I have a healthy knowledge of vehicles from my own experiences, and i normally do all the work on my car but i'm currently baffled.

From reading previous post on here I have come to the conclusion that I need to change my lower intake manifold gasket however I could be wrong. My car currently has 98,000 on the dash and I have owned it since 69,000. as of late coolant seems to be slowly disappearing from the plastic reservoir. When I visually inspect down around the driver side of the manifold it definitly looks like there is some leaking going on. However I took it to my mechanic and he said that it doesn't look that bad yet and that I should wait for the car to drive a little sluggish.

1.SO . . my first question is, how can I be sure it is time for me to tackle this LIM gasket and can some one of my limited expertise do this on my own without causing as more problems. I currently have a warranty on my car but my mechanic didnt seem to want to do it and I dont want to force him because then he will do a crappy job. So if it'* its something thats pretty managable i just want to go ahead and do it myself.

2. Also it appears I need to do my valve cover gaskets as well because i noticed some build up around the sensors that are between the bolts that hold the front valve cover down. Is it possible to do the valve cover gaskets now and do the LIM gasket later or is in my best interest to do it all at once.


Any help would greatly be appreciated. I tried to summarize as much as possible.

The key is to replace the LIM gasgets before they let loose and do damage. If the inside of your oil cap has filmy oil that looks kinda like light brown butter, it'* definitely time. if you find antifreeze in the oil when you change it, it'* definitely past time.

Doing the work yourself is fine and not the difficult as long as you are skilled and know you're way around a motor. Here'* a thread on changing a LIM https://www.gmforum.com/t278911/

You can change your valve cover gaskets now or when you change your LIM. It'* up to you.

Is your engine supercharged or non? If non then the most likely place your leaking is the UIM. When changing that it'* suggested you also do the LIM at the same time.

If supercharged generally you wont see any leakage. The LIM gasket will brake down and seep in to the cam valley or get in to the intake ports. With the age and millage of your car it'* a good idea to get it done. Cost is under $100 for all parts and takes a few hours to do. The write up should be a big help.

Ok, thanks guys. And i do have the supercharged. I'm going to try it myself, one concern I have is removing the fuel lines on top of the supercharger.
The write up is definitely a huge help but could you guys give me a little advice in removing the fuel lines so I dont go about it the wrong way.

The fuel lines are a snap. Provided you have the correct tool. Trust me, pick up a fuel line kit and you will thank me. Let pressure out of the shradder valve, then use the line tool and your all set. I'll even do a write up on fuel line removal.

Here you go, let me know if this is OK.

https://www.gmforum.com/t283854/

Dan, where did you get the fuel line tool?

From autozone

Thanks for your help, I will be ordering the gaskets from intense and giving it a shot as soon as they get in.