> Got a letter from Pontiac saying they were going to recall GTP's because
> oil can drip onto the exhaust during hard braking and start a fire.
> I had been trying to figure out why I could smell oil burning when I got
> out after driving the car hard... now I know. LOL
I got the same letter -- they are notifying all GTP owners. The recall
has not yet been officially announced and I couldn't find the TSB on
Alldata, but from the list of possible questions and suggested answers I
found on the NHTSA site, it appears the fix will be to replace the front
valve cover gasket. To me this sounds more like GM doesn't quite know
what the root cause is, but they've got to do something because 267
under-hood fires have been reported to NHTSA for the affected models
(supercharched Grand Prix and Buick Regals, 1997-2003.)
From the same list of Q&A I understand that GM didn't know about the
problem because of its low rate of occurrence -- 1:1000. An engine fire
in one of every 1000 vehicles is pretty high, if you ask me.
I initially dismissed the letter with a smile, but having read the
facts, I'm no longer smiling.
Can anyone offer more insight into the problem?
Thanks.
Svilen
80 Knight - 23 Mar 2008 20:07 GMT
>> Got a letter from Pontiac saying they were going to recall GTP's
>> because oil can drip onto the exhaust during hard braking and start a
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> I'm no longer smiling.
> Can anyone offer more insight into the problem?
Yeah. If GM sent you a recall letter, take the car to your local
dealership. That's about the best thing you can do.
Svilen Stoicheff - 23 Mar 2008 22:51 GMT
>>> Got a letter from Pontiac saying they were going to recall GTP's
>>> because oil can drip onto the exhaust during hard braking and start a
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> Yeah. If GM sent you a recall letter, take the car to your local
> dealership. That's about the best thing you can do.
Of course I will, no question about that. But what I'm looking for here
is more detail about the root cause of the issue. I know there are
professional mechanics reading and posting here, so I hope someone might
know more that what has been officially announced. As I said before, I
find it hard to believe that a leaky gasket can be the reason for engine
fires. If that's case, then half the vehicles on US roads should be
self-igniting and incinerating themselves in random patterns.
SS
David Courtney - 24 Mar 2008 15:04 GMT
The letter we got is not the actual "recall letter"... it's just a
letter announcing that there will eventually be a recall letter.
My car does smell of burning oil after being driven hard, but I've only
noticed it about 3 times so I didn't figure out that it was after hard
braking (if that's the case).
My sister is borrowing my car for a couple weeks so she made an
appointment at the GM dealer. They will "inspect" the car for free but the
service manager said they don't have the parts for a repair yet... so I'm
assuming they must be redesigning the gasket or cover or something; rather
than just replacing with an original part?
>>>> Got a letter from Pontiac saying they were going to recall GTP's
>>>> because oil can drip onto the exhaust during hard braking and start a
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> self-igniting and incinerating themselves in random patterns.
> SS