2000 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1L Engine Knock
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- I have a Malibu with what sounds like the famous piston slap, however it doesnt go away. I replaced the lifters because I had to replace a leaking intake gasket anyway. It has new plugs and wires and has always made the sound even before replacing them. It sounds like it's coming from the top of the engine however I am open to any and all diagnostics. Please leave a comment. Thanks
The 3.1/3.4 v6's have a slight knock when the engine is first started up cold because those engines have lose fitting Pistons. So when you first start up the engine cold, the Pistons will need time to expand so they fit the cylinders as the engine warms up. So the knock will be caused by the Pistons constantly slapping the cylinders walls because the Pistons need time to expand as the engine warms up. Then as the engine starts to warm up, the knock will slightly start to go away. Then once the engine is warmed up, the knock should be gone. But if the knock doesn't go away once the engine is all warmed up, then you've got a problem with it...
BrendenAerosmith Farr l
I had this exact problem with my 2002 Malibu. Took it to the mechanic, watched as he quickly tightened the bolts on the torque converter. Took ten minutes and he charged me $20. That is my kind of repair.
The bolt were loose on your torque converter causing this noise? Only he did was tighten them? My car ran fine yesterday and now sounds exactly like this. Thanks
How do you access the torque converter from outside the trans? Do you mean flywheel? 🤔
Gm made the 3.1, 3.4, and 3.5 V6 engines to have slightly lose fitting pistons. When cold the pistons slap against the cylinder walls and when at operating temp the slapping stops. The slapping, or knocking, stops because as we all know metal expands. The concept behind this is that the pistons fit perfectly and therefor create less wear on the cylinder walls. Those engines can go to 400k+ miles.
It's a collapse hydraulic roller lifter. I replaced them on my Mom's 98 Malibu. Exact same noise. pull the valve covers put a stethoscope on the rocker stud and you'll hear the one that's collapsed.
@TheRodeotwins Yeah I did gaskets from the Intake Manifold Gasket up which included the EGR Valve, but I think I will look anyway; thanks. The 3.1L engines have a faulty intake gasket so keep an eye out for antifreeze and watch your level because the system is pressureized. Mine started to leak by the Thermostat Housing/Water Outlet back by the transmission fill/vent cap. If you're engine tic sounds like mine the chances are that it isn't the valve lifters. Rather, an internal,
@chris10350 well i bought it from a friend of my mothers and he said that he got it mechanically diagnosed to the valve lifters. i replaced the lifters (seeing how there was a leaking intake gasket anyways), and obviously, this wasn't the problem. also i do my own oil changes every 2500-3000 miles. I'm probably getting rid of it next year anyways.
I have a 2001 Malibu 3.1 which currently has 174,000 miles. I bought it used with 98,000 miles. Thanks to Dexcool (deathcool) the cooling system was in bad shape. To begin with it ran hot. I discovered both the radiator and thermostat were almost completely plugged up with this brown waxy goo. The radiator had to be replaced. Couple thousand miles later it started leaking coolant. I had to replace the intake manifold gaskets. Again, Dexcool was the cause. This time while I had it apart I thoroughly flushed the cooling system, and put in GREEN Prestone II. At around 130,000 miles, it started making that sound. I was in the middle of a 1000+ mile trip, and before I got home, the noise had stopped. It still makes some clatter on cold startup, but goes away quickly when it warms up. That was the last problem I had with that engine. I still drive it, changing the oil every 3000 miles (it does not burn any oil) the coolant every 12000 miles, and the trans fluid every 20,000 miles. I am hoping to top 200,000 miles. I realize it could go at any time, but I have already gotten my money out of it, I'm just going to drive it till something blows up.
As for the engine being scrapped, that is utter nonsense. GM is still responsible for the Dexcool damage, even if not legally so. They lost a class action lawsuit not long before filing for bankruptcy. A car with only 65,000 miles on it should not be scrapped. I have a '63 Nova and a '72 Chevelle. I suppose they should have been scrapped decades ago? I would go with a rebuilt engine. DO NOT put deathcool in it. You can get one for about $1500. Easily worth it if the rest of the car is in good shape.
After the way GM has treated their customers, I will never buy another GM car, unless it is vintage. A friend of mine bought a 2014 Sonic, has under 20,000 miles on it, and has had nothing but problems. GM is not what they used to be.
i bought a malibu that did the same thing, i bought some seafoam and added to the crankcase drove it for five days til the valve chatter stopped then changed the oil with a high milage full synthetic oil and topped it off with the new low viscosity oil additive from lucas. no more chatter! it works
Did the tick sound squeaky?
I have a 2001 Malibu and it does the same thing. This is a lifter your hearing. As long as you keep the oil changed the car will run for a long time.
You hope
amen! i got the 1998 Cutlass and mines runs super smooth. 199,997 miles. i bought it used from some young gruesome thugs two years ago.
Yeah most of them are throw away cars although some people (if you read through the comments) have had no problems with them and they have 200,XXX miles on them....They have made the 5.3L since '99 and they have been making it ever since. They are really good engines and just as good as the old 350's. Basic routine maintainence is the key to a long lasting engine. i bought the car when the so called "piston slap" stopped when the car warmed up but then it started doing it all the time.
2001 Malibu 190000 miles still rolling strong
I have 250k and still going strong 💪
Its rod knock that deep clacking you hear at 42 is your loose rod spinning on the crankshaft. A very simple and good way to tell if it's your bottom end or a top end problem is to put your car on ramps. Turn the car on and go underneath the car and listen to see if you hear loud clacking coming from inside the oil pan. If you do it's 100% sure to be Rodknock. Had the same problem car was driveable for a good while but gave up. It starts as a mild tick then goes to a knock as the bearings wear away. Believe it or not the 3.1 V6 has a pretty stable valvetrain. It's more likely to be a bearing issue with these cars than a lifter or rocker. To check to see if it's a lifter or rocker issue you can usually satisfy that the same way as described with the oil pan except by listening to the valve covers. Sometimes pulliing one off and starting the car helps. On these cars its a chore and also messy somewhat but it's better than pulling a motor out the car and tearing the engine down for what might be a simpler issue to fix.
Working on one right now.. Had a heli coiled spark plug hole that is wallered out and wont take plug.. Currently taring down donor car engine to just replace it all together.. However am half tempted to just swap engines completly since donor car engine has 75000 less miles and ran great.. Just up and died one day and wont start but know the motors fine.. Suspect egr valve or fuel pressure reg of possibly a theft lock issue.
@bnthyasd if it is indeed the rocker arm, what you want to check is the pushrod that goes with it... find a nice flat surface and roll it along the flat level surface to check if the pushrod is bent at all. The pushrod could be slithtly bent, which would allow play in the rocker. If the Rocker is making the noise, and the pushrod is nice and straight, then try re torquing the rocker nut, and see if it helps.
check your tensioners. sometimes they produce a knocking/rattling noise when they fail. check serpentine and timing tensioners.
@are072585 Hey thanks I appreciate it. I just took a piece of wood and shaved it down so i could put one end on the engine and the other end in my ear so i can hear exactly whats going on and it sounds like its coming from somewhere around the front headers. I am going to check it out this weekend and i will let you know
Sounds like my neighbors Chevy Corsica when she had it. Loud as hell too
I have one of these that makes a lighter version of this sound. It has for forever. I assume it is just part of how the engine is designed. Runs great and strong.
most cars have pistons that fit tightly in the cylinders, even when the motor is cold. when the metal warms up it expands so the pistons fit even tighter in the cylinders which creates more friction, heat, and ware. they designed the gm 3.1/3.4l motors with pistons that are a bit smaller so when they expand they fit perfectly. you will hear a slight ticking when you first start the car but it should go away as it warms up. this is why they get pretty good milage for a v6 and they will last you a long time as long as you take care of the car.
There was, if no bulletins, some sort of quiet program. There was also a class-action settlement, where GM got off easy and the customers got a raw deal. This affected several years, makes and motors, all w/ "wet" manifolds.
Dude i bought mine new with 30 miles on it and it never has knocked or pecked or no gaskets has EVER failed. No repairs done whats so ever. And guess what? It currently has 209,000 miles and still starts right up. I guess i got the good one out of the bunch... Lol
I currently have a 2003 malibu. I have the same exact engine knock but it has caused me no issues except for being annoying and people constantly telling me "you better get that checked, it sounds like a washing machine." Every mechanic I take it to tells me its a common issue that can't be fixed and doesn't harm the engine. I still want to get it fixed.
Piston Slap .. you can check this by removing the spark plugs and pushing on the pistons try several as they might be in the up stroke and you will not notice movement , on the down stroke you will notice movement of the piston as you push on it. You could also remove the pan and push pull from the bottom. The other method you can do is pull the head and push from the top.
The best fix is as others said buy a toyota or a honda instead.
I had our lifters and top end intake replaced to find that we still had the noise after i got on the tech they looked it up and in the service bulletin it says that two of the pistons dont fit properly in the block, even went into detail about wear and what to do about it, this is common on all 3.1 liter engines ours got real bad at about 30,000 miles, it was a GM problem that they wont do anything about the fix they say is to replace the tow pistons, we have over a hundred thousand miles on our 2001 and its a little annoying but at this point we are just going to drive it until it breaks or we decide to trade, we only use Mobil 1 oil and change the oil as we should but it beats paying a couple thousand to get rid of the noise. We called the GM regional service rep and they said to bad to sad so our next car probably wont be GM they know about it but wont fix it.
I agree. My girl is a 3.1L V6 Malibu (2000) and still has the same issue
Does it seem to quiet down as the engine gets warm ours does after it gets warmed up good there is actually a service bulletin on this and it says that two of the pistons are what is causing this and that it wont do any damage but how can it not be. ours gets quiet once the motor warms up good but it is annoying and we paid big bucks to have the lifters and top end redone before we found out about it and yet they wouldn't do anything at all to fix the problem the bulletin says to replace the two pistons with the correct ones well my thing is why didn't they fix or recall these engines once thy found out about it.
***** Thanks to the Bankruptcy and Bail out plan, GM is really under no obligation to help. That and that these motors are well out of production and by this time, the car should have been sold or scrapped.
Yes I would tell GM too bad too sad - because I am teaching my kids what kind of car to never ever buy ... its a Garbage Motor..
I had a knock in my 93 ford tempo, tho't the engine was gona go .... dumped 5 ounces of Seafoam in the Oil, ran it for 1 week about 200 miles, then 1 week later dumped a whole can of Seafoam in the gas tank ... my car has never run better, the knock is gone and it has more power than it's ever had I love Seafoam
When I tore the Engine apart to do the valve lifters, I noticed one of the Rockers in the front of the engine, had a little play with it. I took the oil filler cap off and listned inside the valve cover and didn't hear any ticking from in there. I tightened them back down to the factory specs so I am really unsure whether or not it would be them but I will definately check it out. If it is a rocker arm could I just replace them or could the threds be stripped? or both? Thanks.
What car companies did was they tried to reinvent the piston by changing the design, bad move. Again just google Piston Slap and you will see others have the same problem.
@PkerMechanic Hey thanks I DID notice when I put the engine back together that one of the Rockers on the front side had a little play but not much. However I had the oil cap off and I listned inside the valve cover and I did not hear any noise coming from there. Maybe it is on the back side of the engine. I tigntened them down back to the specifications in the repair manual in the ALL DATA program. Do you think I would be able to tignten that down or do I need to get a new Rocker arm?
Question 1 how long was your intake manifold gasket leaking. if it was for a great deal of time then it will be your rod bearing. very easy to fix just drop your oil pan and you will see your rod bearings going around your crank. you will have to Mike the crank to see what size rod bearing you will have to get. if it didn't damage the crank too bad then you can just get by with a little over size rod bearing set . but Mike it first that way you know what size rod bearings you will need to go get then slap your new rod bearings on torque your bolts flush the engine to get any loose particles out do a oil change start it up and that should take care of your problem
Very common issue with the 3.1 My malibu has 277456 on the dash it was tapping tike crazy i thought it was the lifters so changed all the lifters still had the same problem so then i took off valve cover and took a listen up top put a stethoscope to all the rockers and noticed that it was valves tapping and there is no adjustment called a couple part stores and found that chevy put out updated lifters that are slightly bigger so changed them and my noise was gone
Whoa 277456 miles are u serious? I hope mine lasts that long I got 107500 on my dash.
Don't worry it probably wont last that long. I replaced Water pump at 123K, 175K, Harmonic Balancer, I am sure I am forgetting some thing, Piston Slap and un-runnable at 180K , AC compressor twice, condenser once, windows motor once, ac controls like all the time, fan blower.
Strange I had an 85 Plymouth with 365,000 miles on it. Evaporator core, crankshaft pulley and a carburetor .
did that change anything when you changed the pump please let me know it just started doing it on my 2001 malibu
got rid of it but it is stil running tho!!! knock and all.
im experiencing the same problem, so i pulled the front valve cover and reconnect the plug wires and started the car and the results was "NO OIL FLOW" thur the push rod so im going to replace the oil pump and i will let you know
@TheRodeotwins more serious problem. You should try pulling spark plug wires one by one and start your car. Keep an eye on which plug wire you pulled because if you start it and it doesn't knock, you will know which cylinder your having problems with (Obviously the one that's not firing). But if your car is like mine, The car will not stop ticking no matter what plug wire that I pull so I'm left cluless.....thanks again i will check the EGR valve
if you follow the top radiator hose to the thermostat housing you can look back in there and if you see any coolant back in there, you have a leaking intake manifld gasket. check your oil if it looks milky you have a failing intake mnfld gskt. i had to do mine it wasnt that hard wiring sux tho. if you have to add coolant every now and again your gaskets prolly bad. whatever you do, do NOT use "stop leak" or any other product that claims to stop coolant leaks bc they dont work x perience talking
Rocker arm issue. Mechanic just fixed this today on a 3.4 impala.
My 99 Chevy Malibu 3.1L V8 started out as just stalling when in idle. And then it just stopped running all together. We got it to start up today and it was making that same noise and running rough. I have no idea what's going on with it. Any ideas???
+AirplaneFreak NO!! They are very reliable. I have 240,000 miles on mine. The biggest cause of engine failure on these is the intake gasket leak goes unchecked for months, and by then the damage is already done the the bearings, etc. I know these cars Do have a few problems, but with a little care, they can run for a very long time.
Check you iac sensor ( idle air control)
My old malibu same year had a wet manifold but I recently bought another one but all is dry with 151,000 kms on her, she has a bit of a knock and AC Clutch Clang
typical chevy car i know a few people who have had problems with them. now my truck wich has the 5.3 liter v8 with 177,800 miles has not needed a single thing done to it yet other than basic maintnence
did you measure and size the pushrods. the only adjustment on this motors valve train would come from sizing the pushrods
Can you let me know what you did to solve this issue? Any feedback would be appreciated. I have this weekend to fix mine.
I love my 2000 Malibu. The engine has started clicking when I start the car. It goes away after a few minutes of driving. And the click is getting worse. Not real bad, but annoying. I am thinking that it is the oil pump. I went through the comments, and very few point to the oil pump. Am I crazy and biased? Help.
yea i think thats the problem i wanna do it myself before the car really starts giving me problems it hasnt yet how much is the new intake manifold gasket around i wanna order them and fix it myself i hear if the coolant leaks into the oil the pistons and rods get messed up and thats how that famous rod knock starts thank god it hasnt on mine but i wanna get it done before it really becomes a bigger problem
Could be a broken camshaft also and the fix is to replace the engine.Washes out the cam bearings and the block is junk right away.3100s are known for this and have seen a few do this.
If the camshaft was broken the engine WILL NOT START or BE RUNNING...
@@stephenscott4019 I have seen this,these were running
my 2000 malibu has the same annoing engine knock and i just discoverd the intake gasket, i think we should just forget about finding the problem and throw them in the derby
the rocker studs are notorious for stretching the threads on the 60 degree V6 with aluminum heads....causes pushrod noise...which is what it sounds like on this. that or you got a sludged engine.
Cómo lo soluciono saludos desde México
having a similar problem with my car. same engine. replaced the head gasket and front cylinder head. when i start the car it will have the same noise, it will also shake and clear white smoke will come out. After a while its like if the damn thing was choking then turn off.
it's a chevy u have to pay attention to the block some had other parts and blocks were made at other plants lifters also changed from engines
I have a 2000 malibu with only 43,525 miles and im heering that same noise but it only happens when the engine is up to temp. It might take 10 min or so to kick in depending on the weather. Im not sure what it is.
I have a 2002 Chevy Malibu and it knocks something terrible how do I fix the problem?
Junk the car and buy a Toyota instead. GM is notorious for piston slap, blowing head gaskets and leaking intake manifold gaskets, and rods knocking! Mostly on 3.1 and 3.4 SFI V6 engines. I've seen it on quite a few Chevy, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac do exactly the same thing.
It's a piston wrist pin. Its the pin that connects the piston to the crank rod arm.
Hello, you gave the actual failure malubi 3.1 ru? Might you tell us what happened with your engine?
Hello, you gave the actual failure on your Malibu 3.1? Might you tell us what happened with your engine?
Did you ever find out what was the problem thanks
I have a 2003 Chevy Malibu LS and replaced the Head Gasket at 72,000 miles. Chevy made a piece of crap by using a plastic gasket that eventually broke apart and had to be replaced usually at the 80,000 mile mark. No tech bulletin on this. Watch out for the fuel pump needing to be replaced at around 90,000. Then at 110,000 the front ABS sensor cables will also fail. Never buying a Chevy car product again. Trucks yes Cars no. No wonder they needed to be bailed out.
Rocker arm coming loose, allowing a minimal play with the pushrod...seen it before..it will get worse..although it is hard to totally pinpoint the noise on the video.
Did you ever find out what was wrong
@bnthyasd Fit kit that I had to cob job in order to fit. I wanted to put a flowmaster on mine but it's really only a malibu.... So you are a mechanic?
@coolio8444 well if it were, i would be able to see and smell the exhaust fumes which i cant. Thanks tho.
@chris10350 Yeah when i first bought the car an oil change is the first thing I did. I ended up torquing the filter in order to get off. It was a bitch and the oil wat pitch black. I bought it with 56,000 miles on it and it now has about 72,000. Like I said before I do all my oil changes myself and in a timely manner. I put on a Weapon R Cold air intake on mine and it doesnt do shit. I wouldn't recomend getting one because I bought the one specifically for my car and they still sent a universal
Same here mine needs some channel iron just under the door its rotted completely
I have a 2001 Chevy Malibu I replace the head gasket the intake manifold gaskets my car is still getting water into the engine what do you think it is
i have a 2002 chevy maliba and i had to replace the head gaskets and five day after i got it back i went out to get in it and heard this knocking noise i took it back to the place i got the head gaskets fixs and they look at it and said it lost oil presure he reprimed it i am wondering if my oil pump is going out if any one could help with this or has gone throw this let me no thanks
thats your rods and bearings in the bottom of the motor that means new motor or car i had the same problem and my motor locked up on me
Did you ever figure out what was the problem with your engine?
wrist pin slap or rod bearing.. wrist pin with care can go about 80 thousand miles the rod and crank can't... fix as soon as possible
Hell yeah if she wasn't my everyday driver that would be the case...
Remove the valve cover gasket and see that not all of the rocker arms are getting oil. I changed the oil pump and it fix it
I suspect this is the case with mine no oil getting up the pushrods I put an oil pressure gauge on and it reads 60 PSI cold though. Maybe there is a blockage somewhere? Don't the lifters push oil up the pushrods? I wouldn't say there's a knock just a top-end clattering
That sounds like the holding bolts for the lifters.. The lifter is coming apart. Youy will have to RE-THREAD the bolt hols and put a helix coil to hold the bolt better. Its a casting flaw. I have done 9 cars like that one in the video
CHARLIE ARROYO thats whats wrong with my 2003 chevy venture
2.20.16. I think your speaking of, the stripped rocker arm bolt thread holes in the aluminum head. It happens because when the rocker arm bolt is loosened,The cam is lifting the valves, it is putting a lot of tension on the rocker arm bolt & the aluminum threads. Either use the Lisle 48300 pushrod removal tool or make sure that every cylinder is at TDC on its compression stroke, when loosening or torquing the rocker arm bolts! TimeSerts are superior to HeliCoils, for thread repair in this application. ⚙🔧
Steven Sapyak - That’s a mighty savvy reply. Sounds right to me. This sort of thing never happened with my 351 Windsor V8. Bought my Malibu used & fixed a stripped #2 spark plug hole with a repair kit last year. Replaced the belt yesterday & discovered the alternator was improperly installed & drooping down at a slight angle which tore up the inside edge of the old belt. Runs smooth as silk now, but still tapping on startup. Looking forward to hoisting & restoring this V6, but if I hit the lottery I’ll scrap it.
hi everyone I have a 2002 Chevy Malibu with the 3.1L i noitce my car is making more noises and can anyone tell me the symtoms of the intake manifold failure im concerned i dont have money but i need to know
if you change the lifters and it still ticks you have worn pushrods or cam. most likely pushrods
Yep, Thats piston slap, GM won't fix the problem because they don't think there is a problem, I have a 2000 Malibu and still have it. Mine started when it only had 30000k on it. I have over 200,000 on it now, so to GM credit, yes the motor didn't blow up, but it is annoying. On some cars and trucks it has caused damage to the motor and others it hasn't, Nook on wood. Just google Piston Slap and read all about it.
push rod sounds bent they are connected to your lifters replace them and it should run smoothe they are around 3 bucks a piece at autozone or advance auto
I have a similar problem. A very noisy 3.1l. Do you guys recommend that I replace the motor with a 4-cyl or a 3800? I really don't want to mess with another 3.1l.
2 possibilities. You bought the car from someone who used conventional oil and changed it every 6,000 miles- causing excessive buildup in the engine that is restricting oil flow.
Possibility number 2 - you need to adjust your valve lash. With this type o engine having hydraulic lifters you should have none.
Check your ignition coil
so did you fix that knocking noise ? if so how??
I just had my motor replaced. same engine, same car. it was a camshaft going bad. remove the lifted and you will be able to see it.
My motor used to sound like that then we'll.... look at my channel. It went to motor heaven. With only 109k miles
it might be piston slap, its a common issue in these engines....
@bnthyasd Ok Fellas, I have a 2000 Malibu and did not ever have that problem, But...I do think I know what it may be...It sounds to m
My engine knocks the same way this one does but only after 2000 RPM
needed a timing chain and tensioner
Traducción por favor
i changed all the gaskets,1 bent push rod and exhaust valve then tighten bolts in the proper order and torque and all wires and hoses in proper spots with new antifreeze and oil but my cars sounds like this and wont start czcams.com/video/sPobrxCHzcM/video.html
should i do what their doing or is it something else
I have that same sound in my 2006 uplander. HELP!
it's a rod knock need rocker arms tightened. Pull the spark plug wire one at a time to diagnose which cylinder it is.
I hate to be the bear of bad news but most likely, your engine is shot! Common problem with GM engines, piston slap and worn out rods. I would ask this mechanic I use on youtube, Scotty Kilmer. He answers questions for free. But if he says the same thing as what I said, Junk the car and buy a Toyota instead. They don't have those problems and can run foreverrr!!
You got a bad lifter probably lost a roller bearing!
me too.....
Replaced your coil
hey i know what it is it's the Engine try looking there
Botadores
pues yo no pienzo lo mismo
Pistons slap in these engines and their noisy.
son los botadores son 12 los que lleva
mi carro usa el mismo motor y suena igual, le cambie los botadores y las cucharas, y no es piston porque tengo un año usandolo asi y no humea y no se a roto el motor, a mi parecer que es la cadena de tiempo estirada.
Drexar ¿Tú crees? Tengo el mismo problema en mi Malibú 2003 pero me da miedo sacarlo así, me dijeron que suena como si estuviera a punto de desbielarse
V6 not V8
The stalling and rough running issue comment you posted was 2 years ago. Did you find out what it was? I was thinking It might be a bad spark plug or it could even be a stripped spark plug hole.
I bought a 97 malibu junker with a 3.1 v6 off a used lot in Pennsylvania and drove it west through Death Valley. At Yosemite valley, CA. it was really struggling and running rough up and down those mountains. I had a mechanic do a quick diagnostic, and it was a stripped spark plug hole on the #2 plug. Easiest one to reach, fortunately. Glad I brought my sockets. A woman in a Yosemite gas station convenience store suggested electrical tape as a temporary thread seal. Bingo. It worked like magic but I had to change the tape every day. I bought a spark plug tap&repair kit at a local Napa when I arrived in Oregon and now it’s permanently fixed.
@l3lackout77 ??????
Time for a new motor....
Nothing you can do about knocking unless you re machine the whole thing not worth it
Then Pull apart the engine and stop whining about it.
I believe its a rod knock, the bearings on the connecting rods are gone. that's the main problem with GM's 3100,3400,3800 series engines
lmao haha