What I decided needed to be done when the coolant turned

[1oldman]

Last week bought parts:
Dorman - OE Solutions Intake Manifold 615-180
Dorman - Help Heater Hose Elbow Aluminum 47065HP
Felpro Valve Cover Gasket Set (2005) VS50080R
Felpro Grommet Set (2005) ES 72833
Felpro Intake Manifold Gasket Set MS 98014 T
Dayco Curved Radiator Hose LOWER E71952
Dayco Curved Radiator Hose UPPER E71951
FelPro Oil Pan Gasket OS30699R 1st Design OS30699R
NGK Iridium IX Spark Plug (TR55IX) (2005) 7164
Autolite Professional Series Ignition Wireset (2005) 97069
AC Delco Oil Filter PF52
Fel-Pro - Thermostat Gasket 35666
Stant Superstat Super Premium Thermostat 192F 45848
Castrol 5W30 Semi Motor Oil, 5 qt Dexos 7919123114

What did the youngest son do to the car today …
Started:











The new clean coolant turned dark, so figured I better have him fix it ..... BC

[harofreak00]

It would have been best if you could have flushed it before tearing it apart. I like to hook up a garden hose to the radiator cap and remove the thermostat housing. Let the engine run until only clear water comes out. Then disconnect the heater hoses and make sure the heater core is flushed out.

However, that coolant looks bad enough that I'd be worried about the radiator being plugged up. I'm not sure what car this is for, but you can get brand new radiators for the 2000+ on ebay for like $65 shipped.

[1oldman]

It would have been best if you could have flushed it before tearing it apart. I like to hook up a garden hose to the radiator cap and remove the thermostat housing. Let the engine run until only clear water comes out. Then disconnect the heater hoses and make sure the heater core is flushed out.

However, that coolant looks bad enough that I'd be worried about the radiator being plugged up. I'm not sure what car this is for, but you can get brand new radiators for the 2000+ on ebay for like $65 shipped.

I had him flush it twice with Prestone flush and use a power flush machine. - BC

EDIT - he said the plenum had failed (well, almost - it was leaking) - BC

EDIT #2

It would have been best if you could have flushed it before tearing it apart. I like to hook up a garden hose to the radiator cap and remove the thermostat housing. Let the engine run until only clear water comes out. Then disconnect the heater hoses and make sure the heater core is flushed out.

However, that coolant looks bad enough that I'd be worried about the radiator being plugged up. I'm not sure what car this is for, but you can get brand new radiators for the 2000+ on ebay for like $65 shipped.

Parts list is for the '05 - BC

[nos4blood70]

Glad to see that the car is now ready for many more miles. The gunk is nasty looking.

[1oldman]

Glad to see that the car is now ready for many more miles. The gunk is nasty looking.

I was over to the youngest son's this evening to see the progress. Looks like he'll probably be done by Thursday evening at the latest. I asked him to do the valve covers (they are leaking) and drop the oil pan to see what was going on while he had it. So far I've spent $434.77 on parts. Hopefully this will be the last time I have to spend any serious money on the car with the exception of tires when it's time. If it's as good as the '92 has been and the youngest son getting all the "heavy lifting" done with the exception of the timing chain, we'll be good for another 200k miles. - BC

[harofreak00]

Dropping the oil pan on the 2000+ Bonneville is no small task. The engine must be supported from the top, the side engine mount bracket removed, and then the oil pan.

[1oldman]

Dropping the oil pan on the 2000+ Bonneville is no small task. The engine must be supported from the top, the side engine mount bracket removed, and then the oil pan.

Thanks, I did not know that. Much appreciated. - BC

[UserNameless]

This is an email recently sent to Dorman about the replacement UIM they offer...

"Hello!
I am contacting you about the Upper Intake Manifold Dorman manufactures as a replacement and upgrade to the OEM manifold for GM 3800 Series 2 engines. The new upper manifold was purchased as new from a long time running Car Quest parts store in Henderson, NV. The packaging of the unit was in great condition and all the listed parts were included with this kit. During the repair procedure, an unexpected and unforeseen problem presented itself. The alignment of the 3 studs at the throttle body mount are not true to the holes in the throttle body for a proper fit.

A close examination by removing one of the 3 studs to achieve a 2 hole alignment revealed which one was causing the problem. By trying all possible 2 stud combinations and studying the mating surfaces, it was revealed the top stud was the issue. Having previous experience as a professional mechanic contributes to the discovery and this letter as well. If an person of novice skill set attempted the same repair under the same conditions while overlooking the problem, a number of possible problems would develop soon, if not immediately. One of these possibilities is forcing the TB onto the 3 studs, which would place an excessive bind on the new unit, inevitably resulting in premature failure. A likely failure would be a crack formed in the new Dorman manifold leading to problems like manifold leaks, coolant leaks, idle and drive-ability issues among other possibilities.

The bind was manageable to work with by carefully placing all 3 studs through the TB unit. The binding of the misaligned components are amplified as the 2 units come closer together. a true surface to surface seal is not possible under these conditions. A 'fix' was crafted using a chainsaw file, a cordless drill and a drill bit of exact I.D. of the mounting holes on the TB unit. The top hole of the Throttle Body itself was modified to so the 2 parts could be assembled without any binding of the plastic housing. This fix solved the issue, but it is unpredictable to know if or when a similar type of failure would occur.

The Dorman UIM was properly installed and performed as advertised for few short test drives. The decision was made to pull the Dorman unit and set it aside for more examination. Dorman has a great reputation in the auto parts market and I am one of your happy long time customers. This is why I am notifying you of this. It is uncertain from this end if an error was made during a production sequence, all I have is one unit. It might be possible there are other replacement UIM's on the market with the same issue. I would be happy to send you the pictures of my work around on this. I will send the unit to you upon request if the shipping is paid for by Dorman.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help resolve this issue. I hope this is an isolated incident."
---
This was forwarded to the production manager as they have never had this complaint before. Double check the parts -

[1oldman]

This is an email recently sent to Dorman about the replacement UIM they offer...

"Hello!
I am contacting you about the Upper Intake Manifold Dorman manufactures as a replacement and upgrade to the OEM manifold for GM 3800 Series 2 engines. The new upper manifold was purchased as new from a long time running Car Quest parts store in Henderson, NV. The packaging of the unit was in great condition and all the listed parts were included with this kit. During the repair procedure, an unexpected and unforeseen problem presented itself. The alignment of the 3 studs at the throttle body mount are not true to the holes in the throttle body for a proper fit.

A close examination by removing one of the 3 studs to achieve a 2 hole alignment revealed which one was causing the problem. By trying all possible 2 stud combinations and studying the mating surfaces, it was revealed the top stud was the issue. Having previous experience as a professional mechanic contributes to the discovery and this letter as well. If an person of novice skill set attempted the same repair under the same conditions while overlooking the problem, a number of possible problems would develop soon, if not immediately. One of these possibilities is forcing the TB onto the 3 studs, which would place an excessive bind on the new unit, inevitably resulting in premature failure. A likely failure would be a crack formed in the new Dorman manifold leading to problems like manifold leaks, coolant leaks, idle and drive-ability issues among other possibilities.

The bind was manageable to work with by carefully placing all 3 studs through the TB unit. The binding of the misaligned components are amplified as the 2 units come closer together. a true surface to surface seal is not possible under these conditions. A 'fix' was crafted using a chainsaw file, a cordless drill and a drill bit of exact I.D. of the mounting holes on the TB unit. The top hole of the Throttle Body itself was modified to so the 2 parts could be assembled without any binding of the plastic housing. This fix solved the issue, but it is unpredictable to know if or when a similar type of failure would occur.

The Dorman UIM was properly installed and performed as advertised for few short test drives. The decision was made to pull the Dorman unit and set it aside for more examination. Dorman has a great reputation in the auto parts market and I am one of your happy long time customers. This is why I am notifying you of this. It is uncertain from this end if an error was made during a production sequence, all I have is one unit. It might be possible there are other replacement UIM's on the market with the same issue. I would be happy to send you the pictures of my work around on this. I will send the unit to you upon request if the shipping is paid for by Dorman.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help resolve this issue. I hope this is an isolated incident."
---
This was forwarded to the production manager as they have never had this complaint before. Double check the parts -

Thank you for the heads-up! - BC

[1oldman]

I test drove the "ole gray mare" today. Since the youngest son completed all the work, I can't believe how well the car runs! Well, I guess after spending $434.77 just on parts, it had better - lol! - BC

EDIT

This is an email recently sent to Dorman about the replacement UIM they offer...
……………… The top hole of the Throttle Body itself was modified to so the 2 parts could be assembled without any binding of the plastic housing. This fix solved the issue, but it is unpredictable to know if or when a similar type of failure would occur. ………………
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help resolve this issue. I hope this is an isolated incident."
---
This was forwarded to the production manager as they have never had this complaint before. Double check the parts -

Dorman must have corrected the issue as we had no problems. Everything bolted right up. Thanks for the heads up as if it had not been resolved, there would have been an old man and a "middle aged" man trying to figure out what happened - LOL. - BC

FORUM LINKS I FOUND VERY HELPFUL:
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... c3591.html
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... c1061.html
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... c6879.html
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... ic159.html

- BC