Engine block cracked...

[Aurora40]

My dad has experienced some coolant loss and leaking lately. He took it to the dealer, they pronounced the block cracked and quoted a $9600 repair price.

I talked to him today and told him to get a second opinion. It seems it's just drops leaking, not enough to leave a puddle overnight but enough to leave drops. And enough to have the "low coolant" message come on. Mine's come on twice, once shortly after delivery and once a few months ago (about three years after the first time). The sensor seems to be very high up in the overflow bottle as it takes about a pint of fluid to bring it back up to the full line. So the sensor is definitely sensitive...

He takes it to dealerships when the light comes on, so I'm thinking there is a decent chance it came on once, he took it to the dealer, they spilled crap everywhere, and now he has a "problem". I also think it could be as you said Bbob, and just be a slight issue that can be cured by the sealing tabs. He mentioned being able to stick his finger in the overflow and touch fluid, I guess he felt that meant it was full. On my 2002, that would mean it was wayyy overfull. So I also wonder if it didn't just gush out the cap when it got hot and now there is coolant on the frame/suspesion/etc and it's just slowly working out.

While it's possible he needs a new engine, I'm hoping that's not the case. I suggested he flush the area around the overflow tank with water to see if that stops the coolant smell when hot, see if only clean water drips on his floor after that, etc. And I think he should definitely get a second opinion. Then I'll probably have him drive over here and we can put in the sealant tabs to see if that cures it if a rinse doesn't.

Long story short it seems it could be:

- Spilled coolant from dealership filling it
- Overfilled coolant system from dealership filling it
- Small leak due to sealing tabs losing effectiveness/getting diluted
- Cracked block

I asked my dad where it was cracked. He didn't know and they didn't show him the crack. I guess they said they took all this stuff apart to find it, but had already put it back together by the time he got there. If they are trying to sell a $9600 service, it seems to me they should have waited until he got there...

[stevensolds]

9600 wow. i would probably sell the car if that ever happened.

good luck i sure as hell hope the block aint cracked as im sure u hope the same too.

[Marc]

Aurora40....has your father's Aurora experienced any
overheating? Is there oil in the coolant, or the other
way around? Is the temperature gauge above the center mark?
Check to see that there are no hose leaks. A water
pump on the way out is another possibility.
If you put the sealing tablets in, the procedure according
to the 2001 shop manual is to put them in the lower radiator hose.


______________

GM!!! BRING BACK OLDS!!!

[Aurora40]

Marc, I don't change his oil nor does he. As far as I know there's no issue with that. But an external crack would probably only affect the coolant galleys not the oiling.

I don't think he's had any overheating/running hot issues, just a coolant leak that seems to be very slow. It could be the water pump.

Steven, yeah it's a lot of money, but the car is worth more than that. And I don't think it will cost that much if in fact the block is cracked. The dealer was quoting a $7500 parts cost, which is pretty absurd.

[JimW]

There must be a 2nd gen 4.0 out there for sale (if it comes to replacing the engine) for less then $9600 w/labour.

Man, tough break though. Keep us up to speed on the 2nd opinion.

[Marc]

Aurora40....If in fact the block is cracked, one place to look is around where the starter is mounted. I remember
that one site mentioned the possibility of small stress
cracks in that area. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of that site.


_________________

GM!!! BRING BACK OLDS!!!

[kobalt]

Is his car still under warranty? Perhaps it is an intentional misdiagnose. Engine blocks don't just crack when overfilled with coolant. Definately get a second/third opinion or jack up the car yourself at least.

[Aurora40]

No, it's not under warranty anymore.

For the overfill, I meant that if they overfilled it, when the car gets hot it will force coolant out the pressure cap on the surge tank, thus spilling all over everything, causing coolant to drip off underbody pieces for a few days, and causing that smell of burning coolant. It's not my car or my diagnosis, so I can only guess at what my dad is seeing. This is one possibility combined with a crappy dealership.

[kobalt]

I agree with your theory and forsee a positive outcome

[SupaStealth]

I coulda swore that there was a 4.6 N* out crate motor for $2600 bucks, i wouldn't imagine it would be too much more for the 4.0.

[JimW]

Any updates here Robert?

[Aurora40]

Supa, I doubt it's a GM new one for $2600. An Aurora short block from gmpartsdirect (before shipping, which is probably another $750 or so) was around $3000 or upper $2000's, I think (going on memory, they dont' have the part up anymore). But that's a short block. The one for ~$5000 is a long block, so it basically just needs the wires, fuel lines, and airbox/exhaust hooked up to it.

Jim, my dad was going to stop by last weekend to flush the coolant and add the tablets, but snow in the forecast postponed it. He should be by this Saturday, so hopefully all it'll take is some coolant tabs to fix it up.

Bob

[Aurora40]

So far so good. Looks like the car just needed a refresh of the GM coolant tabs... Pretty amazing the dealership quoted a price of $9600 to fix a $2 part (the part being the coolant supplement)...