1996 OLDSMOBILE 88 Engine And Engine Cooling Problems
24 complaints about Engine And Engine Cooling
High Severity Issue
This component has been associated with crashes, fires, or deaths.
This Problem Across All Years
All Engine And Engine Cooling Complaints (24)
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
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.
Mileage: 148,000
VEHICLE IS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE OUT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD INTO THE ENGINE, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BY CONSUMER.*AK
A HOLE WITHIN INTAKE MANIFOLD CAUSED ANTIFREEZE TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AS A RESULT VEHICLE HAD DIFFICULTY IN STARTING INTERMITTENTLY.*AK
Mileage: 93,000
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
Mileage: 114,675
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
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
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
Mileage: 53,450
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
AT START UP, THERE WAS A LOUD EXPLOSION. (ENGINE BURNED) *MR *SCC
THE INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED AND LEAKED ANTIFREEZE. *JB SCC
Mileage: 149,686
THE ENTIRE ENGINE FAILED.*JB
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
Mileage: 65,347
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
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
CONSUMER STATES THAT PLASTIC MANIFOLD CRACKS AFTER ABOUT 60000 MILES AND CAUSES ANTI-FREEZE TO MIX WITH OIL INTO ENGINE.*JB
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL JUST STALL OUT WITHOUT WARNING. HAVE NO STEERING OR BRAKE POWER. CONTACTED DEALER. CANNOT LOCATE CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK.
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
THE ENGINE STALLED WHILE DRIVING RESULTING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES AND CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VEER INTO ONCOMMING TRAFFIC. NLM
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
ENGINE STALLS.
CAMSHAFT FAILED.
CRANK SENSOR CONNECTOR FAILED.