Hey Guys I'm a Newbie and just bought my first 2 door 2001 Chevy Blazer with the 4.3L in it. I've always loved how the 2 door models look!

Anyway got it for cheep because the previous owner said it needed a new engine. He said he took it to a mechanic and the mechanic said it needed a new engine.

I was almost sure it was a blown head gasket. It runs fine but was using water like crazy. Spitting water out the tail pipe like crazy too and lots of white smoke. Oil was milky brown and was way overfilled. After 5 mins of running and you take off the radiator cap tons of air pressure would release.

Cylinder compression check was good on all cylinders. But #2 had water drops on the spark plug when I pulled it out. the Compression reading also varied from 180 to 210 on the #2 cylinder. As I was tearing it down I found water drops in the Valve cover that hadn't mixed with the oil yet. Once I got down to the head gasket I was expecting to find a visible place where it had blown. But it was all intact.

So I'm clueless now.....

What should my next steps be??? Should I pay to have the head pressure checked or new head? I don't see any visible cracks in the cylinder itself and from all the water it was spitting out the tail pipe I was expecting to see some kind of crack or broken gasket or something...?? Any help much appreciated.

 

Head gasket problems are rare on this engine. #2 intake runner is next to a coolant passage and the intake gaskets are known to leak. When they leak internally, coolant can run into the crankcase causing the oil level to rise. Very possible it was sucking coolant into #2 and leaking internally. The pressurized cooling system is not a symptom of leaky intake gaskets: I suppose if it was low on coolant, the engine could have gotten hot and caused it build pressure though. This would tend to force coolant past a weak intake gasket too. As long as the head is off, you might want to play it safe and have it checked for cracks. What kind of shape was the intake gasket in? Any pix of that?

 

in addition to what Hook said, that cylinder wall is looking kinda rough... I'd say a replacement engine would be cost effective and faster than a rebuild.

 

Im thinking the intake gasket was leaking.Did it knock or did you get to hear it run when you bought it?If it knocked you are better off the replacing the engine.

 

I would tend to agree with Rumblur. Coolant eats the bearing surfaces. Your main bearings are probably toast.

Currently I am doing both options. Swapping engines on my '98 with a "re-manufactured" engine. Engine cost me about $1800.00. I'm doing a swap on this one because I need to get it back on the road.

On my '97 I am doing a re-build. With the cost of the crank kit, gaskets, engine magnaflux, honing etc. I'll probably end up around the $1,000 - $1,200 mark and it will take longer.

 

Hey thanks guys for the input!!

The intake gasket looked to be in pretty good shape. I'll get a pic tomorrow. I did start the engine and test drove it before I bought it. No knocking, no valves ticking or anything like that. But yeah the radiator does build up a heck of a lot of pressure even when its slam full of water in like 5 mins of the engine just idling.

 

Testing the coolant for hydrocarbons will tell 100% if the head gasket is blown.

 

Sounds like textbook head gasket failure but depending how long its been like this and how long it's been sitting just replacing the gasket will only be short term. If coolant got in the oil crank and rod bearings are on their way out now. And it looks to me as if it sat and the cylinder wall got rusty. A new motor will be the best bet. Pressurized coolant within seconds of starting the engine is the sign of a blown head gasket.

 

Im in agreement about the head gasket giving everything I read so far and also knowing that coolant and gas cn eat through bearings if you catch it soon enough its possible that nothing in the lower end got damaged.he did say that he heard the engine run and it wasnt knocking!Do you have an oil gage and what was the oil pressure when the engine was running?Cylinder # 2 is dirty from the rust that seeped off the head and in the cylinder from the coolant but I think it can be saved.I have done it before on engines like this.You just turn the engine over till the piston is all the way to the bottom.Hone it and wipe out all the debris use and oily cloth it will get it all.Check the head for cracks replace if present.Put everything back together do a fresh oil change and fill with fresh coolant.You may save your self from having to change the engine right away at least long enough to get you through winter.

 

Hey thanks 1sttimeJIMMYowner! good advise and much appreciated! The oil gauge did work and has good oil pressure. Someone had asked for a pic of the intake gasket. Gasket looked ok but I'm not really sure what a bad intake gasket on this car would look like. I'm used to working on the Isuzu Rodeo's.