Signs of 3800 LIM gasket problem? And does Camaro/Firebird 3.8 have the issue?

[slacktide_bitog]

2001 Firebird V6, white smoke under hood, engine not overheating according to the temp gauge*, under the hood it's all wet, and the coolant hoses seem intact. The problem just started today.

Coolant reservoir is not visible. The cap is on a long tube.

*I know the coolant temp gauge is a dummy gauge, but it still takes awhile for the needle to get to the middle. The heat works.

So, how do you know when it's time to replace the LIM gasket? And does the V6 Camaro/Firebird have this problem like the FWD 3800's do?

 

[WyrTwister]

Are you familiar with the 3.8l coolant elbows ?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted by WyrTwister
Are you familiar with the 3.8l coolant elbows ?


I've heard of it after googling the LIM problem

 

[Trav]

Yes the RWD are also effected but with that much coolant I would look at the elbow(s) first.

 

[das_peikko]

You'll see why they leak as soon as you look at the original gaskets; they will be cracked and split in some areas.

The new FEL-PRO LIM gaskets have a layer of steel inside the rubber. These are very good engines.

 

[Thax]

How many miles on the engine? Its 18 years old , consider doing this job anyways. Like Trav stated they are affected, on a 3800 engine this is not a hateful repair. Get the aluminum elbows, fel pro gaskets and sleep better at night.

 

[Dave9]

Yes it is the same engine and same intake manifold/gaskets.

Replace them before they fail enough to hydrolock the engine $$$$

The metal elbows are more about the fact that the plastic ones will fall apart when you pull them out of the manifold, so do get the metal ones and have them to swap in.

If yours has the old style EGR pipe that does not insulate it from the plastic intake, get the revised intake that has a metal insulator sleeve to keep the plastic from getting hot and brittle, which is one of the other most common faults on the 3800 intake. Do not get a new intake manifold from Dorman, they are off-spec crap that need filed, melted, and molested into something that fits. Ugh!

 

[Lubener]

The only real weak points of this engine and all will eventually needing this done regardless of the miles . On my series 2, I used these "upgraded" items and stayed away from OEM this time. The after markets are actually better for this repair.
Upper manifold, replace it and use the ATP Greyworks one. It is improved over the original, better than Dorman's and comes with everything you need. Don't forget to pull out your EGR stovepipe from your lower manifold and replace it with the correct "revised" one from the kit. Very important.
Use the METAL backed lower intake gaskets made by Felpro, not the plastic ones.
Dorman aluminum coolant elbows but peel the original o rings and replace them with the AC Delco ones, they are slightly thicker and hold up better..Lube the o rings with a silicone grease prior to inserting the elbows.
Replace the thermostat while the system is drained and any questionable hoses. You will never have to worry about this again.

 

[Trav]

The last version of the OE gasket is the one I use, it is aluminum with the green FFKM sealing materials. This is the one everyone copied, I have some running around with these since 08 in cars I repaired with no issues. They are a bit pricey though.

+1 on the ATP plenum, they work well and are complete., ditto the aluminum elbows but I had trouble with the Dorman O rings and use OE on them. May times there is corrosion in the manifold where the O rings sit, I clean them out and coat the inside with Hylomar before assembly, they never leak.

 

[Tman220]

Apparently some are not familiar with the F-body version of the 3800. Intake manifold gaskets still fail, but not as common. The F-body 3800 has an aluminum intake manifold, (no composite upper) therefore disregard anything you hear about the dorman or ATP greyworks manifold, and stove pipes.

symptoms are subtle at first, missing coolant with no apparent leaks, maybe some extra moisture and/or buildup under the oil cap.

Sounds to me like you have something spraying coolant under the hood... start hunting, get it warmed up with some cooling system pressure and you should be able to tell where its coming from pretty easy.

 

[Ihatetochangeoil]

If the heat works, you're probably not losing much coolant...Any is too much. The way I found out about mine was UOA on synthetic oil at ~7500 miles...443 ppm potassium...Gee, I've got a coolant leak, and with honey colored oil, there probably isn't a Mr. Goodwrench mechanic in the nation who could've pulled that dipstick and determined this by looking at the oil color or under the oil cap.
I'm pretty sure these are the lower intake gaskets Trav is refering to: https://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-OE-89017825-Lower-Aluminum-Intake-Manifold-Gasket-Set-3800-3-8L-1997-08/172212946700?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
As usual, Trav is right; I've done the dorman aluminum coolant elbows (with OE Orings, the dorman Orings will leak) and (upper) and lower intake gaskets on a half dozen cars for myself and neighbors. After the elbows and intake gaskets are redone (correctly), these engines are bulletproof.

 

[Trav]

Those are the ones. I paid more than $60 when they first came out so the price is good. Good find.