I have a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT 3.4L and looking mechanic to fix it up. The car has 100,xxx miles on it and is in need of a the typical Grand AM repair.
What I think the problems are;
Intake Manifold gaskets
I also have been told that my timing may be off.
There is also a few more problems with the car but if someone is interested helping me out and making a few extra $$ please let me know.
I would check your Plugs and Wires before you mess with timing. Are you getting any skipping or just poor performance? You could have a bad coil. Unlikely you have bad timing at 100k.
As far as the LIM/UIM gaskets; get a Felpro kit and some high temp silicone. It is a very straight forward job. You can do it yourself with VERY basic tools and about 4 hours. Most shops will charge you about $700-$800 just for this job. I had mine repalced twice on my 99 Grand Am GT. I had a shop do it the first time but I did it the second time. Make sure you torque the manifold down evenly rather than 40 - 50 - 60 - 50 - 40 (Or whatever the stack up is) per the service manual.
In order to check for a LIM leak; look at the block underneath the head. You will see “stains” from the coolant pooling on the block itself. Also, check the valve cover for sludge and foam before startup. If the leak does not look severe you can get tablets from GM to drop right in your coolant bottle. It does not fix the problem but you can drive about another month without losing a ton of coolant.
Another thing to check is the water pump. That Dexcool likes to eat the shaft bearing on the pump over time. There is a weep hole on the pulley itself that eventually corrodes the bearing. Nice design GM.
When I had a 3.1L grand am (same basic engine) I had to have the heads shaved as it was a leaking head gasket rather then the LIM. The LIM is an easy job like mentioned above. If you need to have it done I think Don still does work and is a great guy.
pm carnut. best mechanic around hands down.
You have a PM. Thanks for the kind words guys. 
two words: Isolator bolts.