Thread: LIM-FelPro gasket failure?

All gaskets will fail sometime. Could have been installed wrong, or been a bad gasket.

number 1 problem besides head gaskets around 150k.........

LIM gaskets go bout every 80k on a 3.1 and 3.4 depending on driving habits.

The felpro ones are plastic-y crap...not shocked.

Get GM aluminum ones.

Moved to the correct section. And yes I agree, get the aluminum ones if you want something that is gonna last.

Thanks guys for all the advice.

I have coolant in my oil but I was confused because it didnt appear from the signs to be a head gasket but I assumed this Fel-pro gasket was bullet-proof so I kept thinking it HAD to be the head gasket. I will change out the LIM and hopefully that's it (I will know when I get in there!)

Just wanted to let you guys know my Grand Prix is still running strong. The product I used was K&W Nano Tech head gasket repair, in a light green bottle. Amazing I have had no problems in 2.5 years and 13K miles! I just followed the directions on the bottle to the tee (draining coolant system and getting it totally clean) I also removed the Thermostat which was the hardest part of the job (couldnt get it out for darn reason!)

Anyways I hope this helps someone because I have gotten so much good information on this site, thanks!

Originally Posted by UR LOSN

number 1 problem besides head gaskets around 150k.........

LIM gaskets go bout every 80k on a 3.1 and 3.4 depending on driving habits.

Head Gasket can go on the 3.1, 3.4 AND 3.8 at various mileage on the motor. I know of 3.1's with 300,000 miles on the engine with OEM GM head gaskets-never changed. My 3.1 has 170,000 miles on the OEM GM head gaskets…been using Green coolant since 60,000 miles.

Replaced a head gasket on a 2001 LeSabre with 70,000 miles on the 3.8 motor.

Head Gaskets rarely go on the 3.8s.... Can happen but rare. 3.1 and 3.4 its as common as dirt

Here is one source of many:

http://www.underhoodservice.com/serv...00-v6-engines/

"Service IssuesOne of the reasons why the 3800 has had such a long production run is that it has been a very reliable, trouble-free engine for the most part. Many of these engines have racked up well over 200,000 miles with normal maintenance.
One of the few trouble spots has been coolant leaks on the Series II 3800 engines with the plastic intake manifold. The OEM intake manifold gasket tends to deteriorate after 60,000 or so miles in the area that seals the cylinder head coolant passage to the manifold. The seepage of coolant past the leaky gasket leads to overheating, and may cause bearing damage if coolant leaks down into the lifter valley and gets into the crankcase. The fix is to replace the OEM gasket with an improved aftermarket gasket, or the revised OEM gasket (P/N 89017554) per GM bulletin 04-06-01-017 issued in May, 2004.
The coolant leakage problem has been blamed on a number of factors, including coolant neglect and a less-than-robust OEM intake manifold gasket design. Though Dex-Cool is supposed to last up to five years or 150,000 miles, some say changing the coolant every two years can avert many of the problems that occur with aging coolant. Also, if the coolant level gets low, oxygen mixes with the coolant, which tends to cause problems with Dex-Cool.
On these engines, it’s not a bad idea to add a bottle of cooling system sealer to the cooling system for preventive maintenance, whether the coolant needs changing or not. The sealer will circulate with the coolant and hopefully stop any small seepage leaks in the intake manifold gasket from getting any worse, at least for a while. This may save your customer the expense of having to replace the intake manifold gasket. If the gasket is already leaking, sealer may plug it up temporarily. But, eventually, the gasket will have to be changed."

Not sure where this myth that the head gasket issue does not effect the 3.8 much….

The GM line of V6's are all great engines and the head gasket issue effects all V6's with the original OEM designed head gaskets. I would guess that my 2001 3.1 with 170,000 miles on the original head gasket is because I switched the Dexcool out at 60,000 miles to Green coolant…..See above for documentation….