Hey, do the 4th Gen Camaros have plastic intake manifolds on the V6's like FWD cars (Monte Carlos, Grand Ams) do? I just learned this week that GM did that....I had honestly never heard that before. I know it now only because it appears that one has just malfunctioned on my younger brother's Monte Carlo.

I hear that there is a nasty problem with the plastic intakes warping or cracking, as well as general gasket failure, which allows coolant into the engine oil preeeeetty quickly. I wonder, do the manifolds do this only when they overheat, or does the damage happen inevitably?

I would hope that no such joke as a plastic intake ever made its way onto a Camaro or Firebird...seems like a really stupid idea on GM's part....not that GM has had many intelligent ideas in the last 5 years, in my opinion....

 

some plastic can withstand very high temperatures.

 

LS1's use the composite(plastic) intake manifolds.

 

You forgot to add that..... So do the Cadillac Northstar motors (crappiest intake ever.)

 

Are you joking me!!!! The LS1 is one of the baddest motors produced....ever. It will blow most anything out of the water. They respond great to mods, and make power very reliably.

 

You dont think he just meant the intake on the LS1/Cadillac comment?

 

3.8 FWD and RWD do
4.3 vortec in the 96+ s10 does
I belive I have seen some other 6 and 4cyls with them.

What it is, the intake is "split" like ours. The lower intake is still aluminum, the upper section(s) are plastic.

 

Oh, maybe he did mean just the intake, but I have never heard anything bad about the composite intakes on the LS1's and know several people with them, who are making very good power, and not just bolt ons(supercharger on one, and nitrous on the other.) But, whatever.

 

I thought those plastic intake manifolds were just plastic covers and underneath them is metal .

 

the plastic is actually nylon 66. the series 2 3800 is the only "plastic" intake i know gm has a real problem with, the older 3800,the ls1/6,twin cam don't really have problems. and no 4th gen camaro v6 cars have aluminum manifolds.

 

My dads 4.3, that I broke the lower intake. It is plastic upper, with aluminum lower. the middle is the "plenium". On that one, the lower is dead flat, and middle of the plastic is hollow.

I have pic of the lower, but not the upper if people wish to see it, say so. I will scale and attach.

 

I love the motor, hate the intake design. They offer "performance" manifolds for those engines as well, they're made of cast aluminum. I don't like the idea of anything plastic on a motor (except maybe some vaccumn lines). Heck, having a plastic maf scares me, LOL. And, I have seen some warp from heat exposure (Vortech 4.3).

 

I have never heard of a MAF warping from heat. OMG, how hot are those underhood temps. Thats not good for anything under the hood; sensors and such, I mean.

 

I can still hardly believe it...I don't know how I didn't learn about these intakes a long time ago, working in a parts store...the only cars I've seen them on before today were 4-cyl chrysler products like my girlfriend's Neon.

I don't know; I did some research on the web tonight and have read a lot o testimonials about 3.1's and 3.4's in cars like Monte Carlos, Luminas, and Grand Ams that have problems with the intake gaskets blowing and/or the plastic intakes warping or cracking.

the LS1 has it too? Wow...

 

Yup, only ones that have problems are the FWD series II 3800. The coolant going through it sometimes will make the plastic brittle. I've had MANY MANY FWD Series II 3800's that hydrolocked because of coolant leaking into the intake. Infact there is a campaign/recall for it now.

MOST of the other "plastic" intake engines dont have coolant going through the intake. The 1 thing I love about the Gen III small block is no coolant through the intake. Unlike the Gen I/II SBC, doing an Gen III intake ISN'T MESSY!!

 

Dude it's not like every one warps. They work fine and they don't get as hot.

Also, what Vortec 4.3 with a plastic MAF would you be referring to? 96-04 uses an aluminum housing and doesn't get hot at all. Before 96 all the EFI 4.3's used a MAP sensor.....except the turbo 4.3. Not sure what they used....

 

If you're referring to the turbo 4.3 in the syclone/typhoon, they're 2-bar MAP.

 

I want to put that entire drive train into my car. Could you imagine an AWD turbo 4.3 thirdgen??? :drool:

 

Not the Maf , lol. (note to self: Must learn to word thoughts properly...) And Athough there is a VERY slim chance of this happening, it does sometimes, I'd rather have aluminum (metal freak )

 

I JUST want too say so I went to turn on my 2004 Impala it blew up lke a bomb in my itbent hood up 3800v6 it had a plastic uper intake on it in now going to put aluminum on it and plus side of it all I will have better performance ps my engine caught on fire because of it I think the plastic uper intake are a joke and there not safe it was so loud i thought i was dead...