This is a 2002 Pontiac Firebird with the GM 3.8l 3800 Series II Engine. This vehicle came in with an large oil leak on the engine and an oily substance in the radiator. The antifreeze was mixing with engine oil. The problem is common with this series of engine. The lower intake manifold gaskets deteriorate and case coolant to leak into the engine oil, oil is also allowed to contaminate the cooling system resulting in the fouled coolant and soft radiator hoses. This is multi part repair and is somewhat difficult in this particular car due the firewall and wiper cowl location. We will remove the intake plenum and lower manifold valve covers, and the engine accessories such as alternator, belt, and the tensioner. In this case the belt tensioner also has a heater core bypass built into it so there is engine coolant in the belt tensioner as well. Part one will be the teardown, part two will be engine assembly and the final part will miscellaneous assembly, fluids, cleaning and final inspection. This video is part one of this series. As mentioned in the video this vehicle was featured before due to catastrophic A/C system failure. See links below for all past videos.
Check out our Website/Merch HERE: https://www.RainmanRaysRepairs.com Look for links to our other channels, appointment and contact info, and our new merch lineup with custom T's fitted hats and MORE!
Wife Unit unveils our custom tumblers and mugs https://youtu.be/5Q2DWBes258 also found at https://www.RainmanRaysRepairs.com
Part 1! About to EXPLODE! Pistons Coming Apart Pontiac Firebird! https://youtu.be/-sR2_tNhY6M
Part 2! Compressor Damage took out the whole System | Pontiac Firebird Camaro S-10 Buick https://youtu.be/4N1UsUrjQAI
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Located in Florida? Need work done? Visit www.RainmanRaysRepairs.com
Check out my Merchandise shop for Men's and Women's Apparel, MUGS and Stickers at http://www.RainmanRaysRepairs.com
Mountain 5-Piece Metric Double Box Universal Spline Reversible Ratcheting Wrench Set; 8 mm - 18mm, 90 Tooth Design, Long, Flexible, Reversible; MTNRM6 https://amzn.to/3OJTRp2
Astro Tools 78450 HD Harmonic Crank Pulley Puller - GM LS, Ford Coyote, GMC, Chrysler, Dodge & Jeep, Black https://amzn.to/3STBrX9
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Also, I personally use or have used the products featured in my links and only recommended them if I feel they are of good quality.
#mechanic #repair #autorepair #restoration #wifeunit #brakecleanmafia
”Intro Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio”
Thanks to Jesse for making the intro and graphic for us to enjoy!!!
ABOUT OUR CHANNEL
Our channel is about general automotive repair and maintenance . We cover a large variety of automotive services and repairs in a privately owned independent shop.
Check out our channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/ @RainmanRaysRepairs
and the Off Duty Channel here: RainmanRay Off Duty https://www.youtube.com/c/RainmanRayOutoftheShop'>https://www.youtube.com/c/RainmanRayOutoftheShop
Don’t forget to subscribe!
Check out our Website/Merch HERE: https://www.RainmanRaysRepairs.com Look for links to our other channels, appointment and contact info, and our new merch lineup with custom T's fitted hats and MORE!
Wife Unit unveils our custom tumblers and mugs https://youtu.be/5Q2DWBes258 also found at https://www.RainmanRaysRepairs.com
Part 1! About to EXPLODE! Pistons Coming Apart Pontiac Firebird! https://youtu.be/-sR2_tNhY6M
Part 2! Compressor Damage took out the whole System | Pontiac Firebird Camaro S-10 Buick https://youtu.be/4N1UsUrjQAI
Support the Channel with a Like and Subscribe!
Become a Channel Member or visit Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/RainmanRaysRepairs
Visit our Second Channel on YouTube, RainmanRay Off Duty https://www.youtube.com/c/RainmanRayOutoftheShop'>https://www.youtube.com/c/RainmanRayOutoftheShop
Follow on Twitter (X): @RainmanRay4Real
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/ @rainman_rays_repairs
Located in Florida? Need work done? Visit www.RainmanRaysRepairs.com
Check out my Merchandise shop for Men's and Women's Apparel, MUGS and Stickers at http://www.RainmanRaysRepairs.com
Mountain 5-Piece Metric Double Box Universal Spline Reversible Ratcheting Wrench Set; 8 mm - 18mm, 90 Tooth Design, Long, Flexible, Reversible; MTNRM6 https://amzn.to/3OJTRp2
Astro Tools 78450 HD Harmonic Crank Pulley Puller - GM LS, Ford Coyote, GMC, Chrysler, Dodge & Jeep, Black https://amzn.to/3STBrX9
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Also, I personally use or have used the products featured in my links and only recommended them if I feel they are of good quality.
#mechanic #repair #autorepair #restoration #wifeunit #brakecleanmafia
”Intro Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio”
Thanks to Jesse for making the intro and graphic for us to enjoy!!!
ABOUT OUR CHANNEL
Our channel is about general automotive repair and maintenance . We cover a large variety of automotive services and repairs in a privately owned independent shop.
Check out our channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/ @RainmanRaysRepairs
and the Off Duty Channel here: RainmanRay Off Duty https://www.youtube.com/c/RainmanRayOutoftheShop'>https://www.youtube.com/c/RainmanRayOutoftheShop
Don’t forget to subscribe!
That bracket loosening was painful to watch. But not as painful as it was to do, I'm sure! It takes a special kind of persistence to be a mechanic. Great job.
Ray, I find these videos so therapeutic. Not being Bill gates, I've always had to drive a lot of P.O.S. vehicles and have a few right now. One 2000 V-8 AWD explorer and a rusted out 99 silverado. Throw a perfect (stored) '87 MR2. I'm always working on something. But being 55 with a 30 year old spinal fusion and a work damaged index finger that won't bend anymore, this is FAR beyond a one day job for me!
Maybe a month. And there'd be a handful of bolts and brackets left over 😂
Every size nut, bolt, stud… all put on the cowl. There is zero chance I’d get this top portion back together. Kudos Ray.
Reminds me of my last car; a 1996 Z28. I always wondered how they got that engine in the car to begin with. I'm amazed by what you accomplish on a daily basis!
I truly believe that automotive designers and engineers laugh themselves silly because we who repair suffer so much because of their … stupidity ?
When we need to drop an engine just to change a spark plug ???
Hi Ray, probably the person is from the UK we just refer to them as Nuts and Bolts you in the USA refer to them as fasteners, same thing.
how on earth does one remember where each bolt goes after amassing a pile of them after tearing down?
Car designed so when there is a problem, customer buys a new car? Really looks like they went all out to make maintenance as difficult as possible.
WWJD on rear brackets:
Jason would put them back on. You can't deny the next guy the pleasure.
I don’t understand these terrible gaskets. They haven’t figured out how to make gaskets that keep working?
What's with the doctors phone on hold music 🎶 😅😅
Ray, you have the patience of a saint. That design on this Thunderchicken would make me lose my religion.
Respect ray working on those engine with little space
I do not know why GM shoves half the engine under the cowl. It is not mechanic friendly at all.
Man, watching you fight with those bracket bolts on the back of the valve covers reminds me of that one meme..
A ratchet "Please come loose."
A bigger ratchet "I hope it comes loose."
An even bigger ratchet "I wasn't asking."
An angle grinder "You should have listened."
An oxy-acetylene torch "It can't be tight if it's a liquid."
Keep it up! Even though I'm not particularly mechanically inclined, and don't even own my own vehicle, I've enjoyed watching every one of the videos you put out.
unbolt the tranny mount and lift the back of the trans to get that bolt out.
now i know what i was doing wrong taking the fuel lines off.
i had a 91 olds cutlass with a 3.4-liter dohc engine I loaned it to a friend and the three back sparkplugs popped out while they were driving. her boyfriend sort of fixed it but the plugs were still loose and the helicoils came out with the plugs. they drove it that way and returned it to me saying this car has no power. took the engine out and almost had it rebuilt then the neighbor caught the town on fire and burned my house and garage down.
Trolls are the folks that got picked last in dodgeball in school because they know for a fact they suck at life. Keep customizing folks. Haters gonna hate. I for one enjoy seeing custom vehicles and the people who drive them.
Screw the trolls! Everybody thinks that they have a “better” way but the trolls don’t understand that sometimes we simply have to deal with what’s in front of us. The trolls probably can’t do 99% of this or haven’t tried. They simply watched Eric O or Ivan the Russians videos and they are now “experts”. Eric O does give a better reach around 😂. I love these videos and wish I could still do this stuff. I broke my back and hip so I watch some of these like my ex watched murder mysteries.
I think the joke about the fasteners is that they dont make things go fast. They keep things from moving so they should be called stoppeners… but that might be beyond a dad joke. More of a dud joke… 😂
🇺🇲👍……………🍆🇨🇳
…This one job looked like one that would have been easier with the ability to utter a few (or more than a few) choice expletives…😂😂😂
Better to take the engine out!
Ray has an astounding memory for putting complex stuff back together.
A Firebird with Ferrari hubcaps…
…does that make it a "Pegasus"?…
I think “Duck” Tape has become an acceptable way of saying “Duct” Tape because saying the 2 – T’s is a little bit daunting where as the “K & T” together flows more easily. That is our English lesson for today, y’all.
Ya know, if you leave the “K” & the “T” off, you still have “Duc Tape (still pronounced Duck Tape”).
I can do these in my sleep, RWD Fbody included xD Use Fel-pro problem solvers and be done with it!
What a PAIN of a teardown, working under that firewall hole !
I love every single video you put out, and I haven’t complained about anything, but I have to ask. What’s up with the meditating / elevator music? I’m not a fan of that. I like it better without the music. I like all the background noises and radio music that gets captured by accident.
I mean unless your going for a “Bob Ross” kinda thing in which case your on the right road. 😅❤
'Firechicken"(ugh)…. GMC's best kept "Secret" Customizations all to one side.. its not my choice of a sports car(thos others do LOVE this style of car) I'm a 70's MOPAR guy…. gimme that old style Distributor with the points gap anytime!(Minus the ballast resistor of course)
What a perfectly timely video, I'm about to start this job on my 1998 Firebird with the 3800 this weekend. Has a rebuilt engine but for some boneheaded reason they installed plastic gaskets on it, and the upper is leaking. Might as well do the lowers too.
I've been waiting for you to zip tie that wiring harness up out of the way and I wonder how many little bits and pieces of debris have fell down into that motor
Wow…. with as much of a pain as this appeared to be, I wonder if it would have made sense just to drop the drive train out the bottom? Or is there sub frame shenanigans that would require an alignment after?
New drinking game, chug anytime he says “penetration”.😂
That bracket would have been lost in a boating accident! 😂
With rear main seal in play maybe drop the front cradle to simplify life
Ray the way you work on a firebird motor is to pull the body off
I enjoyed watching this video since I did the same job and then head gaskets on my 2000 Camaro with the same engine. I put the updated metal coolant elbows on mine as well as replaced the coolant line clips that go onto the housing with a aftermarket kit.
Dear Ray, How much time is saved on the average repair job using your "electron ratchets/impact wrench" vs non electron. Also, has this reduced the official book time on jobs? Thanks.
Me thinks it would have just been easier to just pull the engine on this one. Although, having not worked on this GM before, you might have still had to pull at least the upper off to get the engine out. Either way, great job not losing your cool on getting those behind fasteners out.
To remove right hand valve cover, remove engine from vehicle. talk about a royal pita!! And the top end of the engine was off no less..good grief!!! Whoever put that bracket on at assembly overtightened that bolt for sure.
I wonder what the actual procedure calls out for as doing valve cover gaskets. Somehow i would not be surprised if it involved removing at least the upper intake.
That was hell Ray…why they shoved the engine so far back under the cowl is a question i would love to ask the idiot engineer who put it there.
But this is a good example of why removable cowl and wiper stuff has come into being.
Go have a couple of cold ones Ray…you have incredible patience with not choosing certain words as you are in battle with fasteners.
High fives !!
I must say that I'm enjoying the music you have playing in the e shop, it's refreshing from the usual pap playing in some shops, it sounds new agey.
omg – How dare you go over the 29.59 minute mark. Actually I like the longer videos. and I appreciate that you upload almost every single day. Keep 'em long !
Would it have been easier to pull the engine?I'm no mechanic, but from what I see on the interwebs, BMWs were designed by crazy engineers.
Had a 2001 RS Canaro that I had to replace the 3800 Series II motor in when I had issues with it ticking and knocking. Found that a piston rod had cracked and partially broke and as we were digging in we found that the oil pan had been painted on the inside from the factory and was flaking into the oil unknowingly. Tried to get GM and the dealer to replace it since that was an issue straight from the factory or wherever the engine was built. Total fight to the finish with no support from either, but after having one of the last 3800's available from a dealer came from one of the Earnhardt's Chevy locations in North Carolina. My favorite car that I owned… 🙂
The return of the FIREBIRD!!!! (Insert eagle sound)
You can buy metal coolant elbows.
Ive never seen a 3800 that wasnt sitting sideways. Neat.
Take out the engine to change the value covers hahaha 😆
Well i am grateful that i have a 1992 Buick Lasabre that will likely require the replacement of the lower intake gasket some time and as it has side mounted engine quite easy to get it apart. Thanks for sharing your expertice and experience.. Gives me a bit of confidence to do this job on my easy car
🏎 😄 👌 👍
universal socket extension is back – yay!
What an absolute nightmare. I'm all for backyard mechanics in australia but that looks like a nightmare and I would hand it over to a professional!!😂😢😅
I, have found Ray that the biggest keyboard critics are most generally the least knowledgeable about mechanical repair. Just their way of feeling good about what they are watching on YouTube. Keep up the good work sir. Most know that you are knowledgeable and doing the repairs correctly including torque when necessary
Wow so that's why they put them in the hardware store under the big fastener sign now I get it lol
What? The 3800 has a wekness?
Usually once i have gone this far, I wip the rockers off, pull the pushrods, and change out the lifters. They are a common failure point, especially if you don't do regular oil changes. They are relatively cheap and the same as the V8.
Those rear bracket bolts you can get from underneath the car on the good old Aussie Commodore!
That is "duck" tape. Duct tape, for heat ducts, is made of a silver foil. They are 2 different tapes.
Hi Ray, since basically the shop is about 6 miles up on 41 I consider that my neighbor. People shouldn’t hate on how others perceive their cars and what little things they do to the car. I think that the Ferrari bird is a cool car, and I haven’t seen it cruising around the neighborhood but when I do I will definitely give the owner a big thumbs up!!! It just looks like a fun car and with the cold weather we’re having, I would be having that top down and enjoying the fresh air before we all go back into AC Mode when the weather gets back to a million degrees and a million percent humidity!! Great Videos Thanks 🙏
Pissing on the trolls.. 😂
AAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤣
"Smooth Alternator" great song.
Not that your dulcet tones are soothing but could we add more chipmunk voice to your videos? Just something about picturing you talking like a chipmunk at 430 am made me chuckle a little bit. Chipmuck car repairs would be a nice series lol.
Horrible engine to work on 😬
Nothing is easy working on those engines in those cars. Spark plug changes were painful.
Looks clean but waaaaay too much ArmorAll on the dash / interior.
Leave it off!
My brother had his mother's mechanical abilities. He checked the dipstick, saw the oil was low then began to add the can of oil into the radiator. Once water and oil pour began to pour out he knew something wasn't right and asked for my help /headsmack.
Jeez Ray, it seems like it would have been easier and faster to unbolt the cradle and pick the car up off of it. At least all of the bolts would have been accessible.
Off topic but curious, was it just me or was the shop music today lofi? 😂
Personally, I love it when you troll us! Fun is important for all, and you have to have some too……….
Btw, also looks like it would almost be easier to drop that flippin engine on the ground to work on. What a pain!
We have to get your Channel to a million viewers
This video makes me miss my Grand Prix even more. The first used car I bought.
For future reference the rear lift eye on 3.8 is easier to remove from under the car and was still a pain in the ass .
no it was not put back on.
I'm actually watching a series on a rebuild of a Ferrari V12. Pretty intense. I like this Firebird – I liked 'em 50n years ago too.
With as hard as Ray works, I hate seeing him on the STRUGGLE BUS! Your a good man Ray!
Can’t read 800+ comments to see if someone else already pointed this out. According to what I’ve been told, the term “duck tape” was used in connection with its original intended use, the sealing of those metal ammo boxes to keep the elements out, and those using it would say that water rolled of the tape “like water off a duck’s back”, and the term stuck (see what I did there?).
In fact, duct tape as it has been called for a long time now, is one of the WORST kinds of tape to actually use on aircon ducts, as it dries out and the adhesive and body of the tape itself falls apart and fails in the heat and cold it experiences in use.
A good professional heating and air technician will use the reflective shiny “chrome” metal tape as it is ACTUALLY designed for that purpose.
What a PITA job. Wonder what the book time was for taking the eninge out and doing them seals off the car? Good effort though.
I would not put it back.
I'm not sure, but I thought this issue was the subject of a recall?
Maybe that was only on the front wheel drive cars?
Your a very good mechanic. myself seeing what is involved I would have dropped the A frame and replaced the motor. or pushed it to the far back yard and let it become a mouse home.
The Ferrari bird Is 1 of those cars You need to have a cuss jar To work on
Wow! Nightmare project. Reeeeeeeeee!
Actaully alot of these cooling problems are from the original dex cool
Great tear down. Man I am on the fence on the useless brackets being reinstalled! I guess I would! Oh and where the heck is the Wife Unit! I missed her in this video!
Engine "Hoist" brackets are junk, and whenever I run across one will remove it. The factory felt removing them (to reuse) after installing the motor was not cost efficient…actually cheaper to make the bracket and abandon it after installation of the motor. Thus, they usually end up just-in-the-way…
And you did ask the opinion question about leaving them off. Consider the 5.3 and 4.8. (2007-1012) Replacing the oil pressure sensor and you will quickly determine this same bracket is just in the way… hence delete!!!
So on this job…take the brackets off and put them with your engine lift, the owner of the car will never know the difference! And you save gas!!!
You need a magnatizer/demagnatizer to help retain the fasteners.
You cant beet the British four bangers so easy to repair a series and b series engines American engine's are crazy big V8s ,how fast do you need to go in Wales 20mph 😂😂.
Hey Ray. Check your own back yard when talking about haters. You frequently hum the Ding, Fries are Done tune which is from a video making fun of the mentally handicapped.
And the Ferrari Bird looks like a dork mobile. Even My autistic 15 yr old would laugh at it.
I had oil in my radiator once. My dumb ass didn't read the bottle. No big deal, though. just pour water in until the majority is floated out. It helps if you catch it before you start the engine.
I feel your pain on this one….
Utterly amazing. I look up to you man…not one curse word…and if ever there was a job that deserved such language…this is it.
Thank you for your leadership. You are the man.
What is your favorite motor to work on?!
Ive got an 89 ford and looking for something to safely replace the motor with, but in general whats your favorite and what do you think would be best engine to utilize?!
Chuck that bracket! I don't understand why manufactures uses brackets to hold brackets? I guess that is why my bolt collection is so big 😃