Gasket issues on 96 GTS vs. 97?

[GotAViper]

A friend of mine is looking to purchase a 96 or 97 B/W GTS...he says he recalls reading that there was some major gasket issues that a lot of the 96's had that the 97's do not. Can anybody divulge any info if this is the case? Which gasket, how common, costs to fix, and around what mileage or so would the issue normally occur?

Any help appreciated of course!

 

[GotAViper]

Oh and also if there is anything else major between the two years mechanically that he should be on the lookout for, please let me know. As of now, he's leaning more towards a 97 just because of the gasket issue he swears he read about.

 

[99 R/T 10]

Dude, do a search. You know better by now. The gasket issue was on the Gen I cars (92-96 RT's only).

 

[VIPER BAZ UK]

Head gaskets where Gen1's but i believe the early GTS's had intake gasket isues..
Easy fix and not that pricey.....

 

[GotAViper]

Dude, do a search. You know better by now. The gasket issue was on the Gen I cars (92-96 RT's only).

yeah i know the gen 1's had the head gasket issues, I got mine fixed! But yeah I thought there was another issue with the 96 compared to the 97

 

[revived_gearhead]

The gasket issue you are referring to is the gasket for the timing chain cover at the front of the block. I know this first hand because it happened to me. When the gasket fails, it will either let water enter the interior of the motor (oil pan) or leak water externally. If you lucky, it will leak externally so you notice it before contaminating the oil. By time I realized I had a problem, my coolant had completely emptied into the pan. The result was a total tear down and all new bearings, camshaft, lifters and rings. Mine was a '97 GTS. My Viper tech (Tom Sessions) made me aware of the fact that it was due to a crappy gasket used at the time of manufacture. If I purchase another '96 or '97, it will be the first project I'll complete. It was expensive and I rebuilt it myself. Good Luck!

Dwight

 

[Steve-Indy]

Agree with "do a search" for a more complete analysis. That said, I would loosely (and generally) say that the "gasket issues" for early Gen II's would be the above mentioned timing chain cover gasket 96-98 model years and the intake manifold gaskets on early 1997's.
As has been discussed (if not "beat to death"), 1996 Gen II's had more than their fair share of serious oil leaks...including rear main seals, "porous" pans, cam plug leaks, and a few "porous blocks"...to name a few.

 

[Ron]

I would guess that 10 years after they were produced (assuming they have 10k+ miles) 99% of both 1996 & 1997 Vipers had whatever issues they were going to have and those issues were long since resolved. Check the service history and verify.

For example, I've had the timing cover leak (oil only) and the rear cam plug leak, along with a condensor. Door hinges, windshield water leak, sill corrosion and window weatherstrip, plus the frame recall round out my 1996 GTS experiences. All fixed, (except weatherstrip) under warranty, so IF I were ever to sell (which I'm not), the new owner would have no issues related to the 1996 M/Y build.

 

[kcobean]

Dave is finally gonna do it huh Jason? That's great! I agree with Ron, if the car has been driven at all and hasn't failed yet, it's probably fine. You should tell him to check out BJ Motors. Bernie has some NICE B&W cars for sale, and if it comes from Bernie, you know it's clean.

 

[Gavin]

No one here has the issue completely correct - True the 96 and 97 model GTS's had time cover gasket issues.
ONLY the 96 GTS had an intake manifold gasket issue or "TBS" (Technical Service Bulletin)

The 96's had several other 'issues'
Corrosion of the rivets on the side sills
Failure of the rubber seals on the door upright
Failure of the alarm system
Failure of the engine fan

If the TBS's were all done, a 96 would have 97 alarm system, 97 sills, 97 fan

 

[Steve-Indy]

Sorry to disagree, Gavin...1997 Vipers DID have some failures of the OEM intake manifold gaskets...including OUR 1997 GTS (as well as a few other 97's in the Indy area according to the Viper tech who fixed ours).

As the famous JonB noted:

"Correction....... NO 1996s had a TSB covering I/M gaskets. Very few failed, in fact. Beginning w/ MY 1997 Motors, and thru 11/18/1997 only, the gaskets were failing due to improper construction, and waterproofing. They Failed faster in wet/humid climates or on frequently-washed cars. CAAP began using the new gaskets on 11/19/97 and the TSB recommended a retrofit, even without symptoms.

The gasket failure causes a LEAN ssituation, which the PCM/ECU tries to corrcet by adding fuel. Cats can overheat bigtime. But as Wood-man sez...I have also seen this for other obscure reasons


JonB-PartsRack "

 

[revived_gearhead]

Food for thought, my 97 blew the front timing cover gasket at 19K miles.

 

[Johann]

My '97 (August '97 build) lost both the front cover gasket and head gaskets before 12K miles. The intake gaskets were replaced as part of the head repair so who knows if they would have failed too.

 

[JonB]

Sorry to disagree, Gavin...1997 Vipers DID have some failure.........

As the famous JonB noted:

"Correction....... NO 1996s had a TSB covering I/M gaskets. Very few failed, in fact. Beginning w/ MY 1997 Motors, and thru 11/18/1997 only, the gaskets were failing due to improper construction, and waterproofing. They Failed faster in wet/humid climates or on frequently-washed cars. CAAP began using the new gaskets on 11/19/97 and the TSB recommended a retrofit, even without symptoms.

The gasket failure causes a LEAN ssituation, which the PCM/ECU tries to corrcet by adding fuel. Cats can overheat bigtime. But as Wood-man sez...I have also seen this for other obscure reasons JonB-PartsRack "

WHERE DO YOU DREDGE UP MY YEARS-OLD STUFF ? I posted under 4 names since before day 1, and my member # and post counts have NEVER been consolidated!
"WOOD-Man" was BOB WOODHOUSE His-Self who only posted in the very early years, 2 boards back!

This was a "Rapid Action TSB, and MOST were accomplished. Post-Mortem on these IM gaskets revealed a manufacturing defect in the gaskets. That manufacturer reimbursed Dodge for all those replacements, affecting 85% of MY 1997. Concerned? You are almost CERTAINLY fixed or not affected. To be sure, Look down between the itake runners. You can see the gasket itself "stretched" between each intake port. If the gaskets are waffled-wavy, you have problems. If the material is taut and flat, you wont.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL..........

 

[Steve-Indy]

"...The Shadow knows..."

THANKS for adding your far reaching Viper knowledge, JonB !!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to You and Yours!!!

 

[Whoaa GTS]

This past tuesday I went on my last cruise of the year. Car had been leeking a little, and while on the highway my friend noticed my car leeking. Quickly pulled over to assess the situation and it was indeed the timing chain gasket. Funny thing is my friend with the 96 GTS told me to replace it as he had the same issue last year. I ended up getting the car towed which was a job in itself in order to not rip off the splitter but got it home. Ordered the parts from the Wizard the next day.

 

[Lawrenzo]

Just dredging up the past for my incoming '96.

 

[Dom426h]

Congrats Lawrenzo. Just make sure to get any service records that might show the oilpan gasket and timing gasket being replaced. If yes. Great. If not, you know what to look out for if you pull out of the garage someday and notice a drip.

As for the intake manifold gasket, i have the old one and it is still leak free.(think im getting close to 70K miles now...) I do have a new gasket on the shelf for future replacement though...

I would guess that 10 years after they were produced (assuming they have 10k+ miles) 99% of both 1996 & 1997 Vipers had whatever issues they were going to have and those issues were long since resolved. Check the service history and verify.

This is POOR advice that admitidly i used to believe. The Fact of the matter is that to this day, People are posting on these forums about leaks that end up being traced to the above items. If you have a 96-97. Keep this(especially the TimingCover) on your radar.

 

[Dan Aseere]

My 97 had high idol at 2700 miles and it was the intake manifold gaskets. I chose the 97 over the 96 because I never purchase the first year of any car.

 

[slitherv10]

Well i have to say , both of my 96 GTS's are still problem free and I have not put a singal penny in them yet , other then a new battery in one. Crossing my fingers as Im writing this

 

[PDCjonny]

I had timing chain gasket leaks on BOTH my '97 and '98.
The only leakage problems ever and identical on both.