lovin every minute of it

[-Alero-]

hey just wanted to blog about my ideals.....


anyways long story short all in a nut shell here (dont want to complain too much)

P0420 - lower catalyst efficiency below threshold for the past year or so

-replaced 3 cats (not cheap) and my upstream and downstream O2

-problem came back, took it to dealer (in knoxville TN), they tell me cylinder 1 has a leaking head gasket (coolant), so i had them replace BOTH head gaskets....(arm and a wiener still under extended warrenty)

- rough idle still ramains slightly so they take top end apart again and replace UIM (again) gasket as well as injector o-rings

- rough idle still remains still no SES light since head gasket change, so i replace the catalytic converter.....again

- rough idle remains so i take it to the dealer here (in frederick MD), they drive it around with some scanner (doubting a master scanner now) and tell me nothing is wrong with it, and they charge me 50$ and send me on my way and advised me any further diagnostic would require OEM parts be present (all you can only see is my intake, and thats basically all i have now) /facepalm

- rough idle still remains this time (today) the SES light comes on for P0420 *lower catalyst efficiency below threshhold*....again.....


gotta wait till monday obviously but you can *insert frustration here*



car is under an extended bumper to bumper warrenty, i just dont know what this dealer will do about my hardcore warrenty breaking intake......i have nothing else to say but to congratulate GM on such a prestine, divine motor, of epic longevity


PS. input?

[Redog]

Buy another car.

Kyle, it seems to me that you are the most negative person and everything bad it happening to you. I mean you never come on the site and say "Hey this is cool" or "I want to do this" you only come on here and cry about how much of a POS your car is.

Cry, cry cry cry about the motor. It's not a bad motor. Have you ever owned a early 90's 3800 Ford motor, or a ealry 2000's Chrysler 2.7? If you did, then yes, you would have every right to bitch about the crappyness of said motors. Also have you ever owned a 1974 Chevy Vega, totally stock, from the factory? That car was on the 10 worse car list. The Alero with the 3400 is NOT.

And what you post, doesn't seem to be THAT bad. I can see if you really got a dud or a lemon on your hands, but it seems that you have a decent car there. There's nothing wrong with comming on here and bitching about a problem with your car, but that seems to be the only reason you come on here. Do you have ANYTHING postive to say about ANYTHNG? I seriously doubt that karma is dealing you such crappy hands time after time and a little rain cloud that only follows you around all the time.

Like I started the post, trade the car in. If it's really an much of a POS as you say, then trade it and cut your losses. Then buy that car that is so great you don't even have to put gas in it.

This is Aleromod, not Aleroisspieceofshit.org

[-Alero-]

k wow, your input is rather irrelavant...

i find your directional input rather worthless, i honestly and truely think your mad that im not on the forums every single day posting comments of "yo dawg that shit tighter than a ten year old" or "i love your car, i have the same car but i love yours because we have the same car and i love cars"

i didnt even have to read all of your post to know what your input was......you talk about how i say this whole car is POS.......ive never said that and never lead to that, if anything all negative statements were always pointed to the motor, you think the 3400 is the best thing to ever touch the streets, only because you have it. me ive had nothing but trouble for the past year out of it......have i given up? have i just thrown my hands up and said "boo hoo help me jesus, what do i do with my life, my SES light is on!" no, i keep putting dollar after dollar into it, i drive it every day just like everyone else, i put my pride and sweat and all my effing glory into this car, and guess what it still doesnt give me the output equivelant to the input thats in it....im not sure if you have realized but i still own the car, havent made any effort to get rid of it, but only considered it. just cause a few things got me down doesnt mean all hope is lost, that was not how i was raised

like i stated years back im not getting rid of it despite its endless problems, this isnt about worst motor in the world, or coolest motor for kids, i simply come onto the forums to seek information and personal experience, but everytime i effin post its like, you have to come in and walk your walk like your aleromods dad and you know what im going through.

its such bullshit that you yourself have to effing put your foot in the door of all my threads and make an attempt to shoot me down.

i made 2 statements in my thread that would at least deserve something, and those are *instert frustration here* and "input?"

if this is your input, dont post seriously

[Redog]

I'm not getting into an internet pissing battle with you, I'm just saying that to seem to be a negative person.

Post something postive

[Blktrax]

Originally Posted by -Alero-

P0420 - lower catalyst efficiency below threshold for the past year or so

-replaced 3 cats (not cheap) and my upstream and downstream O2

-problem came back, took it to dealer (in knoxville TN), they tell me cylinder 1 has a leaking head gasket (coolant), so i had them replace BOTH head gaskets....(arm and a wiener still under extended warrenty)

- rough idle still ramains slightly so they take top end apart again and replace UIM (again) gasket as well as injector o-rings

- rough idle still remains still no SES light since head gasket change, so i replace the catalytic converter.....again

- rough idle remains so i take it to the dealer here (in frederick MD), they drive it around with some scanner (doubting a master scanner now) and tell me nothing is wrong with it, and they charge me 50$ and send me on my way,,

Sounds like you need to take this to a GM dealer or to someone thats very filmilar with Gm products;

But rather if you do it yourself or have someone do it, First a compression test, then I would run a vacuum test on it. (see http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/186.cfm ), and then run a test on the coolant and see if exhaust gases are getting in there. To me with the cats and the codes you're running way rich, witch is causing the cats to burn out and ruin sensors, or the sesnors are giving false readings due to unmeetered air or coolant getting in to the combustion thuse richening the mixture - then burning out the cats. Worst case senario one of the heads at some point ran hot and cracked. If all that checks out then I would attribute theses symptoms to either excessive carbon build up, or just wear.

Also note that depending on that mods have been made to the exhaust - a free flowing system allows unbured fuel and air to pass more quickly through the converter lessing its effect and resulting in carcon build up, vice versa, if the exhaust has been pinched, ie. parking stop, speed bump, whatever, the slowing of gasses can increase converter temps causing the substrate to melt.

Had a Honda odyssey in the shop the other day had two softballs of ceramic rolling around in the converter, everytime it accelerated one rolled back and plugged the outlet, the mom and pop shop they took it to before said it was just heat shields rattleing around and they needed and overhaul of the engine cause it wasn't throwing codes. Too bad they didnt see that the CEL light wasnt working either.

[Rexter9x]

I just wished that my 3400 did better on gas.... now that the winter has come, i get around 250km (yes, km, not miles) per tank in city... on the highway, i get around 700km (all highway I know, but still) This is one car that I just dont understand. At least with my sunfire (2.3 quad) I got pretty steady mileage, with this car its just hit or miss... hell, if someone can tell me why my in town mileage is so crappy compared to me highway (I dont beat on it in town, and the 700km to the tank on highway was keeping the speed to 110-120km/h I'd be happy for the advice).
On a second note, I really think that the 3400 is a bad design, I had the front head gasket replaced at 75000km under warranty.... but enough of me rambling. lol

[alerored04]

Ken I think it is unfair to say Kyle is overly negative. I think we would all be mad at a car if it treated us that way. I know I would not have had the patience with it that he has. Kyle I wish I had an answer for you. It seems that a rich condition may be killing your cats, (lol?) Anyway have you considered a leaking injector/bad injector harness? With all the assembly/disassembly your motor has seen I would not be surprised to find a damaged wire in there. Have you also been able to completely rule out all vacuum leaks? I have had a few hard to track ones that caused a rough idle and a rich condition since the computer compensates for unmetered air by dumping fuel. Double check the TB gasket as well as the tight fit of the MAP sensor. I hope that helped. I am sorry for your troubles. I wish you had the same experience I have with my 3400. Almost 140,000 mostly problem free miles aside from one LIM and ending in a blown motor due to my abuse. Good luck. If there is anything you need shoot me a PM.

Oh and if you want to try a different set injectors I have 8 laying around that I would ship to you for cost or the box and label. One of them is might be bad but I don't know which so you would have to have them checked but it's an option if you need to try that.

[-Alero-]

yeah i just have to wait till monday and im gonna raise hell and leave it with them.... i really wish i had the money for a second hand motor that i could just build the way i want it, that way i would know all the labor on it by hand...but im not at that point finnancially so ill just wait till monday, i dont feel like playing the search for thier mistakes game, when they were the last to work on it, so they have the honor to work on it again

[kwhauck]

just keep at it, i have certainly had my fair share of frustrations, and they will continue even after my built motor is in.......

[Midgear]

this must be some extremely rough idle for you to post about it like this.. exactly how rough is it?

could it be motor mounts? - I seriously doubt intake would have anything to do with it and changing out all those expensive parts.. what the hell. I wish my only problem was rough idle

can't really think of anything -else- that would cause this rough idle.. do you have stock exhaust? check compression on the cylinders?

-- Edited post to be more friendly lol

[-Alero-]

yeah ill keep at it....the car is paid off, ill be keeping it for some time, like i said i would really love a second hand motor.

but anyways the idle isnt rough rough, and its definetly not motor mounts, because i had the TN dealer inspect alot of stuff before they claimed head gasket was my problem.

the idle is a fluctuation thing in drive i bounces between probably 675-850, and whenever i put it in neutral or park the idle goes straight to i wanna say 900, and it can stay there all day.....

come monday ill request compression testing vaccuum tests, and make it thier obligation to fix it

[CiscoPath]

loox like Monday is gonna be judgment day for the both of us. Had no choice but to take my car to the shop on Wednesday due to heavy consistent smoke pouring out of the exhaust which through the SES light. Mech called me yesterday and told me the IAT sensor and O2 sensor failed, and that there was no real reason the engine would be smoking the way it is unless something internal died. The cost of labor to break the engine down and fix whatever it is with the mileage of the engine, I'd be better off getting a new engine, he says. If I do that, it'll be the 3rd engine. I'm not sure if you consider heavy-footing it on the highway every once and awhile "beating on the engine" but I've never had one problem with the transmissions. The engines have been lemons. I've already started pricing a new car because if the guy doesn't give me some good news come Monday, I'm turning my OSV payment into a car payment with the quickness

[Ryan from Ohio]

3 cats, multiple oxygen sensors because the engine idles rough?

Honestly, 3 cats?

Whoever made the decision to buy 3 cats is an idiot. Be that you or your mechanic. Seriously...

Did anyone think maybe the cars computer is messed up? That happens...

What about the easy fixes?

Seems like all and any easy fix was bypassed for the catastrophic fixes, which werent broken anyhow.

If your mechanic has been advising you, fire them.

[El Pablo]

good luck, hope everything works out

[-Alero-]

Originally Posted by Ryan from Ohio

3 cats, multiple oxygen sensors because the engine idles rough?

Honestly, 3 cats?

Whoever made the decision to buy 3 cats is an idiot. Be that you or your mechanic. Seriously...

Did anyone think maybe the cars computer is messed up? That happens...

What about the easy fixes?

Seems like all and any easy fix was bypassed for the catastrophic fixes, which werent broken anyhow.

If your mechanic has been advising you, fire them.

welp i guess im the idiot for when i first got p0420 the first time i replaced the cat so i figured it was things related to the exhaust so thats why exhaust items have been replaced. 2 pcms pick up the same code DHP and stock

[CactusWill]

Originally Posted by Redog

Buy another car.

Kyle, it seems to me that you are the most negative person and everything bad it happening to you. I mean you never come on the site and say "Hey this is cool" or "I want to do this" you only come on here and cry about how much of a POS your car is.

Cry, cry cry cry about the motor. It's not a bad motor. Have you ever owned a early 90's 3800 Ford motor, or a ealry 2000's Chrysler 2.7? If you did, then yes, you would have every right to bitch about the crappyness of said motors. Also have you ever owned a 1974 Chevy Vega, totally stock, from the factory? That car was on the 10 worse car list. The Alero with the 3400 is NOT.

And what you post, doesn't seem to be THAT bad. I can see if you really got a dud or a lemon on your hands, but it seems that you have a decent car there. There's nothing wrong with comming on here and bitching about a problem with your car, but that seems to be the only reason you come on here. Do you have ANYTHING postive to say about ANYTHNG? I seriously doubt that karma is dealing you such crappy hands time after time and a little rain cloud that only follows you around all the time.

Like I started the post, trade the car in. If it's really an much of a POS as you say, then trade it and cut your losses. Then buy that car that is so great you don't even have to put gas in it.

This is Aleromod, not Aleroisspieceofshit.org

Dude, some people have lemons. Maybe his is, and maybe yours isn't. Who cares, we're here to help each other. If you don't want to help then don't.

[03MNAlero]

check your iac. that could be ur idle fluctuation problem. is ur exhaust totally stock? no hi flow cat? if its stock mebe you could just go get a aftermarket pcm with that certain code deleted...i know a few places will do that. im guessing those two problems arent related.

[Redog]

Originally Posted by CactusWill

Dude, some people have lemons. Maybe his is, and maybe yours isn't. Who cares, we're here to help each other. If you don't want to help then don't.

Some people are beyond help. I tried helping this guy, he doesn't want it. I know first hand.

I gave him my cell number once, biggest mistake ever!!!

I'm willing to help just about anybody when it comes to cars. I helped a guy in work with his Mustang, and NOBODY likes this guy, inculdeing me, but I helped him anyway.

Cars are my passion. I love them. I love to make them run better, or even just be fixed with OE parts. I've fixed my neighbor's Buick, and help point my other neighbor in the right direction with his Jeep. Car question at work are ALWAYS refered to me. God people I don't even know ask me stuff, and I help.

The kid gets a P0420 code which is either a cat, downstream O2, or something else (I forget right off the top of my head) so without checking the O2 or the other problems (or maybe he did check the other things first) he replaces the cat. OK happens again, replace the cat, happens again, replace the cat.

Now what I'm thinking is there is a problem that causes this P0420 code to pop back up time after time and the cat replacement is nothing more than a baid-aid. Could it be the O2 sensor? Could it be an error in the ECU? Na let's throw another cat at it. In fact, was it replace with a GM cat? Aftermarket cats, 9 times outta 10 throw codes on GM cars. Or could it just be that his mech sees him comming a mile away and thinks "Ha, here comes this kid, watch me make another $600 off him"

Maybe the car's throwing a P0420 code because it wants weed

[billytheman1188]

Originally Posted by Redog

In fact, was it replace with a GM cat? Aftermarket cats, 9 times outta 10 throw codes on GM cars.

VERY true. Im throwing the same code and i have a high flow cat. Since more exhaust is being pushed through it will pop up. Ive cleared the code, turned the light off and about a month later it popped up again. My car runs fine though....nothing wrong with ruby

[Redog]

^^ O2 sim, or a downstream O2 delete in the PCM works too