Hey, I'm not that new on here but this is my first post (I usually just read around on here but decided to create a username now and join). I have 2003 SSEi with just over 108k miles on it. Mostly highway miles. I have no mods to the engine except a switch over to synthetic oil. As in the videos below, I have oil burning and smoke in the front of the engine near the exhaust. It also appears that I have oil mixed in with the coolant. The dealership looked at the car and told me that I have a blown head gasket. I have never replaced the intake manifold gaskets and I have read around about the problems with the current plastic ones. I am confused because my oil does not come out milky and the oil is leaking over the engine and the coolant in the reservoir is very dark now. I am also getting the check gas cap light as well. I feel comfortable doing the intake gaskets but I have not seen any write-ups on how to do the head gaskets. Any help is truly appreciated!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaO-3EmxlNU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPQGz732XuU

I am also planning on changing out the spark plugs and wires since this has never been done.

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

There is almost no oil going through the head gaskets (other than drains), so I don't know how it could leak out. It appears that your valve cover gaskets are leaking. If you tear it down and replace the LIM gaskets I'd be willing to bet they're bad too, leading to your problem and a mis-diagnosis by this dealer.

Generally, the only time these cars kill head gaskets if they're severely overheated.

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Bye Bye:

RIP sandrock

Would a blown head gasket cause the car to struggle and ride rough during acceleration or is that just a cause of the intake manifold gaskets and the valve cover gaskets? I just want to make sure before I take it apart and start buying all the parts.

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

Bad LIM gaskets would do that, if you were ingesting coolant.

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Bye Bye:

RIP sandrock

Ok thanks! I will get to it all tomorrow and update how everything turns out when it's all finished.

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

I changed out the lower intake manifold gaskets, the plenum gasket, and everything is all put back together. I have a few problems with figuring out which vacuum hoses broke, where they go, and how to fix them. Below are pictures of the lines that were broke during removal.

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

Just go to your local dealer and ask for both Vacuum Harnesses. Should cost around $40. There's nowhere else that sells those fittings.

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Bye Bye:

RIP sandrock

Do you know the part #s? And what should I do about the hoses/lines? I only have the ones shown in the pictures (one coming from a unit (I don't know the name) under the EVAP solenoid to the LIM. I believe I am missing hoses/lines. I am also confused as to where everything connects to. I truly appreciate the help you have been giving me.

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

I don't know the part #'s. The harnesses are the plastic tubes and fittings that you broke, the whole assembly. The one from the BCS to the MAP sensor is $26, the one from the large port on the TB to the EVAP is $17 from your dealer.

Those are all the vac fittings, essentially. There's the hose to the brake booster and the hose from the S/C tree to the BCA.

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Bye Bye:

RIP sandrock

OK I finally have all the vacuum hoses connected. Went to the dealership and the parts guy gave me free T-fittings since I already had the hoses. I did pay $17 for the line from the throttle body and EVAP canister.

The problem now is the SES light is on now with two codes. P0300 (Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected) and P0420(Catalyst System Bank 1 Low Efficiency ). As I drive the SES will stay on sometimes, blink sometimes, and then just turn off. Car rides smooth for the most part, it struggles just a little bit when trying to accelerate but then it rides smooth, no bad smell from exhaust. I did replace the spark plugs (AC Delco) and wires (NAPA Beldin). I have been reading on this site about cats needing to be replaced setting the code, O2 sensors going bad setting the code, etc. The car has just under 109k miles on it. To my knowledge the factory cat is still on and no O2 sensors have ever been replaced. Are these two codes related? After changing the LIM gaskets, plenum gaskets, spark plugs and wires, flushing the coolant, new synthetic oil with Mobil1 filter, I am nervous about spending money and not fix the problem. Any help with this is appreciated much!!!

NOTE: Fuel filter has never been changed to my knowledge, Check gas cap light was on before gasket changes but does not appear anymore, Recently ran Seafoam thru the gas tank as well....Thinking about taking it to Meineke since the website says they will diagnose the car for free (all I need is them to tell me if my cat is bad or the O2 sensors).

Here is some other info from the diagnostic computer:

This is your vehicle's operating condition, which was recorded at the time the failure occurred and the Check Engine light was set. This information is valuable when performing the fix yourself or if you are having a professional technician perform the repair. The theory is to recreate these parameters to ensure that the problem was indeed corrected.
Parameter Description Results
DTC for which Freeze Frame was Stored P0300
Fuel System 1 Status Closed Loop
Fuel System 2 Status Not Supported
Calculated LOAD Value 7.45 %
Engine Coolant Temp 199.40 °F
Short Term Fuel Trim - Bank 1 -100.00 %
Long Term Fuel Trim - Bank 1 -100.00 %
Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure 18.36 inHg
Engine RPM 1,583.50 rpm
Vehicle Speed Sensor 8.08 mph
Air Flow Rate Mass Air Flow Sensor 2.60 lb/min
Absolute Throttle Position 7.45 %

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

UPDATE: Cleaned out the throttle body today and MAF and IAC sensors. New Fel-Pro throttle body gasket and WIX air filter. Put everything back together and the SES went off. The P0420 code did not show up, yet (:crossing fingers:). However, I plugged the scanner up and the P0300 is still showing as a secondary code. Went I accelerate hard the SES light pops on and blinks. It only comes on when I do that. Still trying to fix this problem before it gets to cold outside.

Pics of the dirty throttle body before cleaning are below:

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

Sounds like you have a bad cat. An easy way to test is to remove the cat from the downpipe (The square flange under the car) wire it up so it's not dragging on the ground and go for a drive. It will be loud as hell, but if your misfire goes away, it's definitely the cat.

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Bye Bye:

RIP sandrock

The P0300 code came out to be a bad coil. I tested each coil and the 1st top coil did not have any sparks. I now have 3 different looking coils (one that the dealer replaced, one stock original from the car, and one gray BWD from OReilly). I do not like the look of the coils not matching so depending on how this BWD holds out, I may just replace the other two since BWD has the limited lifetime warranty as well. I unplugged the negative battery terminal to reset the system and the P0300 did not come back and the car does not hesitate on acceleration anymore. The P0420 code came back once I got back to the house from the parts store. I am guessing the cat has to be replaced now for sure.

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

See if the oxygen sensor is triggering fast enough on a scanner. If your LIM gaskets were leaking badly enough, that coolant could have been burned and fragged the oxygen sensor. Bank 1 on these cars generally means the upstream sensor. If it's stuck on one value, then either it's bad or there's another problem.

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2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco - Current car

1999 Buick LeSabre Custom - Former car

Learn from the mistakes of others, that way when you mess up you can do so in new and interesting ways.

Do you know what scanner will do that for me and where I can find (borrow or have someone do it for me)?

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2003 Maroon SSEi
Supercharged, Synthetic Oil, Felprogaskets (LIM, Supercharger, Throttle body), Velocity Wheels (Aftermarket), Yokohama Tires (Stock)4 15" Kicker CVX Subwoofers, Kenwood KVT-719DVD, Flip-down & Headrest Monitors, Just under 100k

Go to a salvage yard and get 2 more OEM coils, the 2 that are missing. That way you have a couple spares and they all match.

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Bye Bye:

RIP sandrock