Meant to ask if I should try to go OE with all parts, or if it is ok to go with Melling for the sprockets?
I heard to not go with Cloyes, at least for the chain....

And for the crank seal, should the old one be removed, and a new one installed?
I see a GM OE one, but they show a front and rear one, which confuses me, trhe video I watched it was a 1 part replacement...

I also see a Mahle one that says "rubber" would it be decent?
Hmm looks like Fel Pro gasket kit comes with one... FEL-PRO TCS46077


For the dampener I am looking at a 2nd design one.. PREFERRED COMPONENTS INC R75344

What the hell is a Timing Cover Repair Sleeve?
https://www.rockauto.com/info/196/99193-1__ra_p.jpg


Those parts, along with a puller for the pully and I am looking at 180.00, plus 40.00 for coolant, plus like 45.00 for my filter and oil.... Sheesh that is 265.00 there, I may have to do this myself, if not the mechainc I use when I cannot get to something will accept the parts I buy, but he will still want like 90.00 an hr labor, maybe a tad more since I got the parts...
He wanted almost 400.00 just for labor on a waterpump job...

Found a mechanic today that quoted me a decent price, he said he likes to change out the timing chain, and all other parts while in there, I told him I lucked up and got a 62$ AC Delco timing chain for 13$, he said he normally does not accept parts you buy yourself, but said he except the chain because he did not blame me for getting it at that price...
He said the whole job for 700.00, I'd do it myself but I just don't have time, I do not want to take my vacation time just to work on it...
So next Monday he'll start the job, hopefully I'll get it back by Wed..

I may see if he will put in my intermediate shaft for me while he is working in it, only like a 30 min job, I'll pay him for it if he will.
Hell I'll even pay him to inspect my front end since he has a lift, I need to know how my bushings, tie rods, and sway bars are, I simply have not had time to inspect them....

I don't blame you for taking into the shop for a reasonable price, especially during some holiday time, With the colder weather, there is no way I even want to do an oil change outside right now.
I hope all goes well & that you do get it back by Wed, let us know how it goes.
I'm afraid to look at my bushings. I used a new carter water pump and at 100k it still working well.

Yeah man, it is getting to nasty out there to be working on it all day, plus to be honest it is hard for me to get out there early enough, I am a 2nd shift guy, my routine is up at 1PM, work at 3PM, home by 12AM, sleep by 3 to 5 AM, then rinse and repeat..
So if I get out there at like 2PM each day, I only have like 3 to 4 hours to work tops, just not enough...

When I called the shop the guy answered, I told him I needed a quote, told him my make/model, and what I needed a quote on, immediately he said "leaking coolant" lol
I said yeah, he said "I have done a few of them, so I figured that was it"
That sold me, and the fact that my other mechanic, the main one was supposed to call me back this morning, so was the GM Dealership, both blew me off and never called back.
The one guy wanted 400 labor for just a water pump, so he'd have charged me like 1,000.00 to 1,200.00 to replace the gasket, and all the stuff under there.
Hell at 700.00 for that I am thinking I may ask him to replace the crank sensor while he is at it, that way I will only have to worry about the cam sensor, and it is easy to get to...
If this guy does a good job, and in a day or two, I think I may have found a new mechanic for when I cannot do something...
He wanted to do the water pump and thermostat also, but I told him I just replaced that literally last week with the best one you can buy, lol

I wouldn't humor doing all that until I knew for sure where the leak was coming from. My 3800 Series 2 has nine years and 186,000 miles on yours and has never had an issue with the timing cover, and I barely hear of others that do. Seems like small odds.

Bigger odds: Water pump. I know you said it'* good above, but I don't know how you've determined this. I'm not saying wrong or right, but rather likely or unlikely.

There is a leak for sure, in the area of the water pump, the water pump was replaced by me, a few years ago, the car sat 2.5 years so the old waterpump with the aluminum frame gasket had only a years driving on it, less than 20k miles..
I just replaced the waterpump again a few days back, used proper thread sealant on the 4 big bolts, and used a thin coat of RTV as always on the gasket, tightened all bolts to spec, and all surfaces were nice and clean, how could the waterpump be the issue?
I have seen the waterpump on this motor weep from the weep hole, it is not coming from that at all..
There is no real way for me to see that port in the timing chain cover to see if it is causing the leak is it?
I got the stuff today, but have had no time to look at it....

I did see several videos talking about the timing chain gasket cover leak.
I'll try to get up tomorrow and run the dye through it b4 I have to go to work, I may not have time though...
I wish I felt I was wrong, but I don't know where else the leak could come from in this area, it is very close to where that coolant port should be..

You may get a good deal on the work but I'm with Cathedral Club on this one.

Then somebody give me an idea of what else to look for in that area, it is not the waterpump, I replaced it, it looks to be under the waterpump, I cannot find nothing else saying it can be something else..
I can see the elbow, it is new as of March, it is dry, lower rad hose, only about a year old, as with every single other hose in there, I replaced them all with OE AC Delco hoses.
I hope he looks at it and finds something easier and cheaper being the culprit, but I have a feeling it is that timing chain cover gasket, it is the only thing left I know of on the whole car that coolant ports, or coolant port gaskets have not been addressed,, n

I put the UV die in the radiator and it started coming out with the motor cold, under no pressure.
It points to the timing chain cover gasket I think, it is up behind the lower far right big water pump bolt, not the pump but looks like from the block up behind it, that is where the did starts being noticeable..
Leak goes up in behind this area a good inch or so... It comes out and runs straight down...
This is not my pic, but I highlighted the area..