Yes I agree. Having worked on GM's for 37 yrs, ,GM is NOT the only one to build like that. They all do it. I believe Chrysler was the first domestic car make to put a windshield over an engine.😊
Very well said about hate complaints . American residents for many have become citizens of hate . Many kinds of hate , one in particular customizing of cars by their owners . Me , I like older cars that are more original and have custom rims with tires that actually have tires on them . I don’t like slammed to the ground vehicles . That is me . Always liked Pontiac , the older gm , dodge , Plymouth , ford , and a few others . At 68 yrs old none of that has changed much .
Changed the oil in my 1998 Tahoe yesterday along with both front ABS brake sensors and tire rotation. At 70 years old it takes me a little longer, but saved some money and got me off the couch. Felt really good at the end of the day
@@garygood6804 Your pressing you’re luck tryna get people to no what yore talking about. Next, shall we discuss the car breaks? I hate to brake it to you, but you and I scream out into the darkness trying to enlighten people, but it’s all for naught. We’re but two of a group of about four that even care about grammar anymore.
All three of my vehicles are customized with the same emblem from another type of vehicle. My neighbors got all uppity a few years back about how they were good people and saving the planet because they drove Toyota Prius Hybrids. So I went to ebay and ordered 3 Toyota "Hybrid" emblems and put one on each car: an '86 Toyota Celica, an '02 Silverado, and an '11 Cadillac DTS. I've actually had strangers approach me saying how they had no idea that Chevy put out a Silverado Hybrid! Hate on me all you want, but they're all paid in full and have been since I bought them!
It is also worth noting that people who repair and keep one car for longer are not creating a need for as much petrol as people who buy new cars every few years, sounds like your neighbor needs to take a much closer look at the "reduce, reuse" portion of "reduce, reuse, recycle".
Hey Ray, you are in my top 5 channels. I recently tore a tendon in my knee, and I am in rehab for the next 5 to 8 weeks. Your videos help me getting through the day, and I also revist old videos all the time. Short videos, long videos, they are all good. Wife Unit is another great part of 'Ray World'. Family type place for family type folks. THANK YOU! 👩🦳
@Seraphim401 My other 4? 1. I Do Cars, 2. Rainman Ray's Repairs, 3. Full Custom Ian, 4. Scotty Kilmer, and 5. The Troglys Guitar Show, because I play guitar and bass, and I also do live sound mixing for bands. Back to my injuries, last year, I tore my right quadricep tendon twice in a row, and then this year, I tore my quadricep tendon on my left leg, and I STILL have a brace on my right leg. Rehab will be an adventure for sure. Nice story, eh??
I'll tell ya Ray, that clip at the beginning of pissing on the trolls was hilarious. You're absolutely correct, there are way too many haters in the world.
It is a MUCH easier job in a FWD vehicle. God knows I've done enough of these gaskets. The angle coolant lines were originally plastic, but I've seen at least one that had aluminum/metal ones. The plastic ones always break, the aluminum one corroded in place.
They way you calmly solve problems is really refreshing to see. You have really made something of yourself Ray. Opening your own shop and also creating a successful and still growing channel is a great accomplishment. I sir can say that you motivate me and I thank you.
Love your content. Just a little trivia. Duct tape was originally developed during World War 2 and was used to seal ammunition canisters among other things. It was called duck tape because it was made with a backing material of cotton duck fabric and was said to repel water like the back of a duck.
Absolutely my favorite channel to watch! By the way, duct tape is not for hvac systems. Metal tape is for hvac systems, never use duct tape on them. Love the chipmunk voice Ray.
In my non-HVAC life, "duck/duct" tape is for LARP weapons, and ductwork gets the adhesive aluminum tape. edit: As I have learned, the "duck" in duck tape (leaving aside the brand) is from the cloth used between the outer plastic and the inner adhesive. Before the invention of the adhesive metal tape, it WAS used on ductwork. There are different grades of duck/duct tape, varying in the strength and weave of the fabric and the type and 'stickiness' of the adhesive for uses like gaffer's tape for stage work and military-issue #-mile-an-hour tape. And even the metallic tape is being pushed aside in many HVAC installations by brushed-on joint sealants.
That was painful to watch! Back of my legs and back were hurting watching you bent over fighting them covers. Very good at holding your temper! I have a 5.7 vortec and those plastic gm gaskets i hate. After twice getting them replaced at gm with the same gaskets, i found out the hard way they were only good for 50 to 75 thousand miles. I went with felpro. Been well over 100k miles and doing great.
From wikipedia: "During World War II, Revolite (then a division of Johnson & Johnson) developed an adhesive tape made from a rubber-based adhesive applied to a durable duck cloth backing. This tape resisted water and was used to seal some ammunition cases during that period.[1] "Duck tape" is recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary as having been in use since 1899[2] and "duct tape" (described as "perhaps an alteration of earlier duck tape") since 1965.[3]"
Same thought, as soon as I saw how buried the back half of the engine is. It might be a bit more work removing, but the frustration factor would be much less. As you said, getting the gaskets to hold in place, while maneuvering parts back into place is going to be a bear.
You guys are crazy any part he breaks he has to pay for. If you break the wrong part the your losing money on the job you quoted. It’s not worth the time or risk to pull the motor. You have to suck it up butter cup
I never had this problem on the original 3.8 V-6. I did have this problem on the 3.8 Series II V6. GM knew they had this problem, and corrected it when they rolled out the 3.8 Series III V6 towards the end of this engines manufacturing years in production. The Series III had a metal intake plenim. The series II had a plastic intake plenim.
This Firebird is very well taken care of. I customize all my cars because that’s just the way I am, an enthusiast! Doesn’t matter to me what other folks think about my rides! ☺️
I used to have a 3400 in my old year '00 Grand Am, that car is still running 15 years later and I abused the hell out of it when I was 16 (my friend I sold it to told me its over 450,000km now). I also had a 3800 Grand Prix GTP, the only thing good in that car was the engine, but sadly the previous owner didn't take care of it and it's radiator was full of sludge, constant issues with coolant lines busting open, and a TON of rust on the underside of the body, but the engine ran like a swiss watch. My mother also had a 3400 in an '05 Grand Am and that thing is still running to this day as well.
Hi Ray, you need to remember that GM assembled this engine on the assembly line bench, where everything was accessible to attach all the bolts, brackets and other fasteners, then engine was installed in the car !!, the GM bean counters didn't care about future repairs and maintenance!!
For anyone doing this same job, that bolt for the rear bracket can be accessed from underneath but you will probably need a 3/8 extendable ratchet. Love your work Ray, this one helped me a lot!
im having ptsd flash backs of my very first car watching this, when i was 18 i had a 1998 firebird 3200 series 2 had the same problem and oh my god i hated how buried and crammed everything was inside of it and everything would break just looking at it🤦♂ and the last 13 years i became a mechanic working on all my ASE certifications.
The GM 3800 Engines were some of Best Engines that they Produced, I own a Chevy LS Impala for 18 years, never any problem with this Engine except Warped Plastic Intake...
I also owned a Chevy Impala with this engine. It did have this problem develop at the same time the transmission started to fail. When this problem started the temperature gauge would fluctuate between the half way mark and would go higher where it never would go when driving in heavy stop and go traffic. When you started to move normally again the gauge then returned to normal. The Impala also had the mass air flow sensor fail twice, and the catalytic converter had to be replaced because it was all plugged up. The ABS traction control module failed along with wheel hubs. The rack and pinion steering rack would leak every 20,000 miles, and had to be replaced. At 19,000 miles the front end sub frame separated due to faulty welds at the factory. GM did replace the sub frame under a silent recall. When the transmission needed to be replaced at 63,000 miles, and the top end gaskets needed replacing at the same time, I sold that car. The Impala LS was the worst Chevrolet I ever owned. 38:02
Rainman Ray’s repairs. Working on FerrariBirds but not Lamborghinis. 😢 Ray is being a meanie. You’d think that such a talented technician would be open to the Italian carmakers. Come on Ray. Give Maserati a chance… 😂
Rear main seals on that engine, are frequently not the rear main seal. They are frequently a leak in the corner of one of the plastic valve covers that leak down and appear for all the world underneath the car like a rear main seal leak. If I remember correctly, there was a technical service bulletin about replacing these on the 3.8 that came out in about 2004 or so.
This confirms that I made the correct choice in getting a 99 Mustang over a 00 Firebird awhile back. Plenty of space to work on the Ford 3.8 ... not so much in the F body GM 3.8.
Hi Ray, since basically the shop is about 6 miles up on 41 I consider that my neighbor. People shouldn’t hate on how others perceive their cars and what little things they do to the car. I think that the Ferrari bird is a cool car, and I haven’t seen it cruising around the neighborhood but when I do I will definitely give the owner a big thumbs up!!! It just looks like a fun car and with the cold weather we’re having, I would be having that top down and enjoying the fresh air before we all go back into AC Mode when the weather gets back to a million degrees and a million percent humidity!! Great Videos Thanks 🙏
So much of your work seems to basically be archeology. Having to dig through layers of harnesses, hoses, bolt-on parts and brackets to simply uncover that which needs to be repaired is beyond my level of patience, endurance, and tool inventory. I wish you were in my area as I have had mechanics due more harm than repair to my vehicles.
Hey Ray I hate to inform you but in WW II Johnson & Johnson made Duck tape as a replacement for wax on ammo boxes. It was only used in HVAC after WWII. It's not recommended to use it for ducts due to the deterioration of the tape to heat
My 99 Grand Prix GTX had the 3800. It bit me hard! The intake was plastic on that awesome ride and it cracked at 55000 miles. Coolant filled the oil pan, fouled everything! Killed it in a parking lot! Thankfully, I worked for a local EMS provider, their shop had to tear everything apart and rebuild the top end. I sold it rather quickly.
I've had to do the intake manifold gaskets on my 3100 three times already... every 50,000 miles or so. The 'upgraded' Fel-Pro gasket set is better, they last longer, but they still fail also. The other problem on the 3100 is the EGR path inside the intake manifold. Tends to plug up and set a 'low EGR flow' code.
Another great vid. Ray, the 3800 was a great motor and didn't give me any grief. Had a lot more room to work on it in my Buick, so pretty amazing how tough it would be to work on in such a small engine compartment, nice job.
The Buick 3800 cc V6 engine was a legend. It was very reliable and built like tank . That's why they could install a turbocharger on it with virtually no changes aside from knock sensor!
Hey Ray, hope you and family are well. I can see why you would consider not replacing those brackets. They were very time consuming. That car is in really good shape for its age, definitely a Florida kinda car. Sporty and nice looking. Tell Jesus and Dave hello and don’t forget to have yourself a great day!!!😁👍
How easy it is to do this job in a Australian Holden Commodore that has a similar 3800 series 2 engine vs this cramped nightmare. Our Australian GM engines were built in Port Melbourne Victoria with Cylinder heads from Flint Michigan USA & we did not have the plastic elbow. Later ones have Australian floating rear crankshaft seal design which helped mitigate leaks. The intake manifold gaskets were the crappy plastic silicon seal infused garbage that always failed (plastic collapsed with time) vs replacement Steel ones with silicon coated seals as used in the Super charger engines versions. Great GM engines very reliable. Probably the best GM ever made.
What a pain in the ass, some cars can be! It’s not bad enough they put the engine so far back, it’s almost in the front seats, but the patience you need to get to some of these nuts, and bolts? I give ya credit Ray. Nice work 👍
its the responsibility of providing for wife unit the kids and keeping the biz running and his employees wages paid so they can live that's why he cant let the frustrating stuff get to him having a hissy fit don't help ... all these people DEPEND on HIM he has to carry on ....its what real men ,good men do ...RESPECT to ray and the working family man
What a perfectly timely video, I'm about to start this job on my 1998 Firebird with the 3800 this weekend. Has a rebuilt engine but for some boneheaded reason they installed plastic gaskets on it, and the upper is leaking. Might as well do the lowers too.
Yesterday, I had to use a manual wrench (one of my open ended ones) for lack of access space reasons (no power tools on a L-O-N-G bolt), for the first time in several weeks. It was painfully slow and hard work on the old "flangees". I feel your pain - LITTERALLY - Ray. My wrist muscles too. I'm losing my strength at 68 years old...
ahh, the dreaded valley gasket leakage issue. I had a Holden commodore VT. (here in Aus). I understand it had the same engine as the firebird. I had the oil mixing with coolant issue. Turned out to be the dreaded valley gasket. Was a lot easier to change than in this firebird.
That bracket loosening was painful to watch. But not as painful as it was to do, I'm sure! It takes a special kind of persistence to be a mechanic. Great job.
Not that I would buy a Firebird with a V6 but if I did and had this problem I think I would have just pulled the engine out threw it away and put the proper sized engine in its place. Good job so far Ray, regardless what the trolls say you are a top notch mechanic.
You got to love the Engineer vs. Technician war. It's gone on for well over a millennia. Nobody will know the pain we technicians have to deal with on a daily basis due to an engineers inability to think ahead and think of maintenance.
Thanks, Ray, for explaining what personal taste means. If everyone wanted the same thing, I'd have 50 million guys chasing my wife! I personally don't understand these guys who spend thousands of dollars to make a car look like it just rolled off the factory floor; absolutely no personality at all! But that's their thing. If you own something, make it what you want. And appreciate what someone else has done, or just don't be hateful. Admire the effort.
Can’t read 800+ comments to see if someone else already pointed this out. According to what I’ve been told, the term “duck tape” was used in connection with its original intended use, the sealing of those metal ammo boxes to keep the elements out, and those using it would say that water rolled of the tape “like water off a duck’s back”, and the term stuck (see what I did there?). In fact, duct tape as it has been called for a long time now, is one of the WORST kinds of tape to actually use on aircon ducts, as it dries out and the adhesive and body of the tape itself falls apart and fails in the heat and cold it experiences in use. A good professional heating and air technician will use the reflective shiny “chrome” metal tape as it is ACTUALLY designed for that purpose.
Utterly amazing. I look up to you man...not one curse word...and if ever there was a job that deserved such language...this is it. Thank you for your leadership. You are the man.
We had a black ‘97 T-top several years ago. The Ferrari center caps are an improvement over the generic ABS logo caps we had. Wanted to find some with the Pontiac logo for it but our first born came around and that car started sitting a lot more than being driven. Still miss it. Had the 5.7 and was a tire roaster. Also felt a little like the Hoff when I’d throw on a leather jacket and go for a spin in it.
My late 90's Vortec engines have a terrible lower intake manifold gasket. They are plastic and leak. Felpro makes a upgraded one that is fantastic. I only use them now.
OMG - what a difficult job. And to think that could have been some tech's warranty job. What, 2.6 hours for intake gasket replace? lol Ray, your tackling of these type jobs continues to amaze me. I don't know if you can feel your viewers' helping you, but we do. Thanks for another great video. Looking forward to the install followup video.
Almost 10 years ago when I retired from being as GM tech, there was a GM tech chat forum where tech can ask other tech's question and share info. I remember one question that was asked about how to clean a cooling system of oil and other gunky things. One tech responded by stating he remembered a service bulletin put out by CAT about using liquid Cascade dish washing detergent mixture in the system and running the engine for awhile. Then dain, rinse and repeat if needed, or just drain, flush and refill with coolant. I don't remember if I have ever tried it though.
If I remember correctly, it was Cascade. I often wondered if a Dawn mixture would work as well. Since Dawn is supposed to cut grease and oils, why wouldn't it work to clean a cooling system? I don't know because I never tried it. Might be a good test subject to do on something.
@@51ubetcha Well dawn foams like crazy while Cascade won't. It has sodium hydroxide in it though so I wouldn't leave it in there for too long if you did try it.
I like how you defend your customers decisions for customizing. While I personally wouldn't spend the money for that kind of customizing, I still think it's cool. Also I get a little chuckle everyone I see it.
Outside of the intake manifold issues Ray has detailed here, and plastic coolant elbows prone to fracture on later transverse-mounted applications, the 3800 was just about indestructible. Frequently the rest of the car, most prominently the 4L65-E transmissions mated to many 3800s, would fall apart around the still perfectly good 3800.
When working on my car, if I run into a problem, I say to myself what would Ray do? Watching you has taught me a lot in patience and diligence. Thanks Ray.
Well i am grateful that i have a 1992 Buick Lasabre that will likely require the replacement of the lower intake gasket some time and as it has side mounted engine quite easy to get it apart. Thanks for sharing your expertice and experience.. Gives me a bit of confidence to do this job on my easy car
