1998 OLDSMOBILE 88 Complaints

THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD A CRACK, WHICH CAUSED FLUIDS TO LEAK OUT. *AK *SCC *JB

1998 OLDSMOBILE 88 LS, ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEMS, SYSTEM CHECK OPERATIONAL AND NO WARNING LIGHT ON EVERY START UP. BUT AT 70,000 PLUS MILES IN ONE WEEK'S TIMEFRAME, ABS BRAKES INTERMITTENTLY HAVE A HARD GRAB AT THE END OF A COMPLETE STOP AT INTERSECTIONS. BUT THE ABS SYSTEM HAS PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND ALTERNATES AT ONE OR TWO OF THE BRAKES, WHETHER IN THE FRONT OR REAR BRAKES, CAUSING A LOUD SOUND. FRONT PADS AND ROTORS ARE NEW WITHIN THE LAST 5,000 MILES AND REAR DRUM BRAKES ARE AT 55% LININGS.*AK

WHILE MERGING INTO INTERSTATE RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WITH NO WARNING ENGINE FAILED CAUSING LOST OF BRAKING AND STEERING EFFECTIVENESS. NO WARNING WAS RECEIVED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER AND UPPER INTAKE WAS FOUND CRACKED ALLOWING COOLANT TO ENTER COMBUSTION CHAMBER. ONE WEEK AND $800.00 LATER CAR WAS "REPAIRED" VEHICLE CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE FUEL DELIVERY PROBLEMS. HARD STARTING, RANDOM STALLING. DEALER ADVISED ME THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 3800 SERIES II ENGINE REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE OR TYPE OF USE AND MAINTENANCE. CONSIDERING THE SUDDEN LOST OF ALL POWER THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS BRAKING AND STEERING EFFECTIVENESS IS REDUCED AS IS ELECTRICAL POWER FOR ACCESSORIES SUCH AS HEADLAMPS AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS. *JB

FRACTURED PLASTIC (!) INTAKE MANIFOLD (UPPER PLENUM) RESULTING IN LOSS OF COOLANT OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT FOUR WEEKS UNTIL THE PROBLEM WAS FINALLY DIAGNOSED. HAD TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM ANALYZED AND EVENTUALLY REMEDIED AT A COST OF AROUND $700.00 TOTAL. WHY ON EARTH IS THIS CRUCIAL COMPONENT PLASTIC? *JB

INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILED. COOLANT LEAKED INSIDE THE ENGINE. DEALER NOTIFIED. OLDSMOBILE DELTA 88,1988. *AK

WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD BLEWOUT AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BE NON DRIVABLE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK *SCC *JB THE "EXPLOSION" WOKE UP THE NEIGHBORS. THERE WAS SMOKE BUT NO FIRE. BBY

COOLANT LEAK INTO ENGINE CAUSED CAR TO RUN EXTREMELY ROUGH TO THE POINT OF HAVING TO STOP. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. HAD IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED DUE TO COOLANT LEAK RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE HEAD GASKETS. THE HEAD GASKETS ALONG WITH THE UPPED PLENUM HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1100. AFTER RESEARCH ON YOUR SIGHT, I FOUND THIS PROBLEM ON SEVERAL OTHER 1998 OLDS 88 CARS. I ALSO FOUND THAT A TECHNICAL BULLETIN HAD BEEN ISSUED TO DEALERS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. WHY WASN'T THIS PROBLEM WITH THE UPPER PLENUM THAT IS REFERENCED IN THE TECHNICAL BULLETIN SENT TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES. I FOUND THE MANY OTHER MODEL OF GM CARS ALSO USE THE 3800 ENGINE WITH A PLASTIC UPPER PLENUM THAT CAN CRACK OVER TIME FROM EXCESSIVE HEAT.*AK

CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH, ESP. ON STARTING. MADE APPOINTMENT WITH DEALER WHO COULDN'T LOOK AT IT FOR A WEEK. WE REALIZED IT WAS LOSING COOLANT, BUT THERE WAS NO APPARENT LEAKAGE UNDER THE CAR OR HOOD, ETC. FILLED WITH COOLANT, DROVE APPROX. 4 MILES THEN ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. CHECKED OIL AND IT WAS OVER "FULL". CALLED THE DEALER BACK WITH THE NEW SYMPTOMS AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF CAR TO HAVE COOLANT LEAK INTO THE OIL (THEN INTO ENGINE) AND IT PROBABLY NEEDED MANIFOLD WORK $600.--$700. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALER WHERE THEY FOUND THE MANIFOLD DID NEED TO BE REPLACED. IN RESEARCHING, WE HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN 88'S AND SOMETIME RESULTS IN ENGINE FIRES. WE ARE WONDERING WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL AND WHY WOULD THE MANUFACTURER USE PLASTIC IN ENGINE PARTS!? *JB

CAR HAS 55,000 MI ON IT, AND THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD RESTING ON TOP OF THE ENGINE CRACKED, LEAKING ALL COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE. VEHICLE WAS SHUTDOWN AS SOON AS THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 250 F. PROBLEM WAS FIXED BY REPLACING THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD, AND NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE RESULTED.

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE GASKET LEAKED COOLANT WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT. THE CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE. *AK *CB *NLM