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Topic: 96 grand prix problems

Sam Hunter
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 779
From: West Monroe, LA, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 02-21-2003 01:48 PM

Has anyone had the fortune to replace the headgaskets on a 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix with the 3.1 liter engine? Looks like I get to do that chore and was curious if anyone else had.

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Don E. Nelson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 138
From: Brentwood, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 2001

posted 02-21-2003 03:10 PM

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Let me wipe the oil and grease off my hands and then I will start typing ........ .....~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*What are your Pontiac's symptoms?Is it buring oil or Is it running hot, and whats your coolant look like? Is your rear main seal also leaking?
How many miles do you have on your 96, no forget that question, this is a Pontiac.I forgot. Not the original owner I presume,....Have you ever had the gaskets in the distributor shaft replaced? Have you done a thermostat test? Has the head gasket been replaced before? Remember, not all gaskets are created equal. Buy good parts.
These are all things that come to mind that you should answer before you start this big dirty greasy job.

Check out this website before you start !

http://members.tripod.com/~A350Diesel/newgasket.html

Good luck wrenching, from one gear head to another.
don

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Sam Hunter
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 779
From: West Monroe, LA, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 02-21-2003 03:23 PM

Water coming out the tail pipe and losing water from the reservor and water is in my oil and vise versa. I am going to pull the heads and see whats up. Its gonna be head gasket, or a cracked block.

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Adam Fraser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 499
From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 02-23-2003 10:08 PM

I havent personally done one but I have a friend that has done everything short of completely build a early 90's GP (he bought one that had a broken head bolt, which lead to a leaky head gasket and eventually lead to a rebuild that he had to do). Shoot me an email if you have any questions and I'll relay the question to him. Also, if memory serves me correctly be ready for a headache if it is the rear head gasket blown, its a pretty tight fit and you may need to lift the engine a bit to gain access to it. Have fun and good luck.

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Rick Long Jr
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 211
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 02-24-2003 08:22 AM

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but a friend had the same symptoms with his 94 3.1 Cavalier. Turned out to be a crack in the #2 cylinder wall. (in other words - new engine time)
Does yours have SFI or the older multi port setup? The heads are different but I believe the blocks are the same.

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Barry Floyd
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1079
From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-24-2003 09:10 AM

quote:
Water coming out the tail pipe and losing water from the reservor and water is in my oil and vise versa.

Same problem a few years ago in my 1989 Cheverolet Beretta GT. Cracked head gasket, led to a warped aluminum head... which in turn resulted in a replacement of the engine. We spent $2,200.00 on replacing the engine, and last summer it burnt a valve in the newly installed rebuilt engine. It still runs, but won't pass the local emissions testing, so it just sits in the driveway... dryrotting away. I loved that car when it was new!!

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Sam Hunter
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 779
From: West Monroe, LA, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 02-24-2003 11:00 AM

Thanks for all the responces, my initial reason for posting was to see if anybody knew this engine and its "Most Likely to Crack" problems. After tearing down the top end I think I found the problem as these slightly blurry photos will show. I will be replacing all Top End gaskets and trying again.

With any luck I can make this beast work.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-25-2003 07:34 PM

Sam,
You might want to check around at other manufacturers gaskets to replace that Mr Badwrench original gasket. Some companies like Fel-Pro and Victor have made drastic improvements to many OEM gaskets so these things will not happen again. The Fel-Pro replacement for the Honda CRV head gasket scomes to mind. Many Hondas should have had their top decks machined when pulling the head to keep top deck flatness to within tolerance, but with the Fel-Pro gasket that was not necessary. The Fel-Pro gasket was also much, much better made than the original Honda Mica laminate was.
IMHO, Replacing your bad gaskets with more Mr. Badwrench parts only means more future problems........
Mark

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Sam Hunter
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 779
From: West Monroe, LA, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 02-25-2003 07:50 PM

You have a valid point there mark.
Soon as weather clears around here I will put ole betsy back together.

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