CHEVROLET / LUMINA 1998-1999
CHEVROLET / MONTE CARLO 1998-2003
OLDSMOBILE / INTRIGUE 1998-1999
PONTIAC / GRAND PRIX 1997-2003
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V116000
Summary:
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 1,497,516 MY 1997-2003 BUICK REGAL, MY 1998-2003 CHEVROLET LUMINA, MONTE CARLO AND IMPALA, MY 1998-1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE, MY 1997-2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.8L V6 NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINE. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH DROPS OF ENGINE OIL MAY BE DEPOSITED ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD THROUGH HARD BRAKING.
Consequence:
IF THE MANIFOLD IS HOT ENOUGH AND THE OIL RUNS BELOW THE HEAT SHIELD, IT MAY IGNITE INTO A SMALL FLAME AND MAY SPREAD TO THE PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE CHANNEL AND BEYOND INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE SPARK PLUG WIRE RETENTION CHANNEL AT THE FRONT OF ENGINE AND INSTALL TWO NEW SPARK PLUG WIRE RETAINERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM OR HTTP:WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Notes:
GM RECALL NO. 90047. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .
The First generation of GM’s 2.8l V6 engine had MAJOR problems with valve cover gaskets leaking. I replaced the gaskets on mine at least 5 times. Each one lasted about 10k miles. I finally got a set of cast aluminum valve covers and when I sold the truck 30k miles later there were no more leaks. This was a MAJOR problem with this engine. Everyone I knew who owned that engine had the same problem…didn’t matter what vehicle it was in…S series pickups, Isuzu pickup, Pontiac Fiero…they all leaked.
I just wanted to add my thought that the solution in the service bulletin is pretty cheesy. Instead of addressing the real problem (the oil leaks), they decide to move the most combustible part out of the way so that if (when?) it catches fire, it’s not as likely to spread. Kind of like going to the doctor and saying “Doc, it hurts when I move my elbow.” “Don’t move your elbow then.”
A friend of mine lost her 98 grand Prix last spring to a engine fire.