1997 Oldsmobile 88

FOR SEVERAL MONTHS WE WERE NOTICING LEAKS FROM THE CAR ON THE DRIVEWAY. WE KNEW FROM TOUCHING IT WAS NOT OIL. THE CAR STARTED TO HESITATE AT TIMES AND FEEL LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL OUT. EVENTUALLY IT DID STALL OUT AND CONTINUED TO DO SO, IT ALWAYS STARTED RIGHT UP THOUGH, SO WE KNEW IT WASN'T THE BATTERY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON WHEN IT STALLED. WE BROUGHT IT TO THE SHOP AND THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND REPAIR CODES P0300 AND P0135, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON RESULTING IN RANDOM MISFIRE AND 02 SENSOR HEATER CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION. FOLLOWED DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLESHOOTING FLOWCHART AND FOUND FAULTY 02 SENSOR AND COOLANT INSIDE CYLINDER#4. UPON DISASSEMBLY OF INTAKE MANIFOLD TO INSPECT SYSTEM, FOUND INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED. REMOVED AND REPLACED INTAKE MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY, FRONT 02 SENSOR ASSEMBLY AND SPARK PLUGS WITH ALL NEW OEM PARTS. REFILLED COOLANT AND BLEED SYSTEM. RECHECKED OPERATION, CLEARED CODES. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH WE FOUND THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AND PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED BY GM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 OLDSMOBILE LSS. THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AFTER IT WAS STARTED. AS HE OPENED THE HOOD, HE NOTICED A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. HE USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. THE AIR INTAKE AND DEVICE ON THE ENGINE COVER WERE DESTROYED AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT A PRODUCT ALLEGATION REPRESENTATIVE WOULD NOTIFY HIM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE (PLASTIC) MANIFOLD ON OUR 1997 OLDS 88 THREE TIMES IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT, YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS CAR (WHILE RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUE FOR SIMILAR DEFECTS ON SIMILAR CARS). WE HAVE SPENT OVER $2000 GETTING THIS PROBLEM FIXED AND THAT STILL DOESN'T FIX THE COOLANT IN THE ENGINE WHICH CANNOT BE ENTIRELY CLEARED OUT WITHOUT REMOVING THE ENGINE AND INCURRING OTHER POSSIBLE PROBLEMS. *TR

MISFIRING, BACKFIRING, STALLING AND COOLANT LEAKS DUE TO LEAKING PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKETS. DEALER CLAIMS TO HAVE FOUND NO PROBLEMS IN SEPT. 2000. KEPT HAVING PROBLEMS. TOOK TO ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP AND UPPER INTAKE GASKET WAS REPLACED, FAILED 2 WEEKS LATER AND WAS REPLACED AGAIN. LEAKS COOLANT ONTO FLOOR. CAN SMELL COOLANT IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND GARAGE WHERE PARKED.*AK

I WAS DRIVING MY 1997 OLDSMOBILE 88 AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WENT BOOM AND THE CAR STOPPED SUDDENLY AND SMOKE BARRELLED OUT OF THE ENGINE AND WOULD NOT TURN OVER.I HAD TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE WAYTO THE NEXT PARKING LOT.WE HAD OUR CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT WE NEEDED A A NEW ENGINE.THEY IN TURN TOWED IT TO YET ANOTHER REPUTABLE SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT THE ENGINE BLEW DUE TO A FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD.IT WAS PLASTIC AND WITH THE HEAT OF THE ENGINE ALOOWED IT TO LEAK INTO OTHER PARTS OF THE ENGINES COOLING SYSTEM.GM DIDN'T TAKE FAULT EVEN THOUGH THEY STOPPED USING THE PLASTIC MANIFOLD AND HAD A RECALL ON IT.FROM MY UNDERSTANDING. WE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB AUTOLINE AND THE REFERRED US TO TH ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE IN WHICH GM STILL REFUSES TO TAKE FAULT BECAUSE WE WERE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THE CAR AND THE NUMBER OF MILES ON THE CAR AT AROUND 70,000.THE CAR GOT AN INSPECTION BEFORE IT WAS SOLD, I'M SURE TOYOTA WOULD'NT RESALE A JUNK TO IT'S CUSTOMERS.IT WAS IN SHOWROOM CONDITION WHEN WE PURCHASED IT. *AK