1996 Oldsmobile 88 Engine Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 OLDSMOBILE 88. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE NOT REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE.THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

NHTSA ID

10786968

Incident

Oct 28, 2015

Mileage

200,000 mi

MY CAR WAS HAVING SOME PROBLEMS STARTING AND STAYING STARTED. IT SOUNDED LIKE A BACK FIRE AND WOULDN'T START BACK UP. WE CHECKED THE PLUGS AND ALSO TESTED TO SEE IF WAS GETTING FUEL. YES, THE PLUGS WERE FINE, AND IT WAS GETTING FUEL. I THEN TOOK OFF THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE HAD THAT TESTED AND THAT WAS FINE. I WAS TOLD THEN IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN. REPLACED THAT, THE CAM SENSOR THE CRANK SHAFT POSITION SENSOR, VALVE COVER GASKET, THE LOWER AND UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS THAT WERE CRACKED, PIECES MISSING, AND COVERED IN THICK BROWN GOOD. MY CAR STILL WILL NOT START, AND HAS WATER FALLS OF WATER COMING OUT THE PLUG HOLES. *AK

NHTSA ID

10189276

Incident

Apr 8, 2007

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE NEAR THE SIDE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING. THE REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10176153

Incident

Dec 14, 2006

Mileage

148,000 mi

VEHICLE IS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE OUT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD INTO THE ENGINE, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BY CONSUMER.*AK

NHTSA ID

10110931

Incident

Jan 28, 2005

A HOLE WITHIN INTAKE MANIFOLD CAUSED ANTIFREEZE TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AS A RESULT VEHICLE HAD DIFFICULTY IN STARTING INTERMITTENTLY.*AK

NHTSA ID

10081786

Incident

Mar 15, 2004

Mileage

93,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE REACHED HIGH TEMPERATURES DUE TO INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE. COOLANT SEEPED INSIDE THE ENGINE. AN INDEPENDENT SHOP WILL REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. *JB *JB

NHTSA ID

10064805

Incident

Mar 24, 2004

Mileage

114,675 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDETERMINED SPEED ENGINE CHECK LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. CONSUMER INFORMED DEALER ABOUT THIS ISSUE. HOWEVER, MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10065417

Incident

Mar 14, 2004

CONSUMER CITED THE POOR QUALITY OF MATERIALS USED FOR THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD AND POOR DESIGN AROUND THE EGR STOVE PIPE. *LA THE UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE GASKETS WERE LEAKING, HOWEVER THE CONSUMER DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THE UPPER INTAKE PLENUM WAS REPLACED AND OVER TIME THE INTAKE GASKETS LEAKED AGAIN. *JB

NHTSA ID

10059462

VEHICLE STALLED TWICE DUE TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING ANTIFREEZE. DEALER REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, BUT VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL. *AK 1996 OLDSMOBILE LSS 88 STALLED TWICE DUE TO INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING ANTIFREEZE. CONSUMER HAD THE INTAKE MANIFOLD PLENUM AND GASKETS REPLACED AS WELL AS A NEW BATTERY INSTALLED AND A NEW STARTER AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL.*MR

NHTSA ID

10051820

Incident

Jun 15, 2003

Mileage

53,450 mi

NHTSA RECALL 96-V-116-000 A BACKFIRE DURING ENGINE STARTING, CAN CAUSE BREAKAGE OF THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10041819

Incident

Sep 26, 2003

AT START UP, THERE WAS A LOUD EXPLOSION. (ENGINE BURNED) *MR *SCC

NHTSA ID

10022293

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED AND LEAKED ANTIFREEZE. *JB SCC

NHTSA ID

10011188

Incident

Mar 17, 2003

Mileage

149,686 mi

THE ENTIRE ENGINE FAILED.*JB

NHTSA ID

10007246

Incident

Feb 12, 2003

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. ALSO STATED THAT THE ENGINE BLOW UP AND CAUSE SEVERAL PROBLEMS TO THE VEHICLE. ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON 1996 FOR CRACKS ON THE ENGINE AND FOR THE COMPUTER FOR THE ENGINE. DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT HAD A PROBLEM WITH A FEW OF THE SAME VEHICLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT THE MANUFACTURE IS AWARE OF IT. TS

NHTSA ID

10001719

Incident

Nov 3, 2002

Mileage

65,347 mi

I WAS DRIVING THROUGH TOWN, EASTON MA, AND THE ENGINE SPUTTERED A BIT. NEXT, A KID HAILED ME DOWN AND I SAW SMOKE FROM MY REAR. I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT AND OPENED THE HOOD. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS IN FLAMES. GOOD THING I KEPT MY DISTANCE BECAUSE PARTS BLEW APART. CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEY PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER TOLD ME THAT HE SAW TWO OTHER GM VEHICLES JUST LIKE MINE (3.8 LITER) ALSO BURN UP. I JUNKED THE VEHICLE. WROTE TO GM, BUT RECIEVED NO RESPONSE. JUST SAW ON CARS.COM THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS RAISING AN INVESTIGATION ON THE GM 3.8 LITER ENGINES. IT REALLY HURTS LOSING $13,000. THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE IF THAT KID DIDN'T WARN ME. NO WONDER THEY DISCONTINUED THE DELTA 88. IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN BE COMPENSATED FOR MY LOSS? DT

NHTSA ID

770571

Incident

Sep 1, 2000

APPLIED PRESSURE TO BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP, BRAKES MADE A THUNKING NOISE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL PULSATED EXCESSIVELY, ABS LIGHT ON DASH ILLUMINATED. TOOK TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THEY FOUND THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE AND TRACTION CONTROL MODULE TO BE FAULTY. REPLACED MODULE AND PAID FOR REPAIR. ENGINE PROBLEM STARTED CAR, SLIGHT BACKFIRE OCCURED, SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ILLUMINATED, CAR ROUGH IDLED, HAD SLIGHT LOSS OF POWER. TOOK TO DEALER, THEY FOUND THE UPPER INTAKE CRACKED ALONG WITH THE LOWER INTAKE AND GASKETS TO BE CRACKED. REPLACED AT COST TO ME. DT

NHTSA ID

770519

Incident

Dec 14, 2001

CONSUMER STATES THAT PLASTIC MANIFOLD CRACKS AFTER ABOUT 60000 MILES AND CAUSES ANTI-FREEZE TO MIX WITH OIL INTO ENGINE.*JB

NHTSA ID

8018019

Incident

Sep 1, 2002

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL JUST STALL OUT WITHOUT WARNING. HAVE NO STEERING OR BRAKE POWER. CONTACTED DEALER. CANNOT LOCATE CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK.

NHTSA ID

8017735

Incident

Jul 23, 2002

CONSUMER STATED THE FUEL SENDING UNIT WAS LEAKING FUEL, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTO TECH WHERE THEY VERIFIED THE PROBLEM (PINPOINT HOLES IN SENDING UNIT), AND REPAIRED IT, UPON INSPECTION CONSUMER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED THE ENGINE WAS LEAKING OIL, THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND PRESSURE LINE WAS LEAKING AND THE TRANSMISSION PAN HAD A MINOR LEAK.*AK *JG

NHTSA ID

8004229

Incident

Jan 5, 2002

THE ENGINE STALLED WHILE DRIVING RESULTING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES AND CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VEER INTO ONCOMMING TRAFFIC. NLM

NHTSA ID

560247

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

720837

Incident

Jan 30, 2000

ENGINE STALLS.

NHTSA ID

519291

Incident

Jun 28, 1997

AIR CONDITIONER IS NOISY WHEN SET ON LOW SPEED.

NHTSA ID

603118

CRANK SENSOR CONNECTOR FAILED.

NHTSA ID

602974

Incident

Jul 8, 1996