Hi

I'm looking to buy a Blazer soon and I contacted a seller today who said the engine had an oil leak - using maybe 0.5 litres every couple of thousand miles.

The cars are very rare here so I can't exactly pick and choose which one to buy, my question is are there any common oil leaks on the Blazer maybe 99-01 and are they hard to fix?

Thanks

 

Remote oil cooler hoses are known to be leaky on these. Other than that, no leaks in particular. I am assuming 4x4. Yes the hoses are quite difficult to replace with the engine in the vehicle and there are two fairly pricey sets (engine to remote oil filter and remote oil filter to radiator). I put AC/Delco on mine when engine was out. However I suggest that the cure for you may be worse than the disease! I personally wouldn't go through what it takes to replace them with engine in place for 0.5 liter of oil every 2000 miles. Now, if you just can't stand any spots on your driveway, then that's another story.......... I would just use it as a tool to lower the price you pay.

 

Thank you for the advice.

I tried asking the owner where the oil was leaking from but I genuinely think he knew very little about the Blazer and cars in general.

I'll probably take a chance on it, as he seems to say other than an oil leak, the engine and auto box are fine. Yes the vehicle is 4x4 4dr

​​​​​​​Thanks

 

Would need to know the year and VIN.

The remote oil filter package routes the lines from the left rear side of the engine to the left front and then up. At the height of the exhaust manifold flex hoses are pressed on and it routes to the left fender where the oil filter sits, then into the radiator and back.

Oil leaks from this location tend to be found on the floor inside and forward of the left wheel. If the car sits on the same spot it is normally not to be found right under the engine. If the adapter leaks it would drip at the rear left corner of the engine and the front drive shaft is normally full of oil. The fender is then normally also covered of oil on the engine compartment side.

Over 20+ years that I've got min blazer I have replaced it once with an OEM and the second time pressed hydraulic fittings over it and got screw type fitted hoses made at a hydraulic shop. Same price here in Europe than the rather expensive OEM replacement.

Reference to the remote oil filter and cooler lines on the 2nd gen.
https://blazerforum.com/forum/tech-a...r-lines-47297/

First gen replacement with hydraulic fittings.
https://blazerforum.com/forum/builds...-cooler-29968/

 

OK, so should it be visible from above if there is a leak or only by inspection underneath?

Thank you for the input.

 

Oh and all UK models are 1998-2001 2nd gen Blazer

 

As it is still the same sh...t they mount on these oil hoses it is relatively easy to find. Should be kind of visible from above. Very long time I had my head and hands in a later Blazer so not exactly sure what it looks like.

What you have is most probably like this:
How To Fix An Oil Leak: Replacing Oil Cooler Lines In A 1999 GMC Jimmy

Has been relocated to below the air scoop and washing fluid tank it seems.

It is the pressed on fittings where the aluminium tubing matches the rubber hose where they normally leak oil. So you will have an oil smear on the underside of the lines. Mostly they leak on all these joints.

One location which could be visible from above is on the front of the left hand fender close to the radiator as it will leak on the bend in the lines from the oil filter and drop onto that surface.

A sure sign that it is the lines is in fact to touch them underneath at the point you can find somewhere abeam the front corner of the left hand cylinder head. If it is wet (even drops attached) it can leave every 48 hours a stain about the size of a 5£ bill.

It can be confusing when looking from below depending if the car has the skid plates or not. The skid plates are another giveaway as the oil tends to pool on the one which protects the front axle.

In all cases get a good flashlight and check below the front crankshaft pulley and aft end of the oil pan where the aluminium casing/cover of the torque converter sits to exclude a leaking simmering. (The blazers are NOT know for leaking engines) but you never know.

Also check the power steering fluid level and the power steering itself - also not a know part to leak but again when buying a precaution. The leaking remote oil lines tend to leave the front left corner of the block a bit of a mess - so it is good practice to eliminate all other possibilities of leaks.

Depending on how good you are in fixing stuff yourself and how well equipped it should be possible to fix nearly anything on a Blazer and the parts can be found relatively cheap.

Cheers


For the daring internetter a source in Russia:

https://cloud.mail.ru/public/Ke2i/naKXkVDoa

 

I fully agree with the posts above (which have a lot of very good info on this common issue). My limited experience with this problem is that the entire oil system is prone to leaks, with the eng. block adapter often being the major culprit. These adapters have o-rings that are prone to failure which, once replaced, often cure the worst of these oil leak issues. These o-rings are said to be somewhat difficult to replace, but it can be done with mostly common tools and some effort. These o-ring should, imo, only be changed out with AC Delco/GM original replacements. Many, if not most, aftermarket o-rings are know to fail within just a couple of years or less, while some fail to seal from the very beginning (even when the job is done correctly). And, as wisely mentioned in the post(s) above, a 0.5 liter loss of oil over 2K miles isn't very bad imo. However, some Home/Property Owner Associations are very strict on driveway oil stains.

 

Thanks for the helpful advice, both.

So, the O rings, can they be changed with the engine and trans still in the car? If so, where are they located?

Thanks

 

Ends of the oil cooler hoses seal with O-rings or a special seal that replaces two o-rings. So replacing hoses or O-rings = same effort. People almost always cite oil seepage at hose crimp connections, and that is where my 2001 leaked. You will find O-rings/seals at the engine remote filter adapter, the remote oil filter assembly itself, and at the oil cooler (radiator). Yes they can be changed with the engine and trans in place, but you need some skills. One thing you definitely need to be careful of - don't introduce any contamination into the oil flow path, since a lot of this path is after the oil filter. If you are unable to ensure this, better to leave it alone as failure to do so can quickly trash the engine. One of the reasons I stated that the cure may be worse than the disease.