1998 Buick Lesabre

I HAVE A 1998 BUICK LESABRE. THE CAR STOPPED WHEN IT WAS PULLED INTO THE GARAGE AND WHEN I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN, IT MADE A SCREECHING SOUND. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE STARTER "EXPLODED" BECAUSE FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE PLENEUM INTO THE CYLINDERS AND STARTER. THE MECHANIC ADVISED IT WOULD COST OVER $800.00 TO REPAIR. *TR

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED, THE CAR STARTED CONSUMING DEXCOOL ANTIFREEZE, BUT NONE WAS NOTICED LEAKING EXTERNAL TO THE ENGINE. THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD MADE OF PLASTIC APPARENTLY WARPED, AND/OR A HOLE BURNED IN NEAR THE EGR STOVE PIPE, THUS DUMPING ANTIFREEZE INTO THE ENGINE AND HYDROLOCKING THE ENGINE. MAJOR PROBLEM, COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE WOULD NOT START OR RUN. THIS CAR HAD BEEN WELL MAINTAINED WITH BOTH REGULAR OIL AND COOLANT CHANGES, THE CAR HAS BEEN ADULT DRIVING . COST TO REPAIR $450.00 FOR JUST UPPER INTAKE, ADD ANOTHER $450 FOR THE LOWER INTAKE AS WELL. *TR

MY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS MADE OF PLASTIC AND MY ENGINE LOCKED UP, I WAS INFORMED FROM MY MECHANIC THAT GM WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND CAME OUT WITH A BETTER ONE MADE OF METAL. THIS A COSTLY MISTAKE LEADING TO 850 DOLLARS OF REPAIR, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF GM WOULD HAVE STEPPED UP WITH THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE AND BEEN FIXED WITH THE NEW GASKET INSTEAD OF CAUSING MORE DAMAGE THEN NEEDED. *TR

BOUGHT A USED (2 OWNER) BUICK LESABRE IN DEC '08 HAVING 37,428 . IN EARLY MARCH, '09, AFTER LESS THAN 4000 MILES, STARTED HEARING A BRIEF GURGLING WHEN ENGINE TURNED OFF. IN MID-MARCH, WHILE PULLING ONTO A HIGHWAY FROM A SLIGHT UPWARD GRADE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, AND A DRIVE TRAIN VIBRATION TOOK PLACE FOR A FEW SECONDS....NEARLY CAUSING AN ONCOMING TRUCK TO COLLIDE WITH US.TOOK VEHICLE INTO A NATIONAL FRANCHISED TRANSMISSION DEALER FOR CHECKUP...TRANSMISSION CHECKED OK. HOWEVER, TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED RADIATOR FLUID IN MANIFOLD INTAKE AREA. SUSPECTING LEAKING INTAKE MANIFOLD SEAL AND/OR CRACKED INTAKE MANIFOLD COVER. NEED TO USE THE VEHICLE, BUT HAVE TO WAIT FOR REPAIR UNTIL MONEY CAN BE PUT TOGETHER. AM A DISABLED EX MARINE,VIETNAM VET.. SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE A VERY PREVALENT ONE ,BASED ON WHAT IS ON THE NET. REPLACEMENT PART IS ONLY 140.00 THROUGH A NATIONAL PARTS COMPANY. THE AUTO SHOPS ARE QUOTING OVER 800.00 TO FIX. C'MON, LET'S GET SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED!!! HAVEN'T YOU NOTICED THE POWER FAILURES IN SOME OF THE REPORTS??I WOULD THINK GM WOULD DO A VOLUNTEER RECALL, RATHER THAN RISK REPUTATION, AND CONSUMER LIFE&LIMB. THE PROBLEM IS THAT GM WAS USING HAVELIN'S 'ORANGE' ANTIFREEZE (DEXTROL) AND IT WAS FAULTY. IT WAS CONGEALING IN THE ENGINE, DISRUPTING COOLANT FLOW, THEREBY CAUSING OVERHEATING ENOUGH TO BLOW INTAKE MANIFOLDS AND/OR GASKETS........SEEMS THE 8 AUTO TECH'S I'VE TALKED TO OVER THE PAST WEEK KNOW THIS. SO, WHY DON'T THE INDUSTRY AND GOV."EXPERTS"??? *TR

THE BELT TENSIONER IS MADE OF PLASTIC WHICH BROKE DISABLING THE CAR WHICH HAD TO BE TOWED. OIL LEAK CAME FROM LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, GATHERED AROUND BOTTOM AT OIL PAN, UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, ALSO MADE OF PLASTIC LEAKED ANTIFREEZE INTO ENGINE. TENSIONER WAS REPLACED WITH SAME PLASTIC BECAUSE IT HAS NOT BEEN RE-DESIGNED,SAME WITH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, THEREFORE, IT WILL GIVE THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE. A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND GM REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 BUICK LESABRE. THE CONTACT NOTICED OIL IN THE ANTIFREEZE BUCKET IN THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE MECHANIC, HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE COOLING COILS HAD BURST IN THE RADIATOR. CURRENTLY, ANTIFREEZE HAS SETTLED ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TESTED FOR A PRESSURE LEAK AND THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO FIND ONE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE INTAKE GASKET FAILED. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V090000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY) WAS REFERENCED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 31,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000. UPDATED 06/25/08. *LJ UPDATED 06/25/08

THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING HOT NOR DID ANY OTHER LIGHT COME ON. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AS SMOOTH AS IT ALWAYS HAS. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND LET THE ENGINE COOL. I SAW THE WATER WAS LOW SO I WENT INSIDE AND GOT WATER TO PUT IN IT. I TRIED TO START THE CAR AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. WHITE SMOKE CAME FROM THE EXHAUST. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A DEALER. THEY KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG BEFORE THEY CHECKED THE CAR BECAUSE THEY HAD HAD OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. AFTER REPLACING THE MANIFOLD, GASKETS, SPARK PLUGS, DEXCOOL, PIPE ASM, SEALS, THERMOSTAT, STARTER, OIL FILTER, OIL, THE CAR RAN AGAIN. OF COURSE, I WAS OUT $1049.27. THAT WAS 12 DAYS AGO. TONIGHT THE CAR BEGAN CLATTERING AND TOMORROW THE CAR WILL GO BACK TO THE DEALER FOR MORE REPAIR. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE LIFTERS NEED TO BE REPLACED. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED AND REPAIRED BEFORE ALL THE TROUBLE BEGAN. I WANT MY MONEY BACK. *TR

MY 1998 BUICK LESABRE LTD, 73,943 MI,STARTED TO REQUIRE WATER TO BE ADDED TO THE OVERFLOW TANK. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO A GM GARAGE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLDS WERE LEAKING, CAUSING COOLANT TO ENTER ENGINE AND OIL. THIS REPAIR COST$1200. TO CORRECT. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND GM HAS TURNED IT'S HEAD TO THE ISSUE. THE INTERNET IS FULL OF THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. *TR