In the General Fiero because these engines are popular Fiero upgrades. I suspect these are for 3800 equipped vehicles.

GM is recalling cars from 97 and later years due to the danger of oil leaks causing fires. The news brief didn't indicate which engine, but it was for Grand Prix, Monte Carlos, Buick Regals, Chevrolet Impalas and Luminas.

When my wife had her 2000 Grand Prix, we got notice of a recall for the same reason. Valve cover leaks would allow oil to run down on the exhaust manifold, possible causing a fire. Their solution was to remove the plastic raceway that held the spark plug wires just above the exhaust manifold. It took about 5 minutes to do this. Their claim was that if the oil ignited on the manifold, it would then ignite the plastic raceway and spread to the rest of the engine and vehicle. By removing the raceway, the danger of spread was eliminated. GM AND NTSB were responsible for this weak and lame repair. The required fix should have been to fix the cause of the leak--that being the valve cover gaskets and seals.

Quote from AutoBlog addressing the original recall:

The recall affects various Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac models equipped with normally aspirated versions of GM's much-utilized 3800 3.8-liter V6.

Apparently, some of these engines can drop oil onto the exhaust manifold during hard braking. If that manifold has gotten hot enough and the oil dribbles below the heat shield, it can start a small fire. The flames can then engulf the plastic spark plug wire channel, potentially resulting in a full-on engine compartment fire.

The fix? Dealer service departments will be asked to remove said spark plug wire retention channel from the front of the engine bay, and then retrofit two new retainers.

End Quote.

I don't know if they removed anything from the firewall side of the engine, but I do know that there was only one raceway cover laying in the trunk of her car when I got it back home. I searched and couldn't find a cause or cure for the current recall.

Edited: One of the Georgia Fiero members just posted on our forum and the problem is still the valve cover oil leaks on the 3800 engines. GM hasn't decided how they're going to eliminate the hazard and until they do, they are again recommending the vehicles be parked outside away from the home.

[This message has been edited by fierofool (edited 10-27-2015).]

Hmm, would it be better to fix the leaks?

My IHC pickup was leaking oil from the valve covers... and it dripped right on the exhaust. No fires, but it did smoke a lot

I finally had to change the head gaskets and replaced the valve cover gaskets. Problem solved.

Ah... GM... don't fix the problem... just redirect the oil

Your IHC is at least 50 years old. It has a reason to leak. Many of us over 50 are leaking fluids, too. You did something bean counters and engineers avoid. First, admitting the problem, then going direct to the fix.

quote Originally posted by fierofool: Your IHC is at least 50 years old. It has a reason to leak. Many of us over 50 are leaking fluids, too. You did something bean counters and engineers avoid. First, admitting the problem, then going direct to the fix.

'73... with cork gaskets. They were pretty crisp after all these years

I would think that with modern gaskets, oil leaks wouldn't be present, in a modern engine. Well... at least it SHOULDN'T be an issue.... silly GM.

quote Originally posted by jaskispyder: My IHC pickup was leaking oil from the valve covers...

Thread hijack time....

IHCs are cool. I always wanted a Scout. Unfortunately by the time I became interested they had all pretty much disintegrated due to the Illinois salts.

GM has been lax for many years on fixing manufacturing defects. My first new car was a 72 Vega GT wagon. Outside of premature corrosion, their engines use oil. GM replaced my engine when oil consumption got down to 1 quart/350 miles. replacing that engine with a "new one" that use oil at 1 quart/1000 miles right out of the box.

My 83 Pontiac 6000 LE had issues with a cracked steering box, something I discovered after spending $700 replacing the steering box. I traded that for my 87 GT and still have it.

My 06 HHR had a recall for the ignition key (I didn't have any issues) but took it in for the recall which the dealer fixed, but the new key didn't work in the door lock and was told the door cylinder was "worn" and I used the key fob to open the door. The was a few hundred to replace the door cylinder. GM ignored the key issue for nearly a decade and a hundred died as a result.

GM as most auto manufacturers want you to lease a car for a few years then lease a new one. The age of the "disposable" car.

quote Originally posted by Old Lar: My 06 HHR had a recall for the ignition key (I didn't have any issues) but took it in for the recall which the dealer fixed, but the new key didn't work in the door lock and was told the door cylinder was "worn" and I used the key fob to open the door. The was a few hundred to replace the door cylinder. GM ignored the key issue for nearly a decade and a hundred died as a result.

I took in my 2011 HHR for the recall, they just changed the ignition, and matched the existing keys... I thought. Maybe not.

GM isn't the only one, all car manufacturers put a price on your head. Ford had the exploding Pinto, Jeep has the same, a lot of air bags that shoot out lethal shrapnel, every day now they're having new recalls.