98 Intrigue: Coolant Leaks

MomsHugs

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First post in this forum, but just have to say my Old Bessie ('98 Intrigue GL) has always been quite comfortable for long drives, and she's been back & forth between Iowa & Georgia for 14 years & over 130k miles. I hate to give her up, but she overheated the other day & was in distress. I had her towed home & added ~ gallon of coolant mixed w/distilled water the next morning, took her a mile down the road & parked her back in the garage.

Poor Old Bessie left a few small pools of coolant mix behind (we do get incontinent with age!) so I figured the hose to the radiator had sprung a leak. After adding a bit more coolant mix today, I revved up the motor with the coolant cap off (per instructions) & noticed quite a lot of fluid was pouring from somewhere behind the motor where the water pump is. My guess is ~ $500-700 for repairs.

Much as I hate sending Old Bessie to the old cars home to live out her old age, I need a more dependable car. Looking for a replacement, I came upon the Buick Verano, which seems like GM's attempt at a new Intrigue, only slightly smaller. I would really like to hear from anyone who has one. Thank you.
 
98 Intrigues have the venerable 3.8L engine. More than likely it's the lower intake manifold that failed (they were plastic when original) and you just need to have the replacement metal part put in. You can get another 100K miles on the car if you want to.
 
Thank you, Swagled! It is going in for repair this week. I figured thermostat & water pump must need replacing even though the originals were replaced along with the intake manifold only 4 yrs/22,000 miles ago. Your reply puts an entirely different light on the matter so I will take your comment to the mechanic. Sure appreciate your prompt reply. Thank you from the bottom of my heart & Old Bessie's heart, too. ~ Moms
 
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Yeah if you already had the intake taken care of then the water pump would also be a likely long-term wear item. 130K is plausible. Mine lasted to 190K but I have the 3.5L engine. Some people may just get more use from them than others.
 
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