Ok guys, I've done a bit of searching on this site, and believe I've found a problem I'm having. For awhile now I've gotten the scent of coolant coming from the engine while driving. There's also been some leaking of coolant, although not terrible. The other day, after a long drive of about an hour, I got home and found that there was white smoke coming from the passenger side of the engine. However, it disapeared after about a minute. I've had no difference in power or performance, and all gauges remain normal. However, this latest trouble made it seem as though I have an intake manifold gasket leak, which, as I've read, is common. So, how much should I expect to pay for the repair, if this is what it is? The truck is excellent otherwise, and I've done my best to keep up all the maintenance. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

You are looking at a book time of around 4hrs. You will want to make sure to use the updated, metal framed gasket set.

 

Thanks Kyle-
I got a guy who works for a shop that I will take it to, but what about a rough guesstimate for $$ wise? Like low-to high price? I think he's fair because he knows me, but since he's not an owner, I doubt I'll get a discount!

 

As I do my own work, I am not sure how much you would pay for this job, nor do I know what the going shop rate is in your area. If the shop uses book time for the repair and the going rate is $75/hr, you can expect to pay ~$300 in labor alone. The Fel-Pro MS98002T gasket set is roughly $60 so expect the shop to add to that as well, but demand that they use either that gasket set or a metal framed equivalent. Then you will have coolant to add to the list... I would suspect the bill to be in the $450-$550 range.

If the shop does not use book time, this could be good or bad for you. If performed by a mechanic that has done the job before, 3 hours should be an easy mark to hit, but if the mechanic is either inexperienced, or has not done the job before, 4+ hours could pass before the job was completed.

 

I appreciate the info. I believe that the truck is well worth the price to fix this problem, don't you think? I take a lot of care with all routine maintenance issues, and there's very little rust for a 12 yr old truck. Plus, I like it!!

 

If it is worth it to you, that is all that matters.

If you want to see what this type of repair entails, have a read through this article:
4.3L Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement - DTips.com

It really is more time consuming than anything else. If you had a free weekend and the proper tools, you can do the repair yourself.

 

The replacement of the Intake Manifold gaskets is certainly a DIY job, but you have to have nerve as you will be dis-assembling quite a bit of the top end and you'll be removing a whole lot of parts just to get to the IMG's. I did the job on my driveway last year (it took me over 8 hours with interruptions, wife and kids, etc.) and you will need a good assortment of tools to get the job done (as well as the right parts as Kyle has already mentioned.) It is certainly worth the trouble though! Good Luck.

 

When mine went out I think I got a few quotes around $700. So I decided to do it myself. It wasn't to bad, more time consuming than anything else like people have been saying.

 

If I were you I would insist that they DO NOT use dex cool (GM COOLENT)it is one of the culprits causing the intakegaskets to leak.When I purchased my 05 Blazer the first tingI did was heed the advice of a good friend (A automobile tech) drained it out andflushed it three times and replaced it with Celcius. 140k later and no problems

 

Welcome to a few years ago here. The simple fact is that now, practically all coolants (green, yellow, orange, etc) are of very similar formulation to Dexcool coolant. The problem with the intake manifold gaskets is in the materials chosen were incompatible with Dexcool. Revised gaskets do not have this problem. Many have found that even switching to regular green coolant still resulted in failed LIM gaskets over time. The GM 3800 S2 motors had this same problem along with quite a few others. The revised gaskets have a metal frame to them and are easily distinguished from the older plastic framed gaskets.

Both Dexcool and the LIM gaskets have been discussed in the past. A quick search should turn up the relevant threads. If you would like to continue with your opinions on dexcool, find the rather large, lengthy and quite comprehensive thread on the subject, read through it, then, if you have something new to add, feel free.