Automotive Forums

97 bonneville, 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 160,00 miles.  It started slowly getting harder to start. Then it would die every 2-5 minutes. I could shift it into nuetral and it would start back up and go again for another minute. The next day it wouldnt start at all. I replaced the fuel filter, still no start. my neighbor has a mechanic friend. He comes over checks it out, and wasnt receiving a reading from the cam sensor. we replace that and still no start. He also discover no reading from the crankshaft sensor, and fuel regulator was bad we replace that. Still no start. so while im turning it over he pulls the spark plug wires of the coil pack one at a time until it finally started and blew out a bunch of white smoke. he told me that it was the fuel burning off. I drove it around the block it ran fine we thought the problem was fixxed.....wrong... The next morning i leave it spit and sputterd a little. Kind of like it was missing. I make it about 3 to 5 miles pull over at a store go in come out, and my wife says its running hot. I put water in it and that colled it down. made it home that day. Next day same thing , mbut made it home and it would not start back up again. The motor is turning over but no start. I finally take it to my friends shop. His dad looks at it for me and told me it was the fuel pump not putting out enough pressure. It would also need new plugs and wires, because the old ones could be fouled out by the fuel. So me and my father in law do all the work. replace fuel pump, plugs, and wires. theres no way we crossed the wires we did them one at a time. we finally get it started it blows out a lot of white smoke. but the first time the white smoke cleared up. and this time we couldnt keep it running long enough to clear all the white smoke.We got it started twice. But almost give up after that. What do you think it could be?  

If you are losing coolant I`d bet you need a intake,Very comon on the series 2 3.8 motor.They are plastic and the egr tube melts the inside and coolant leaks into the cylinders.  

gba281 is correct...may need to replace both gaskets...the upper and lower intake gaskets with new updated ones.There is a tsb issued on the internal leak or external coolant leaking around egr stove pipe.Look at egr passages and look for signs of pitting.Gm 3.1 engine had lots of problems also.The white smoke coming from tailpipe is a sign that coolant is making its way into the combustion chambers.Fuel or running too rich would usually be black smoke.Your plugs would be fouled with white coolant deposits.Are you always adding coolant?may have oil in coolant also.