Hey guys, Ive got a 97 Bonneville SSEI supercharged....

The car has been getting a slight amount of water in the oil every 3k miles, not too much, but enough to cause me to replace the intake gasket. This is what I assumed to be the problem.

So I replaced the intake gasket, and apparently I screwed up the installation. It smoked really bad afterwards. (white smoke, vapors out of tail pipe)

With me working a 50+hour week, I dont have time to re-do it, so I took it to a dealership to be fixed. They installed a intake gasket, telling me I done a perfect job and dont know why its messed up. After the installation, it still smokes as bad as when I screwed it up the first time. They are telling me its a head gasket, how would that be possible if the head gasket was okay before I screwed up the gasket the first time? Could they have possibly screwed it up as well?

Need some help guys, this is my DD!

Was the car ever overheated? Although extremely unlikely, it could have been the head gasket all along.

_________________
Andrew - owner/operator of Bonnevilles Unlimited

2004 Bonneville GXP | 60k | White Gold Tricoat | custom built supercharged 3800 hot rod | garage queen
1997 Corvette | 55k | Silver Metallic | Z06 wheels | Date-night Hauler/Parts runner
2014 Town & Country Limited | Cashmere Pearl | 95k | Family Hauler
2002 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Sport | Black| 260k | Official Bonneville Hauler

The car has never overheated since I've had it. It was running excellent before I fudged up the intake gasket. I was only changing the intake gasket for preventative maintenance. Otherwise the car was doing fine, not smoking whatsoever

It's very likely a bunch of coolant got into the exhaust and will take time to burn off. Head gaskets are almost unheard of in these engines.

Bad head gaskets usually result in misfiring, vibration under mid to heavy throttle, and consumption of coolant, if you're lucky enough to get it started.

Are you loosing coolant?

_________________
Boost addict


The Fleet:
'93 SSEi - Twincharged + manual Build thread
'97 Camaro - Top swap
'05 STS - V8, AWD, her DD
'92 Trofeo - Fair weather DD
'99 Montana - top swap 3800
'04 Sierra 2500HD - LLY Duramax

Current project:
Something cool, trust me.

Upcoming projects:
'92 Bonneville SSE
'87 LeSabre T-type
'67 LeSabre

Gone to greener pastures:
'84 Sierra Classic - Twin turbo 3800
'97 LeSabre - Top swap

RIP:
'86 LeSabre - pictures
'93 SE - L67

Car runs 100% perfect minus the smoke and mixing oil and coolant. Starts up fine and no vibrations.

This may be a stupid question, and I may have missed it in another post, but did you only replace the upper intake gasket under the plenum, or did you replace the lower gasket under the lower intake manifold as well? If you didn't replace the lower manifold, that's the one that usually dumps coolant in the oil. Just want to help you rule out all possibilities, as like everyone has said head gaskets are rare on this car. However, if you did replace the upper and the lower intake gaskets, then it could be a head gasket.

_________________



Joseph

Current: 2013 Infiniti G37 Journey
1999 Infiniti G20T - Sold
1999 Buick Lesabre - Race Couch - gone but not forgotten

Installed lower and upper gaskets. The head gaskets were fine before I screwed up the intake gaskets the first time maybe its possible the "professional" at Chevrolet screwed the install up too lol

There really are not many ways for the coolant ot get into the combustion chamber. It's possible that the boost is masking the normal head gasket symptoms, or that there is a crack in the LIM or something like that.

_________________
Boost addict


The Fleet:
'93 SSEi - Twincharged + manual Build thread
'97 Camaro - Top swap
'05 STS - V8, AWD, her DD
'92 Trofeo - Fair weather DD
'99 Montana - top swap 3800
'04 Sierra 2500HD - LLY Duramax

Current project:
Something cool, trust me.

Upcoming projects:
'92 Bonneville SSE
'87 LeSabre T-type
'67 LeSabre

Gone to greener pastures:
'84 Sierra Classic - Twin turbo 3800
'97 LeSabre - Top swap

RIP:
'86 LeSabre - pictures
'93 SE - L67