Changed water pump, radiator cap, and checked all hose connections. No leak from these components. Leak is coming from somewhere above the starter. Got different pointers already: leaking freeze plug, leaking head gasket, etc. Feedback please.

 

Hi! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...but it sounds like your intake manifold gasket has failed! VERY common issue with these motors. Please utilize the search function of this site and you will learn more than you ever wanted to know about this! A relatively easy fix,so don't sweat it! Good luck!

 

Thanks! I'm leaning toward this. Only time will tell.

 

Hope you don't have my sort of luck. My radiator was cracked on the drivers side front, a couple inches down from the top AND my intake manifold gasket was leaking as well, drivers side front...hard to see but there. Your best bet is to do a pressure test on your cooling system. Advance Autoparts has a loan-a-tool made just for this job that will tell you if your system can hold pressure or not. If you have a leak, the pressure will decrease over time. I had already replaced my radiator when I pressure tested my system and pretty much knew where my intake gasket was most likely leaking from but the pressure test confirmed it.

 

I'm also leaking out the intake. Not alot but enough to be an issue. Anyone tryed stop leak or anything like that verses replacing the intake gasket or should I stay away from bottle fixes and just do it right? Thanks

 

I would classify changing a thermostat as an easy fix. Having to remove everything from the top of the engine and put it together correctly is time consuming and in many cases frustrating for non-professionals. It was a two day job for me.

 

02Blazer4d - Because time is a big factor and I use my Blazer faithfully every freakin day to commute, I went the bottled route as a quick fix. Dont have the exact type right now but its been at least a week and I dont see any sign of coolant leakage. If I see one drop, there is no other choice but to break the engine down. For now, I will manage.

 

If it's coming from above the starter, I can almost guarantee it's a freeze plug. I had the exact same problem, leaking coolant from somewhere above the starter and the freeze plug was the culprit. Here's a How-to that should help a bit.

 

Don't tell anybody... but I drove my '02 for around a year and a half with Bar's Leak in the system. It sealed the leak right up.

Finally did replace the gaskets, and although the coolant was not leaking at the time, the gaskets were a soggy mess. Although the sealant worked for me, I wouldn't encourage anyone to depend on it long-term.

It's been a long time since I worked as a mechanic, but I was able to get the job done in one 8-hour day (without air tools). Budget the time, work methodically, and get it done while the weather is good.

peace

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If it is the intake and it's leaking externally right now you shouldn't put it off for long. The gaskets commonly leak internally as well, and coolant in the oil isn't good for anybody. If it is the intake you should be able to take care of it in a day or less, depending on your mechanical knowledge. Just keep track of the distributor, that is the worst part.