Serious intake problems 98 Intrigue

[daveyboyz]

I was taking off the upper and lower intakes on my 98 Intrigue. Got them both off...but broke off a plastic elbow that goes into the lower intake at the front side of engine and angles into the back of the belt tensioner housing??? Comes right out from the bottom of the manifold its black plastic. Thing snapped right off leaving a piece still in the lower manifold.
What is that piece???


Second nightmare....the upper plenum housing the coolant end, the plastic is all rotted and the little port holes stubs are crumbling when you touch them....I guess this means a new upper plenum???

Any other info you can provide to complete this nightmare job, would be helpfull and appreciated.

[LittleHoov]

That piece is called a "coolant elbow" and is very commonly broken when doing what youre doing....so common in fact that Dorman, maker of all those "Help!" products you see in parts stores makes replacements.

http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-19917-47065.aspx

You should be able to walk into most parts stores and grab one off the shelf, might jot down that part number.

The problem youre describing with the upper plenum is also very common, as are failing lower intake manifold gaskets, which Im assuming is why you have it torn apart to start with.

If youre replacing the LIM gaskets, youre time and money ahead to go ahead and replace the upper plenum and gaskets as well....vice versa if just replacing the upper plenum...ive been out of the 3800 world for a while now, but Dorman also makes an upper plenum which is supposed to be pretty good, be sure and check RockAuto for a price comparison if you dont mind waiting a few days.

GM came out with some redesigned gaskets several years back that were metal framed, I dont know if the aftermarket has since copied this or if its still a dealer only item....either way, new upper and lower gaskets and a upper plenum should probably outlive the rest of your cars' life.

[daveyboyz]

Thanks for the help guys, I managed to get the job done. I did the lower intake as suggested...good thing I did, the gasket was split and falling apart. I cant stand those plastic vaccum lines they snap so easy. I will replace them soon as well. I put in the retro fitted dorman upper plenum, and new metal dealer lower gaskets. Runs good now, and no leaks. Thanks for your advice.

[LittleHoov]

Awesome! Thats probably the only major problem a 3800 will ever have and you whooped its butt!

Barring any transmission problems, should be ready to drive it until the wheels fall off!

[tacosoldier]

1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue 3800 series 2; 215,000 estimated miles.

On the Heater hose fitting mentioned in the link above, I'm currently replacing the belt tensioner assembly which came with new coolant elbows complete with the new o-rings on them, the part also came with three new o-rings. I think they are intended for the heater hose fittings. I removed the old o-ring on the fittings with the new ones, rebolted them down, but the problem is that they move around. I took hold of the heater hose and they move too much for comfort. I know that it would leak coolant like that. I went to the closest GM dealership and they didn't give me much advice. They told me they just float there, don't tighten the bolt down too much or it will cause that fitting to shift to the side and it will leak. If anyone can give me solid tips on this, I'll be eternally greatful.