a new owner of a 98 lesbre v6 and i need advice

[1998buicklesabre]

Hey, i bought this 1998 Buick LeSabre with a 3.8V6 motor it has 188k miles i paid 250 dollars for it

here are my ideas and thought with this car it is in good shape body wise and interior wise

when it runs it has a LARGE amount of steam coming out the exhaust and the radiator goes empty after a few miles and does leaking so my first guess is a blown head gasket. but i've read on the intertnet the the head gasket going are are rare on these motors... the uppper and lower intake gasket leak

so idea number one
if i can figure out if its a intake leaking i'll repair it and keep it

number two
if its a head gasket i may try to repair ir and if i can't i'll scrap it

and number three
would it be smart to use a sealer Bars leak head gasket repair or blue devil head gasket repair and then hope it last and drive it


i need some help on how to figure out if its a intake gasket or head gasket PLEASE HELP

[PLAGUE PHANTOM]

Head Gasket issues on these motors are very rare. It sounds like you need to replace your Lower Intake Manifold gaskets and your Plenum. While your at it replace those heater elbows that fail to.

Does your oil look milky?

[1998buicklesabre]

thanks for the reply..

i did check the oil and its not super black but its not a golden brown its looks kinda like a light-med brownish color

it wasnt super runny either it didn't like run off the dipstick super fast or etc if that makes sense

also the lady i bought it from it sometimes has trouble starting and it only started when it started loseing coolant/steaming out the exhaust

[PLAGUE PHANTOM]

Sounds like coolant is getting into your oil and mixing. Do not start the car. Replace the gaskets and the plenum asap. THe longer the contaminated oil stays in the motor it will start a rust process. Does the motor make any sounds like a loud knock?

[PLAGUE PHANTOM]

Also has the car ever severely overheated. If it has then the head gaskets may have been warped along with the heads.

[1998buicklesabre]

to be honest i have no idea at all... i bought it from a teenage girl. he step dad told her to stop driving it cause he thought the headgasket were bad.. cause it was steaming out the exhuast... so i'm very unsure if it was over heated... i didn't ask and she never told me either so idk

[PLAGUE PHANTOM]

people commonly mistake intake gaskets issues with head gasket issues. Buy yourself a set of aluminum ridged lower intake gaskets along with a AcDelco or Dorman plenum. Do not buy any autozone brand parts.

Plenum should rin you around $75
Lower Intake Gaskets are around $25
Dorman Help #47065 Elbows are $4

Parts wise plus around 3 gallons of coolant and an oil change kit will run you around $200...more experienced bonneville club members will help you on the process if you decide to do it on your own

[1998buicklesabre]

i plan on doing this on my own.. i'm gonna get my parts from O rileys i looked on there website they carry doorman gaskets.

what are the doorman elbows for ?

[01bonneSC]

Read through these a few times before you start....
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =53&t=1061

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =53&t=3591

Make sure you get the ALUMINUM framed LIM gaskets.

[1998buicklesabre]

okay i'll make sure to get the alum framed LIM gaskets

so from what i have explained about my car would you all say its 90% chance my intake gasket are the problem?

and what are the #47065 doorman elbows used for?

[01bonneSC]

Pic 14 and 18, i believe, in the second link. Coolant runs through them to supply your heater core. They are probably very brittle right now and tend to break or crack. Its common practice to replace them.

[1998buicklesabre]

alright i see... yeah there 3.99 i might as well buy em don't wanna be a cheapy

also about the water being in my oil.. should i drain the oil asap or wait till after i do the intake gasket

[1998buicklesabre]

also do i really need to replace the intake? or it just recommed to do so?

[renchjeep]

Drain the oil and coolant ASAP. Like now. Replace the upper intake with the Dorman upgrade. I'm sure more guys will chime in here........I have a series one L27, so I am not as familiar with the later-model problems. Just repeating what I have heard here.

[1998buicklesabre]

well its half past middle hear so once the sun comes up i'll go drain the oil and coolant.

what should i do about the waters thats in the piston is there a way to pump it out?

also i'm just looking to repair it cheap so it will last for another year... as long as my upper intake is not broken or cracked i'll inspect it but i will probly keep it....

thanks for all the help you guys are really a big help. i'm gonna do the intake repair in my driveway tomorrow as long as everyone has the gasket in stock

[PLAGUE PHANTOM]

yes drain the oil asap but do not leave the crankcase empty as the leftover contaminate oil will rust internal parts. When that happens it is goodbye engine. drain all the oil and put in 5 quarts of cheap oil to get you by until the swap is complete. When you are done with the swap drain the oil and put full synthetic high mileage oil and a premium filter

[1998buicklesabre]

sounds good i'll buy 5qts of supertech its only like 9.99 for a jug... here at the wal mart.... should i replace the filter now or not yet?

[PLAGUE PHANTOM]

shoulds good i'll buy 5qts of supertech its only like 9.99 for a jug... here at the wal mart.... should i replace the filter now or not yet?

Do not replace the filter yet. Do that when you do the final oil change. I normally get the $1.50 oil from my local speedway whenever i have done repairs that dealt with contaminated oil.

[1998buicklesabre]

well i think i'll get it all squared away tomorrow i hope.. in the morning i'll go to the auto part store and hopfully they will have gaskets in stock. i'll buy 10 qts of oil and a oil filter drain the oil fill it up with 5 qts and then do the intake replace the gaskets and the elbows and we should be in bussiness


i have a question i'm sure there is water in the pistion how do i get the water out? do i do the gaskter then run the car or ?

[PLAGUE PHANTOM]

If you have water or coolant in the cylinder, you need to take the heads of and shop vac the coolant out. If this is the case i would spend the extra $40-$50 and get a new pair of head gaskets while your at it.

Here is a post of how to do the lower intake gaskets and Plenum...memorize this...hell put it as the first chapter in your 3800 Series 2 Maintenance Bible.

viewtopic.php?f=53&t=3591

PS. RTV SILICONE IS REQUIRED...DO NOT FORGET IT