Hey yall,


Well, I think I have theseemingly commonlower intake gasket leak, according to previous postsI saw about getting a rusty trans dipstick while having coolant loss, which is what is going on here.Am I on the right track here? The transmission started slipping while it's changing gears, and I'm assumming that this is related -wouldthat indicatepermanent damage, if that's the case?

This is my girlfriends car, which she bought not long ago (also a 95 Blazer 4x4 "W"). She said that since she's had it (about 10k miles) it's notheld coolant in the reservoir even though she occationally puts some in there, and I tried it myself as well. The radiator also stays low, but it doesn't overheat, so it just sounds like what others described when they had problems with this gasket, even though some people said these engines aren't as prone to this problem as later models are. It wouldn't be a head gasket would it?

If I find coolant in the oil as well (I'm going to put some dye in there to check), will the engine bearings give out it since it's been going so long this way?

I can't quite tell for sure if there is white smoke coming out of the tailpipe because it's so cold outside. My inclination is that there is a little. I don't see any external leaking right now, but I will check again after running the dye through. I don't know if it would make any more ofdifference in seeing if there is any at this point though.


Thanks for any help on this! And sorry for the long @ss post.

 

If you have rust on the tranny dipstick and inside the filler tube contact the dealer for bulletins and see if your problem is covered by any warranty. They had a problem with the dipstick tube lower grommet being faulty and allowing water to enter the transmission.
I don't know about your coolant loss, other than suggesting that you look for leaks or coolant stains at the back of the intake (with a mirror), under the water pump, at the block heater or freeze plugs, the rad and all hoses and the heater core.

 

I checked under the plenum and there is some coolant pooling in the intake. I drove it before putting in the dye and it seems there is a pinging sound that directly correlates with the RPMs. I pulled all of the plugs and they looked very slightly oily, but I didn't see any coolant on them.

Does anyone know if it is even possible for coolant to make its way into the transmission by way of a bad lower intake gasket?

 

Not into the transmission. The only time tranny fluid, and coolant, are even close, is the cooler in the radiator. Not sure if tranny fluid gets the same "milkshake" effect as oil does with coolant contamination though, but oil is certainly obvious when contaminated, and yes, it loses a fair amount of it's lubricating properties that way......