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Comments
The intake manifold gasket problems are rather usual for 3.4l GM engines and its ancestors: the 3.1l and the old 2.8l share the same basic design. See the following link:
rbenton "Common General Motor's 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 V6's engine problems" Feb 4, 2001 12:15pm
As well as I remember, problems with head gasket are not usual with the engine.
DC
My mom also has a 99 and it's been nearly flawless aside from a sticky door. Her experience brought us to look at the car and we are quite pleased.
No make is free of lemons. I drove a Jetta for a couple of years. The engine was great, but everything else on the car kept falling apart. Really soured me on the Jetta, but I have to think mine was a bit of an exception. However, repairs to the Jetta were much more expensive that they would cost for an Alero, so I wouldn't take a chance on one again.
I'm hoping the car lasts at least another 64,000 miles before needing any repair work.
My Alero is also a 00 V6 with GL3 package. It now has 23,000 miles on it and the only problem to date has been the front brake rotors replaced on warranty. Overall I am quite impressed with the Alero and am thinking about trading in for a new one before it all ends.
Just ordered a keyless entry system for my 02 Alero. Dealer is charging me C$200 which I think is more than fair as it will carry the same warranty as the car and will not void the general warranty. Could have save $40 somewhere else, but I want it done right.
Dindak, nice deal on the keyless. Now you gotta work on those aluminum wheels. good luck
jpelder : Ya I thought it was a good price. Hopefully I can get it installed next week.
After over 2 weeks, still loving this car. The Ecotec is amazing.
Question : Has anyone put a K&N on their Ecotec powered Alero? Wondering if there is much power boost from it.
Thanks in advance,
Chris
To reset (calibrate) the system, turn the ignition switch to ON. The RESET button is located inside of the driver's side instrument fuse panel. Press and release the RESET button.
The CHANGE OIL light will begin to flash. Press and release the RESET button again. The CHANGE OIL light will go off, and the LOW TIRE PRESSURE light will start flashing. When the LOW TIRE PRESSURE light is flashing, press and hold the RESET button until the chime sounds. If the LOW TIRE PRESSURE light doesn't go off then, see your dealer for service.
Not too bad, but it will take awhile to break this engine in since we rarely drive this car.
Still love it!
Asked this question before but I'll throw it out again, anyone installed a K&N in their Ecotec Alero? If so, was it worth the $$.
The only reason I would buy one is for the replacement factor. It will save money over the long run but the power difference will be negligible. Sure it breathes better(seen the display at the store with the ping pong ball?) but the only time your engine needs the extra air flow is at high RPM. A stock filter is not restrictive under 4-4500 RPM. So unless you have a 5 speed, the only benefit you will get from it is traveling at 150k on the highway with an automatic. Or just drive it in 3rd and hope the tranny holds up!
Another reason to buy a K&N is so they don't con you into buying a new air filter everytime you get an oil change. I hate when they do that at the quick lube places. They try to sell you everything from a tranny service to new belts(like I would let one of those 'lube techs' touch my car). But I don't have to worry about that anymore because I only go to the dealer with the Alero now.
Just passed 1000kms and still happy with the purchase.
Where are the Camry and the Civic?
;^)In sort, the Alero is one of those rare cars from Lansing that I wouldn't dump on for quality. The car can actually stand on its own merits. (Whoa, crazy, eh, GM?)
Its a pity olds is going away.
Oldsmobile, before 1997/1998, was a square-speedometer joke. Suddenly, it jumped into the twenty-first century. The current models look nice, but if Olds was still around, who knows what would happen next. Maybe Olds should just die and rest in peace, because the rest of GM will collapse and rest in pieces if the new styling and product doesn't please. Cadillac is headed down a dark road, and Chevrolet and Buick are not awake at the wheel.
I knew the end was coming when my grandmother bought another Grand Am ("it's so sporty!") with her GM card when *I* insisted that she at least test-drive an Alero.
verozahl : I have an Ecotec powered Alero and the gas mileage is excellent? The car is definitely well built. Not one issue after over a month of driving. Never had that in a car before. I agree with you though, the Grand Am's cladding is not attractive. According to Auto News, cladding is dropped in 2003.
Have you seen the Letter from the Town Hall Manager on the Town Hall Welcome page? If not, you might want to follow that link to have a look.
And hang on to your seats. Change is never easy - for any of us - but resolving the Search problems we've had will be worth the pain.
Pat
Sedans Host
That said, GM is still making some models with rather underpowered base engines - namely a recent rental Malibu with the 3.1L V6. Sluggish off the line, although admittedly not bad in the Rockies on cruise control - it maintained fairly low speeds (70 - 90km/h) quite well.
Have fun!
Rick D.
The current 3.1l GM engine, as found on Malibu, Century, Gran Prix SE from the late 1999, provides 170hp. Practically the same power as 3.4l engine in Alero / Grand Am.
However, the torque curve of 3.4l engine is practically flat from 1800 rpm and up to about 400 or 4500 rpm. Alero / Grand Am are cruising on highway at about 1800 rpm, vs. 2100 for Malibu. A plenty of spare torque to accelerate even on overdrive, before switching gears to the 3-rd.
2. Malibu have somewhat weak engine. Yet, most of cars on the roads have even less torque than Malibu. I see it every time when driving on hilly Connecticut highways. Almost all older cars, smaller cars, and 4-cylinder cars like Camry / Accords slow down substantially when driving uphill.
The same when accelerating in city. Either from traffic light, or when need to change lanes, etc.
3. The 3.8l engine provides even better acceleration than 3.4l. Especially the supercharged 3.8. However, 3.8 does not have so flat torque curve.
So far the mileage on my Ecotec powered Alero is still disappointing. Combined I got just over 23 mpg on the last fill. Still hoping it will improve in the coming weeks as I am on my 4th tank.
Question for you.. do you notice the temp gauge going above the 1/2 way mark when standing in traffic. I was pretty warm last week but our other cars didn't do this so I wasn't sure if it was normal.
The starting issue, after having "fixed" itself, has cropped up again. I turn the key, but the cranking stops before I release the key and before the engine catches. I sometimes have to try it up to five times before it runs. Wierd.
I enjoy this car more and more each drive I take.
Absolutely love the driving dynamics and engine of the Alero also. For the price, the car can't be beat in my opinion.
Word of warning: make sure the new filter you are installing matches the one you remove. A part number mix-up caused the oil change place to install an incorrect filter on my wife's Saturn w/ the Ecotec. The filter was too big (made for the Saturn euro-sourced V-6), cut off oil flow, and seized the engine. Glad I wasn't the one responsible for the $5000 repair bill.
Needless to say, I haven't done an oil change at home since. Also helps that my local Olds dealer does oil & filter changes for US$4.95!
Otherwise, still like the car a lot.