Eagle Soars
New member
Hey all. Great site with lots of info. I searched on this but most of what I found was on the 3.8.
My son has a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, 3.1 engine. Took it in Thursday for tires and an oil change. Get a call with bad news. LIM gasket is leaking externally on both sides, and oil has mixed internally with the coolant. There is oil in the radiator and overflow reservoir. They said the used oil didn't look overly unusual, but it was discarded or mixed with other used oil? Talked about milkshake looking oil but I can't remember if that was an example from a previous car they worked on or this one. Maybe they were hiding something?
Also, there is a small diameter and short length hose from the front of the intake that is saturated with oilyness (from inside out--their words), so mechanic thinks it's been this way since well before last oil change. My son has taken it to a quick lube place for his past several oil changes and I'm sure they don't care or look that close.
They said they can replace LIM gaskets, all hoses, chemical flush cooling system, etc. but don't know how long the engine might last cause the damage may have been done already (improper lubrication due to diluted oil).
So no warranty. I stopped in to see all this in person.
The car overall is in pretty good shape, but needs some other work like the tires, front brakes, tie-rod ends. All in all the rest not a huge deal as these are going to happen sooner or later on all older cars. I do not have pics as it is still on their lift for the long weekend while I decide what to do, and didnt think to take any while there.
Is there any way to determine if the coolant is mixed into the oil? Which from what i've read could be much worse or fatal.
What possible internal damage has already been done due to diluted oil, and how can I tell?
Can I get your advice on what could be the future of this engine, what could be damaged already, etc. Also, if we dig into this, what else should we do while in there?
Until this issue popped up, I was unaware of this common problem with the LIM gaskets and never heard of Dexcool. Not sure of mileage but prolly well over 120,000 or more. We've had it for 2-3 years. I think it had a coolant flush a year ago?
Thanks for your help!
My son has a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, 3.1 engine. Took it in Thursday for tires and an oil change. Get a call with bad news. LIM gasket is leaking externally on both sides, and oil has mixed internally with the coolant. There is oil in the radiator and overflow reservoir. They said the used oil didn't look overly unusual, but it was discarded or mixed with other used oil? Talked about milkshake looking oil but I can't remember if that was an example from a previous car they worked on or this one. Maybe they were hiding something?
Also, there is a small diameter and short length hose from the front of the intake that is saturated with oilyness (from inside out--their words), so mechanic thinks it's been this way since well before last oil change. My son has taken it to a quick lube place for his past several oil changes and I'm sure they don't care or look that close.
They said they can replace LIM gaskets, all hoses, chemical flush cooling system, etc. but don't know how long the engine might last cause the damage may have been done already (improper lubrication due to diluted oil).
So no warranty. I stopped in to see all this in person.
The car overall is in pretty good shape, but needs some other work like the tires, front brakes, tie-rod ends. All in all the rest not a huge deal as these are going to happen sooner or later on all older cars. I do not have pics as it is still on their lift for the long weekend while I decide what to do, and didnt think to take any while there.
Is there any way to determine if the coolant is mixed into the oil? Which from what i've read could be much worse or fatal.
What possible internal damage has already been done due to diluted oil, and how can I tell?
Can I get your advice on what could be the future of this engine, what could be damaged already, etc. Also, if we dig into this, what else should we do while in there?
Until this issue popped up, I was unaware of this common problem with the LIM gaskets and never heard of Dexcool. Not sure of mileage but prolly well over 120,000 or more. We've had it for 2-3 years. I think it had a coolant flush a year ago?
Thanks for your help!
