Three problems related to engine cooling system have been reported for the 2002 Oldsmobile Alero. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Oldsmobile Alero based on all problems reported for the 2002 Alero.
Existence of engine oil appearing in radiator system coolant.
For the past few months I have been noticing my car temperature hot when it is suppose to be cold and vice versa. I checked the anti-freeze and placed more in the car. In the past month I notice that the car started to overheat and I checked the antifreeze once again. I then learned that my manifold intake needed to be replaced and it is very common for it to have to be replaced because it is plastic. I paid over $700. 00 to get it replaced and it is a common fact that it is replaced often due to the manufacturers choice to use plastic for the part.
Friday, 7/15/05, I took my 2002 olds Alero to jeff schmidt in fairborn, OH for service of the passenger side power window not working. While at the dealership, I was informed that my intake manifold was leaking and must be replaced. This was covered under warranty as well as the window. Immediately after leaving the lot, the car smelled like something was burning. I park in the garage at home and did not notice any spills on the floor and assumed it was just overflow where the service tech did the repairs. Thursday, 7/21/05, I parked the car in the garage and the smell was really bad. I popped the hood and found a puddle of coolant inside the car down on the frame (I think that's what it is called). I also noticed inside the car the dash at the windshield was ruffled/wrinkled. I thought maybe I had had a fire or something really got hot. I took the car to the same dealership this morning and learned that I had two broken hoses at the intake manifold where the hoses were reattached after the initial repair. I had to pay to have these repaired because it was not covered under warranty. Funny I didn't have any problems with this until they told me I had a problem last week. I was also told that my warranty, I have 6 yrs. 60,000 miles, did not cover the dash. It was considered cosmetic. Well, needless to say, I can't believe this. I've worked for gm/delphi for 28 years, have had 7 vehicles in this time period, new ones, and have never had a dash to come apart. Also, I've never heard of a intake manifold going bad on a car with only 38,000 miles. Gm should be responsible for fixing the dash where the leather has come apart from the frame.