Radiator Drain Valve Help

[Nate's Alero]

Originally Posted by smokey

Ok i may not be exempt from this, but it may not have happened yet because when i change my oil it looks normal. If you can please go into more detail.

alright, you have 2 cylinder heads, (A V6) and they are not connected, and they have water cooling. how do you connect the water jackets in both heads to cool properly? a "heated" lower intake manifold, this lower manifold (what channels the air/fuel mix into the cylinder's) has the 6 ports, for the air fuel, but also has 4 ports for the antifreeze to flow through, this of course needs gaskets, well, the GM stock gaskets were a F*** up, they like, get eaten away by the antifreeze, and then eventually start leaking into the oil, this will be slight at first, with a small amount of coolant being lost over a long period of time, and then the leak will get more severe, you will see the oil level rising and a white residure on bottom of the oil cap, this happens because the oil cap is one of the coolest parts of the engine, and the water or coolant will settle there, and condense on the bottom of the cap, this problem is serious, mine was left untreated, and ALL the coolant would leak into the oil in a matter of about 10 minutes,

now, i need some information from you,

alero engine type - 3400

mileage -

year -

kind of antifreeze currently in the engine -

what the coolant smells like, and is it iridescent?

[smokey]

Originally Posted by Nate's Alero

alright, you have 2 cylinder heads, (A V6) and they are not connected, and they have water cooling. how do you connect the water jackets in both heads to cool properly? a "heated" lower intake manifold, this lower manifold (what channels the air/fuel mix into the cylinder's) has the 6 ports, for the air fuel, but also has 4 ports for the antifreeze to flow through, this of course needs gaskets, well, the GM stock gaskets were a eff up, they like, get eaten away by the antifreeze, and then eventually start leaking into the oil, this will be slight at first, with a small amount of coolant being lost over a long period of time, and then the leak will get more severe, you will see the oil level rising and a white residure on bottom of the oil cap, this happens because the oil cap is one of the coolest parts of the engine, and the water or coolant will settle there, and condense on the bottom of the cap, this problem is serious, mine was left untreated, and ALL the coolant would leak into the oil in a matter of about 10 minutes,

now, i need some information from you,

alero engine type - 3400

mileage -

year -

kind of antifreeze currently in the engine -

what the coolant smells like, and is it iridescent?

man thanks for doing the write up

engine = 3400 year 02
mileage = 139000km
year vehicle = 20002

There is no white residue on the oil cap. Oil seems fine. Now that you mention it the anti freeze seems to have some oil when I look at it from an angle, I can see some spots that look like they are diluted with oil. There is however some solid brown/muddy looking residue on the anti freeze cap. I really cant describe the smell of the anti freeze. I just hope I don't have the leak or the previous owner repaired it( i bought it with 126,000 km)

[Nate's Alero]

Originally Posted by smokey

man thanks for doing the write up

engine = 3400 year 02
mileage = 139000km
year vehicle = 20002

There is no white residue on the oil cap. Oil seems fine. Now that you mention it the anti freeze seems to have some oil when I look at it from an angle, I can see some spots that look like they are diluted with oil. There is however some solid brown/muddy looking residue on the anti freeze cap. I really cant describe the smell of the anti freeze. I just hope I don't have the leak or the previous owner repaired it( i bought it with 126,000 km)

eeh, you said it looks like chocolate milk.... so you have the leak,

go get the GAGT writeup and decide of you want to do it.... its pretty easy, dont let it get as bad as mine was...

[zzyzzx]

I'm still wondering about the potential for any type of plastic manifold. If I happen to have one and if I do the gasket job, I'd certainly try to procure a metal replacement one.

[Nate's Alero]

Originally Posted by zzyzzx

I'm still wondering about the potential for any type of plastic manifold. If I happen to have one and if I do the gasket job, I'd certainly try to procure a metal replacement one.

all the gaskets now are metal, you have the plastic gasket, it was only replaced with the metal one in 04

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted by Nate's Alero

all the gaskets now are metal, you have the plastic gasket, it was only replaced with the metal one in 04

I was referring to the manifold, not the gasket. Yes, there are some Ford and GM (and possibly others) who made intake manifolds out of plastic. Epic fail resulted.

[Nate's Alero]

Originally Posted by zzyzzx

I was referring to the manifold, not the gasket. Yes, there are some Ford and GM (and possibly others) who made intake manifolds out of plastic. Epic fail resulted.

no, ours is metal..... always metal..... THEY MADE THEM OUT OF PLASTIC?? were they heated?

[smokey]

Originally Posted by Nate's Alero

eeh, you said it looks like chocolate milk.... so you have the leak,

go get the GAGT writeup and decide of you want to do it.... its pretty easy, dont let it get as bad as mine was...

You sir are CORRECT. It looks like there is oil in there so I'm doing the gasket this weekend.

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted by Nate's Alero

no, ours is metal..... always metal..... THEY MADE THEM OUT OF PLASTIC?? were they heated?

Yes, some cars have plastic intake manifolds. A decision certainly made by a bean counter.

http://searchchicago.suntimes.com/au...031608.article

Ford, GM, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and some other have all done it.

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2...86-5707823_ITM

Probably nothing wrong with buying a car that has a plastic intake manifold, as long as you figure in the cost of replacing it with a metal one and adjusting the price that you are willing to pay for the car accordingly.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...1122524AAlRK1V

http://bernardsblog.blogspot.com/200...te-intake.html

[smokey]

what kind of a effing moron decided to use a plastic gasket. they deserve the situation they are in right now

[Nate's Alero]

the GASKET was paper.....or plastic... but i have NEVER seen a plastic intake manifold...

[Cliff8928]

Originally Posted by Nate's Alero

the GASKET was paper.....or plastic... but i have NEVER seen a plastic intake manifold...

Hmm.. 2200, Twin Cam, Ecotec, L31 varieties and LS1 varieties, 3800, etc... have plastic intake manifolds.

The only one that has common issues is the 3800.

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted by Nate's Alero

the GASKET was paper.....or plastic... but i have NEVER seen a plastic intake manifold...

I've never seen one either, but I've heard of them. I'm reasonably sure that there are aftermarket metal ones, or something, since it is a serious design mistake.

[Nate's Alero]

Originally Posted by zzyzzx

I've never seen one either, but I've heard of them. I'm reasonably sure that there are aftermarket metal ones, or something, since it is a serious design mistake.

seriously, plastic on a vibrating hot, chunk of metal???? someone is a 'tard somewhere
our's thank god have all metal ones

[zzyzzx]

How much do I have to turn this drain valve?
I was only able to turn it 1/4 turn, and nothing came out. I also assume that I turn it counterclockwise if I want to drain it?

The picture shown on page on must be with the radiator out of the car. Is there something I can easily remove to get to it better?

I'd really prefer to use the drain valve if possible (and if it's possible to use it without breaking it).

The factory service manual is totally incorrect here too. It only states to use a ratchet, which IMO would never work here.

[zzyzzx]

If it helps, my drain vale looks like the green one here:



Except mine is really hard to get to.

[zzyzzx]

OK, I got the thing out. It is a 1/4 turn, and I did pull it out. Only got about 5 liters out. According to the factory service manual, total capacity is almost 13 liters.

[piaggioman]

Hey all, new poster here.

I have a V6 3.4L Alero. I have had the intake manifold changed once. I have noticed some coolant drips on the driveway recently. When I traced the origin I found it coming out of the drain (saw it with my own eyes). Could it be possible the white coolant drain plug has failed? It started with only a few drips. Today it released what I would say is close to a litre. The drain is the same as the one pictured on page 1 of this thread.

Any suggestions?

[04PONTIACGA]

Yes, they do fail, you can buy a replacement for cheap.

Here's one.

http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/200...n_petrooster.html

You can find one at your FLAPS too.

[AleroB888]

Originally Posted by piaggioman

Hey all, new poster here.

I have a V6 3.4L Alero. I have had the intake manifold changed once. I have noticed some coolant drips on the driveway recently. When I traced the origin I found it coming out of the drain (saw it with my own eyes). Could it be possible the white coolant drain plug has failed? It started with only a few drips. Today it released what I would say is close to a litre. The drain is the same as the one pictured on page 1 of this thread.

Any suggestions?

At the bottom of radiator, driver's side? Make sure the hose above it is not leaking down the back side over the drain screw. If not, the screw may not be in all the way, or may be broken.

Mine is broken, I had to rig up something to hold it in. I think it requires replacing the radiator, though for a correct fix.