tech

One of the common problems with the 2.8/3.1 V6 as it ages is a leaky intake manifold gasket. I had this problem and it gave me a major oil leak. To fix it you'll have to pull off the upper and lower intake plenums. If you're a confident do-it yourselfer and you got some time, you can do it in your garage.

This problem is a major headache of many Cavalier, Sunbird and Beretta owners, just a bad design on GM's part I guess. There are few soureces for water leaks. I'll describe the one I had and how to fix it. For other sources of leaks, check out this link on beretta.net

The water leak in my car was on the passenger side up under the dash. Living on the west coast of Canada this can be somewhat of a pain in the winter with all the rain we get. One morning I got in my car and found 2" of standing water in the passenger foot well!!

Well the source of the prob was the plastic housing around the heater blower that sits underneath the cowl plate. It covers a large hole that is almost right above and behind the glove box. The housing is held down by 3 bolts and seals the hole using a thick rubber gasket. The leak developed because over the years the bolts had worked themselves loose and the gasket was no longer sealing properly. All I did was tighten the bolts down and apply some RTV sealant around the housing for good measure. For a picture of the hole click here

Many problems related to the engine can be diagnosed by scanning the ECM (engine computer) for codes. A code is set when one of the parameters for the engine is out of spec(ie. running too rich). When your "check engine" light comes on when you're driving it means that a code has been set. Knowing how to scan and clear the computer can save you time and money by letting you figure out where the problem is, and possibly fixing a simple problem, like a bad oxygen sensor.
The procedure to scan for codes and the code list can be found on here on Dustin Rue's Z24 site
Just click on the link that says "Trouble codes".