This weekend I went to a salvage yard, you pull the parts. I had 3 cars to choose from years ranging from 2001 - 2004. I picked up a handful of interior parts as well as found an engine cover in a yellow pace car that had 134k miles on it. Mine is missing due to the recall for engine fire and they replaced the valve cover and gasket as well. However I decided to pick up the cover and install it on my car. I have read mixed reviews on putting the engine cover back on the car. I feel since the valve cover and gasket has been replaced and I'm not one of those that spill oil down the side of the engine when I fill it that I don't see this cover being an issue. However I understand GM wanted to cover their bases and remove all plastic near the manifolds.

 

Nice find! Those covers are getting more and more rare because of the recall.

 

Nice find and looks like its in good shape too!

I'll admit, I tend to dislike covers in general. They were really getting carried away with them for a while there - to the point where almost the whole under hood is a sea of plastic covers. IMO it makes the designers lazy, as they can just ignore all of the aesthetics of the engine itself by just slapping covers on top. But I do think the 3800 covers are a nice sweet spot - just enough to clean up the bay without covering practically everything.


I 100% agree with you on that. It was just a cover all bases for people that were doing zero maintenance for the actual cause of the problem.

 

I wouldn't worry about using the engine cover. I have them on 3 of my 4 Monte Carlo SS's and never had a problem. On these Monte's, I personally like them. They hide that ugly plastic intake. My first Monte of this generation was a 2001 bought with 79,000 miles in mint condition. That was in 2005. I drove that car as an everyday work car for the next 18 years straight - no exceptions. It was never stored. Eventually, I reached 378,000 miles on it with the original engine before I had to drive it into the junk yard and pull the battery because the rust was so bad the doors wouldn't open & close properly anymore. So, do the math... I put 299,000 of my own miles on that car over the 18 years I had it on the road and I never had the slightest problem with heat, or fire issues. Yep - that plastic engine cover was installed the entire time. That cover was removed as part of the recall just for C.Y.A purposes by GM. In my opinion, it didn't need to be. My other two Monte's that each have them (2003 & 2004) don't have nearly that amount of miles, but they still don't pose any problems that I've ever seen. I wish I had one for my 4th Monte Carlo, a 2000 Pace Car, but eventually I'll find a nice one for that car too, and I'll put it on.

 

Just adding my 2 cents on the engine cover/valve cover/oi/fire topics.
1. - The GM shop manual calls the engine cover an "injector shield" which implies function/purpose. The recall calls it a "beauty cover" implying appearance only. Surprised no one made the argument about the shield and demand a new "shield" design.
2. - The valve cover and gasket is the same design dating back to at least 1993.
3. - The recall seems to affect only W-Body and not the FWD G-Body (like my mom's LeSabre). A bit interesting if you ask me.
4. - I heard GM had recalls related to oil/fire issues in the past. One was to remove the spark plug wire guide in the front (which I saw in the junk yard, in the Series III 3800 GM re-used that guide but added a tray to allow run-off to drip away from the exhaust). And this current recall to replace the valve cover and gasket, but ONLY the front one and to the best of my knowledge, the design is still the same old design just a different color.

I really feel these are not fixes. Most of the issues are probably maintenance related OR not even oil issues.

And I prefer not to run the engine cover, but I spent some time with my Montes to dress things up. But, I agree with Bumpin, the 3800 covers were a nice design, still allowing the engine to look like an engine. Yet so many are hiding so much to make it look "clean" underneath.

 

Back in 2015 I believe I was working in Tennessee and went to visit one of the forum members down in Georgia. She had a Monte Carlo she named the Black Rose. It was a nice one. I did a custom engine cover for here. I kinda thought she would change it so the one that I did was in a Red mesh and she made it like the expanded metal style. pretty cool.

 

Looks great!!! Nicely done!

 

Dang, looks like a bit of creativity went into Black Roses engine cover, You trying to score some brownie points with her, or even get invited over for brownies? Wonder if Lisa stills has that car, it was sweet, I likes the chin splitter setup she had done to it. Think she got chapped at the forum here over a paperwork issue and bailed on us.

It may be a good topic to start a thread on, previous members or does anyone recognize this Monte thing. Wonder how many are still on the road, We had a few members report they wrecked or popped their motor and they are done with Montes etc. I wonder what happen to John's Turbo Monte, think his engine failed, sold it (had a very valuable tranny and GMPP LSD) but seems like the car never showed back up on the circuit, and it's readily identifiable. Maybe a GP owner bought it for its tranny etc and junked the body?

 

I feel you, you did good scoring a cover and giving it a home. Perfect dress up add on. Least it was even in great condition, keep at it, the Monte wants to eat all your money... lol, you know its true.

 

Never gave that a thought she had her steady boyfriend when I did the cover, I was working in Tennessee and drove over to Georgia when I had some time off. I was on my Fleamarket trip. I stoped to get some Peaches at this fruit stand and they were really small ones so I said to the guy these are Apricots ? right made him mad. I couldn't go anywhere without someone asking about the Dale thing.. then I could say (who is He ) and then they would freak out?!?! lol
She showed me one that someone else did and didn't know how to make one work with cut outs and the expanded metal.
I picked one up at a salvage yard every time I found one. Less than 10.00 usually .The challenge was to make it and see if I could do the customization with out goofing it up. Success I got to sit in here MC but she never offered to let me drive it.