I notice that it appears to be a slight water leak on the left side of the engine between the upper & lower intake manifolds. I did not think water flowed into the upper intake. Any input would be appreciated. I understand the upper intake the black plastic part the TB bolts to has only an O-Ring type gasket is that true??
Thanks

 

check your heater core hoses. mine did the same thing and they were leaking. The only way i was able to find the leak was to have the motor running and rev it a little bit by hand.

and what about an o-ring? the upper intake has a gasket yes and no water does not run through the upper intake

 

Yeah the upper intake is just the black plastic housing for the injectors. Fairly easy to get to and replace. Take off intake, throttle body and a few screws. Dont remove it till u got new gaskets and some cleaner because ur gonna wana do stuff while in there. Change injectors and clean it up a bit..

 

Lower intake manifold gasket leaks are VERY common on this engine. There are several places they can leak, one of them leaves a puddle along the cylinder head and the lower intake, right where you saw it. Felpro makes a redesigned gasket, MS98002T. Several things that must be done correctly throughout the job, ie. prep, clean up, chase threads, seal bolts, proper torque and tightening sequence etc etc. If you follow the instructions to the "T", it will not leak.

 

I looked real close at where it appears to be leaking or where it was leaking. The rust trail is definitely from the front corner of the upper intake. The hose & fitting are clean. I only saw a small puddle of anti-freeze once it was the size of a q-tip end. In 1000 miles I haven't seen any more leaking. So is there a water passage that ends or is blocked by the upper intake? I need to flush the radiator & cooling system but I would like to fix this issue before doing that. I live in hot country & I don't want an issue when it is 120 degrees outside.
Thanks.

 

The OEM gaskets deteriorate and develop leaks at the coolant ports. Typically caused by neglected maintenance on the cooling system. They can leak externally where you're seeing it, and they can leak internally allowing coolant to contaminate the oil. What you're seeing is the beginning on the end. They need replacement, best to flush the system first, then replace the gaskets. Do an oil & filter change & refill the cooling system with Dexcool coolant only. If it's maintained properly, you won't have problems with it.

 

Thanks for that info. I just changed the oil & filter no antifreeze that I noticed but I figured I had an issue that wasn't going to get better on its own. I have a friend that worked for a Chevy Dealership for several years & I think I will take & see if he will do it for me. My time right now is spread way to thin.

 

i would deff love to have an imago that know his stuff cause im dying to get the lower intake out but freaked cause i dont wana destroy the timing when i pull the distributor... the fear mannnn lol

 

Piece of cake... Remove the distributor cap. Bump the starter until the rotor points directly at the "6" on the distributor housing. Disconnect the negative battery cable. Remove the distributor. When you reinstall the distributor, make sure the rotor points to the "6" when the housing is fully seated against the intake manifold. Reconnect the battery cable. Disconnecting the battery cable ensures the crankshaft doesn't move while you've got the distributor out. (As long as you don't move the crankshaft while the distributor is out, you'll be fine.)

 

you are the best my dude