Pontiac Repair: ENGINE, Bonneville hydo locked

Question
My Bonneville engine locked up, but i was able to unlock it by turning the bottom crank. Is it true that the manifo and intake gasket are plastic? A friend told me that water is getting in because the gasket's are made of plastic and it has a crack in it. How much does it cost to have the repair made. Thank You

Answer
Hi James:

My bet it this locked up when you tried to start it up after sitting for a while??? If so then yes the issue is with the UPPER intake manifold plenium just replacing the gasket is a band aid. it will fail again. the manifolds warp from the heat around where the egr tube goes into the manifold. Replace the maniflod and gasket as a pair. If you look on Ebay you can find after market ones that state they are better the the original with reenforcemnet around the erg area. My guess is the whole job would be somewhere arounf $400.00 - $500.00 with parts and labor. The spark plugs should be replaced as well and the oil changed due to the coolant leaking into the cylinders.
Good luck :)