Four problems related to carburetor have been reported for the 1999 Oldsmobile Alero. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The lower intake gasket & oil pump drive o-ring seal is leaking coolant internal & is mixing with oil, engine will need to be replaced. This car is only 2 1/2 yrs old, the intake gasket and o-ring seal should not leak fluid; this must be a manufacturer's defect. I have taken the car in for service (fitzgerald auto mall- maryland) consistently. . . . . Idlerpulley - I had the serpentine belt replaced in Nov 2001(113. 38). In February while driving on the interstate all of car systems began to fail. Once the alternator was drained dry and the car coolant, the battery died, because the serpentine belt came off. After two hours in the rain we were able to get the belt back on and I took the car to the dealership the following day. The dealership discovered the idler pulley bearing was loose and needed to be replaced. . . This cost $117. 47. The dealership would not pay claim any liability, because it had been two months since they had replaced ther serpentine belt and felt anything could of happened since November. I am sure it is not common for an idler pulley bearing to become loose, this may be a manufacturer's defect. Thank you.
Because of the possible design flow, intake gasket failed causing water to get into engine. Jb.
Broken intake manifold gasket may cause total engine failure as fluids then mix. Root cause is determined to be use of bi-metal engine components (I. E. Aluminum heads on cast iron block) research shows this problem can affect *every* bi-metalic gm engine produced from 1980's through late models.
Consumer is requesting reimbursement for repairs made to the leaking intake manifold.