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Buick Plastic Intake Manifold

Buick • Intake manifold • Peeling paint • Window motors • Variious vexations

Buicks aren't the only GM cars with this problem. Many other models suffer from Plastic Intake Manifold Syndrome.

Steve of Kingman AZ (1/6/03):
The intake manifold on my 1998 Buick is made of plastic. After only 55,000 miles the exhaust gases eat thruogh the plastic and connect a water passage with the rest of the vacume chamber of the intake manifold.

This results in a lost of coolent if you are lucky. If you are not like me it results in a hydro lock of your engine which resulted in a engine which is unfixable. The cost of a new engine will be around $6000. why has this part not been recalled?

Frank of Newport MI (4/24/02):
1999 Buick Park Avenue, used, bought from a Buick Dealer, 7/2001, with 30,000 miles on 3.8 liter engine. Jump to 4/2002, 57,000 miles. Car overheated because it ran out of antifreeze. Filled up and drove some more. Then car wouldn't start. Towed it to repair shop. They said the "plastic intake manifold" had burnt a hole at the EGR valve causing antifreeze to enter the cylinders and foul out the plugs. Estimate of repair, $800.00.

GM Customer Service said that to even consider warranty, I had to get it to a dealer. Towed to original Buick dealer from which it was bought. They confirmed the diagnosis, and that mine was the 10th one they had seen with this problem in a year. The first repair shop said mine was the 4th they had seen in 6 months. That's 14 broken plastic intake manifolds that I know of on 3.8 liter GM engines between two auto repair facilities. It makes me wonder how many there actually are that have been replaced?

The dealer said no warranty because I had refused to purchase the $900 extended warranty when I bought the car.

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