CudaJoe

iTrader: (1)

He got a LHU motor for $750, did the work himself. Frankly I dont think it could have gotten any cheaper than that

omarcamaro

I bought a 09 ss in nov now I checked the build date 10/09 with 1188xx mi have to wait and see how it goes

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

Sure it wasn't 10 of 08? That late in 09 should have been a 2010.

alchargo

Short of having a cheap extended warranty with no deductible. But yes, that price is tough to beat otherwise.

omarcamaro

yea my bad it was 10 /08

ghostmechanic

iTrader: (1)

This is how mine started actually. About a year or maybe a little more before it finally dumped a gallon of coolant into the crank case, my coolant was slightly low. I couldn't find any place where it was going. I added to it. Then a few months later the same thing happened. I never thought about putting dye in it & honestly I never saw any obvious traces of antifreeze in the oil. Then when this finally happened I drove home from work (20 miles), never got on it once & shut it off. My son & I were heading to get groceries & I let him drive. He told me "Dad it says low coolant". It was just a pint or so low. We drove it 20 miles to the store. When we came out it did it again. We limped it home & it dawned on me to check the oil. It was about 3 quarts too full lol. I had actually started pulling the water pump when I finally realized everyone on here was right about it being porous block. It kept dripping on me with the drain plug out so I put it back in. It sat for about 2 more days & I said to myself, if I go out & pull the drain plug & nothing else comes out then it is the water pump. Another 3 quarts of antifreeze came out. So I knew it emptied the rest of the water jacket. That's when I started researching alternatives & found the LHU for $750.

exninja

iTrader: (1)

I surprised you got yours to leak when cold. Must've been a really bad crack. Mine didn't leak when cold (I filled the water jacket after pulling the block to try to find the crack).

But yes, mine did the same thing. I'm not sure how long mine went from a skosh low to peed into the crankcase, but it was a while between.

ghostmechanic

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I'd say it was a pretty bad crack. I've had 2 other cars to work on so I haven't had time to tear it down to see if I can see anything. Eventually I plan to.

CudaJoe

iTrader: (1)

well ****. I better start looking for a low mileage used motor then lol. It hasnt dropped any since last year. Any fluctuation Im seeing in winter, I am assuming its because its cold.

cluelessk

I've once had to add a splash of coolant in my '08 in the 5 years/ 90,000+ mi I've owned my car.

I wouldn't worry too much.

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

Joe I wouldn't worry a whole lot. If nothing else you can get Mongorat to build you a ldk short block with factory parts and it won't cost a whole lot.

ghostmechanic

iTrader: (1)

Honestly I agree with these guys. I wouldn't worry just yet. A lot of my issues were probably our family curse with GM. None of us have ever had a GM vehicle of any type that didn't suffer from some kind of catastrophic failure lol. But I'll be the first to admit I beat on my car more than I should've & I'm sure that had something to do with it lol. I'm the worst about not being able to say no to a street challenge

Lnfmike

I have like 152,000 miles on my stock 2008 lnf. Im assuming im good?

exninja

iTrader: (1)

You're probably fine, just like everyone else.

TL;DR version of the thread: It is unknown how many are affected, but it is likely a small percentage. It can happen at any time.

advise

iTrader: (3)

anyone know the bad casting numbers or how to tell by the block alone
building a gen 2 block trying to avoid this

exninja

iTrader: (1)

I am not aware of anyone figuring out what lots are more affected than others. That info may exist in GM's vault somewhere, but otherwise it's a lot of work and very hard to get the info.

The blocks tend to be from cars with late '08 build dates or early '09.

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

^ this, thinking it was 8-08 to 10-08 that were the most reported.

ghostmechanic

iTrader: (1)

I sure hope this isn't the case but I think I may be having the same issue with the LHU. Or maybe I'm just paranoid? I went to check the oil today & the level is higher than it was the last time I checked it (up past full slightly) & the coolant is slightly lower than I remember it sitting.

exninja

iTrader: (1)

It's highly unlikely your LHU has a cracked/porous block. If you're really worried about it you can have your oil tested, but I'm guessing you're just being paranoid.

ghostmechanic

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I'm pretty sure you're right. I think it's just paranoia. I checked them both again & everything seems fine. Except now I've got a knock sensor code popping up. I think I got a bad tank of gas though because it happened right after filling up. I'm really not sure how much I trust this car anymore.

advise

iTrader: (3)

building a sleeved gen 2 lnf block
dont wanna have it fail on me
taking the gamble i guess
all else fail i have a gen 3 also

ghostmechanic

iTrader: (1)

I just saw a gorgeous Pontiac G8 for sale at a lot. I'm thinking about trading my car off again lol

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

Good luck

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

Feel sorry for the guy who gets it if it's still got the porous block.

ghostmechanic

iTrader: (1)

It doesn't have porous block. I swapped in an LHU from a 2013 Regal GS lol. In fact it runs better than the shitty LNf ever had. I've just always loved those G8s since they came out. I also really like the car they named just SS.