2000 Pontiac Montana

I HAVE A 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA WITH A 3.4 LITER ENGINE. I HAD THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED IN JANUARY OF 2003 BECAUSE THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING OUT. IT COST ABOUT $600 TO DO THIS. I RECENTLY CHANGED THE OIL ON FEBRUARY 29, 2004 AND NOTICED COOLANT IN THE OIL AGAIN. I AM NOW WORKING WITH THE MECHANIC AGAIN TO FIX THE PROBLEM. APPARENTLY THERE IS A QUALITY CONTROL PROBLEM AT GM REGARDING THEIR MANIFOLD GASKETS. I KNOW OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. A FRIEND OF MINE OWNS A 2003 GRAND AM WITH A 3.4 LITER AND THEY HAD TO HAVE THEIR INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED TWICE. MY BROTHERS RICH AND STEVE ALSO OWNED GM TRUCKS THAT NEEDED THE INTAKE GASKETS REPLACED.*AK

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AT 72,000KMS (45,000) MILES AND SHORTLY AFTERWARD NOTICED THAT COOLANT NEEDED TO BE TOPPED UP OCCASIONALLY OVER THE SUBSEQUENT SIX MONTH PERIOD. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE CRANKCASE, BUT THERE WAS A POOL OF COOLANT COLLECTING EXTERNALLY UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AFTER SOME ON-LINE INVESTIGATING, I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALER, INQUIRING AS TO WHETHER THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS LIKELY THE INTAKE GASKETS AND SOMETIMES THE GASKETS "GET OLD AND DRY UP" BUT THAT IT WAS NOT OVERLY COMMON. THEY QUOTED ME APX $800 TO REPAIR. ($350 FOR THE INTAKE GASKETS AND "NUMEROUS" OTHER GASKETS THAT WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT PLUS LABOUR). I POLITELY COMMENTED THAT I WAS BAFFLED HOW A 3 YEAR OLD PLASTIC GASKET COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS "OLD AND DRIED UP". I SUBSEQUENTLY HAD AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACE THE GASKETS USING THE NEWLY ISSUED VERSION OF THE GASKETS FOR A TOTAL OF APX $450. (HE HAD COINCIDENTALLY RUN INTO THE SAME PROBLEM A COUPLE OF WEEKS PRIOR ON ANOTHER GM V-6 PRODUCT, BUT APPARENTLY THE COOLANT LEAKAGE WAS INTERNAL AND TOO LATE TO SALVAGE THE ENGINE). MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF REPAIR ON MY VEHICLE WAS APX 86,000 KMS (54,000 MILES). HE CONFIRMED THAT UPON REMOVAL THE ONLY EVIDENCE WAS EXTERNAL LEAKAGE. I HAVE ANOTHER 10,000KMS ON THE VEHICLE SINCE REPAIR AND NO LEAKAGE IS APPARENT AT THIS POINT.

MY PARENTS BOUGHT A 2000 MONTANA VAN IN NOVEMBER OF 2002. IT SEEMS TO BE LEAKING ANTIFREEZE. THE LOCAL GM DEALER WHERE THEY PURCHASED IT, SAYS IT IS THE INTAKE MANIFIOLD GASKETS. FOR $2,500 THEY COULD REPAIR THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE MATTER UP WITH THE OWNER OF THE DEALERSHIP, AND SHOWED HIM A COPY OF A GM SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH TALKS ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE GASKET MATERIAL AND ASKED HIM WHAT THEY WOULD DO ABOUT IT. HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT BUT COULD NOT PROMISE ANYTHING. AN UPDATE IS THAT HE SAID THAT GM WOULD POSSIBLY COVER 99.9% OF THE BILL. THE REASON HE GAVE WAS THAT THE ORIGIONAL OWNER OF THE VAN PURCHASED IT AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP AND HAD IT REGULARILY SERVICED THERE AND THEY HAVE ALL THE SERVICE RECORDS. THE VAN HAD 97,000 KM WHEN MY PARENTS PURCHASED IT, SINCE THEN THEY HAVE ONLY ADDED 1000KM, MY PARENTS ALSO FIGURED IT WAS LEAKING FROM THE DAY IT WAS PURCHASED. I AM NOT SURE IF THE DEALER DID AN INSPECTION, YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD AND A LEAK WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND.THE VAN IS BEING REPAIRED AT THE MOMENT, SO WE WILL SEE WHAT COMES OF THIS.

MY MONTANA HAS HAD PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT USED AT A CERTIFIED GM USED CAR LOT AT LINDSEY CHEVEROLET. IT HAS BEEN BURING THROUGH AT LEAST 2 QUARTS OF OIL OR MORE WITH-IN LESS THEN 700 MILES. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED FOR LEAKS BUT COULD NOT FIND ANY. THERE IS NO SMOKE FROM THE ENGINE OR TAIL PIPE. THERE IS NO LEAKS ON THE ENGINE ANYWHERE OR AT THE OIL PAN. THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I HAVE BROWSED THE WEB AND HAVE FOUND OTHER OWNERS THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA. I DO NOT HAVE THE KIND OF MONEY TO SPEND ON OIL LIKE IT IS GOING OUT OF STYLE. IS THERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS PROBLEM OR CAN ANYONE ELSE HELP ME.

LOOSING COOLANT, COOLANT IN OIL. PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS AFTER REPAIR ON 04-01-03, 24,535 MILES. CURRENT MILEAGE 26,000. EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED $301.21 OF THE REPAIR. ROWAN PONTIAC/GMC DID NOT WANT TO HONOR EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE RENTAL CAR, ZERO DEDUCTIBLE, OR THE REPAIR ITSELF.