1998 Pontiac Bonneville

THIS CAR HAS HAD VERY GOOD CARE/MAINTENANCE, HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN HARD, AND HAS ONLY 67,000 MILES ON IT. WHILE DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET, APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CAR BEGAN TO SPUTTER. I PULLED IN TO A PARKING LOT AND SHUT THE CAR OFF SO THAT I COULD LOOK AT THE SPARK PLUG WIRES. I HAD A SPARK PLUG WIRE LOOSE WHEN THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE. I HAD NO OVER TEMP, I HAD NORMAL OIL PRESSURE AND THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. I DID NOT FIND A NOTICEABLE PROBLEM, BUT I COULD NOT GET THE ENGINE TO START AGAIN. I HAD IT TOWED HOME. I CHANGED THE BATTERY, THE STARTER, AND FINALLY CHECKED TO SEE IF THE CRANKSHAFT WOULD TURN, WHICH IT WOULDN'T. I REMOVED THE SPARK PLUGS AND TRIED IT AGAIN. I GOT ANTIFREEZE FROM FOUR OF THE CYLINDERS! THIS WAS DETERMINED TO BE BECAUSE OF A FAILED INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET.*AK

THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING 20 MPH AROUND A CORNER. WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO BUCK, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE CAR SUDDENLY STALLED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED. *NLM THE PLENUM FAILED AND CAUSED COOLANT TO ENTER THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE HYDRO-LOCKED DUE TO A FAULTY GASKET THAT GM HAD KNOWN ABOUT. THE ENGINE, STARTER AND PLENUM WAS REPLACED. *SCC *JB

COOLANT WAS SUCKED INTO THE CYLINDERS THROUGH TWO UNKNOWN HOLES IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD SYSTEM. ENGINE HAD 66,000 MILES. RESULTED IN TOTAL BLOW-OUT OF ENGINE AND REPLACEMENT WAS NECESSARY AT A REPAIR COST OF CLOSE TO $3,000. ACCORDING TO SERVICE TECHNICIAN THIS ENGINE HAS A HISTORY OF THESE PROBLEMS AND GM NEEDS TO RECTIFY THE FAULTY PLASTIC MANIFOLDS AND GASKETS. *AK

WIFE WAS DRIVING CAR WHEN SHE NOTICED THE CHECK GAUGE LIGT CAME ON. ENGINE STARTED OVERHEADING. I WENT TO LOCATION AND ADDED COLLANT BUT SOMETHING DID NOT SEEM RIGHT. CALLED TOW AND HAD TOWED TO DEALER SHIP. WAS TOLD PROBLEM WAS BETWEEN THE EGR PASSAGE AT UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD! OTHERWISE CALLED "MATERIAL DEGRADATION". DEALERSHIP SAID THIS WAS COMMON FOR THIS YEAR OF CAR.... COST US APPROX $700 TO HAVE FIXED. CALLED GMC CUSTOMER SATISIFACTION AND DID NOT GET ANY SATISIFACTION... SOLD CAR AND WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GMC UNTIL THEY CAN STAND BEHIND THEIR PROBLEMS. WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS RECALLED... *AK

ON JULY 1, 1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE WITH 3800 V6 OVERHEATED. TOOK IT INTO SHOP AND HAD COOLING SYSTEM CHECKED. NO PRESSURE LEAKS WERE DETECTED. WHEN I LEFT THE SHOP, ENGINE BEGAN MISSING AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ENGINE SMOOTHED OUT, BUT TOOK BACK TO SHOP AND THEY PUT ON MACHINE. CYLINDERS 1 AND 6 HAD BEEN MISFIRING, BUT SEEMED TO BE RUNNING FINE. THE NEXT DAY ON WAY TO WORK, THE ENGINE BEGAN MISSING BADLY AGAIN AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE WENT UP TO ABOUT 240. AFTER WORK, ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER AT ALL. AFTER HAVING CAR TOWED BACK TO SHOP, I LEARNED THAT THE UPPER PLENUM FOR THE INTAKE MANIFOLD,WHICH IS MADE OF PLASTIC, HAD BECOME WARPED WHERE THE EGR VALVE CONNECTS TO THE ENGINE BLOCK. THIS ALLOWED ANTIFREEZE TO FILL UP THE ENGINE CYLINDERS. THE SMALL REPAIR SHOP WHERE MY CAR WAS REPAIRED STATED THAT THEY HAD REPLACED 10 OF THIS PARTICULAR UPPER INTAKE PLENUM FOR THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE.