looks like I have the dreaded coolant leak

[TECH]

well I sent an oil sample out to a lab to see how my engine is holing up and.........................

Anti-freeze contamination was heavy in this engine. Potassium and
sodium show this contamination and it's starting to take a toll on the bearings (see copper and lead).
Nothing is high enough to think the engine is going to fail, though we do suggest having this engine looked
at before it sees too much more use. If you can't get the problem fixed right away, then we suggest
dropping back to a 2,000 mile oil use interval. The TBN was still okay at 4.9, so the oil's additive level
held up remarkably well. Watch your coolant level and check back.

now I need to check w/ warranty company to see if they'll take care of it or I let it fail and then let them pick it up.
I'm not payin' $500 for a gasket job.
thoughts, suggestions, comments.

[firefighter]

how much is left on the warranty? If you're close to the end get it fixed if you got a ways to go make her blow up and get a new motor.

[TECH]

its an after market warranty 5yrs or up to 166000 miles. I have 72K on it right now and laying it up for a few days isn't a problem. I have to find the cd they sent me to see if I can get this done.

[RoyMunson]

So intake gaskets you are thinking? Why not replace them yourself it's not terribly difficult?

[TECH]

Originally Posted by RoyMunson

So intake gaskets you are thinking? Why not replace them yourself it's not terribly difficult?

yeah , but its too damn cold here right now for that.
talked to my mechanic said around $300.
warranty Co. said they would not cover it. I asked if it blew up would they cover it, she seemed to miss the sarcasm in what I was trying to say. the point being if I didn't do an oil analysis and I spun a bearing would it be covered. hope to get a hold of the guy I had on the phone last time I called, might be able to get it done then.

[RoyMunson]

Oh I hear ya on the cold, I have a radiator to swap in that I won't touch until temps are atleast bearable. $300 isn't too bad of a price to install.

[TECH]

well since I'm going to(or have it done) have to tear this thing apart anyway how can I tell if the CSFI "spider" was changed to the new one or not. as long as I'm in there may as well upgrade it.
also on the gasket Felpro, GM or are they pretty much the same.

[HotRodV6]

wow its unusal for the V6 to be leaking intake gaskets, usually that problem is alot more prevelent on the V8's.

Id just stick with the stock GM gaskets, they work well, but you need to get rid of the crap factory antifreeze, completely flush the whole system and go with the good old green stuff or the yellow prestone stuff, which is what GM has switched to in the last few years, becasue of all the problems the red stuff causes.

My Bravada only has 50K miles and already has a nice little amount of red/pink crust onder the rad cap, i have bought all the antifreeze and a flush kit to flush out the complete system and install the prestone yellow stuff.


Also most likely your 01 has the reg poppet valves if its still stock, GM didnt go to the new style for production until 02 or 03 i believe, and im pretty sure in late 02 they went to a returnless fuel system on the 4.3L. Id say if there is nothing wrong then dont fix it, no need to spend 300 bucks for the injector pod if you dont need it, as you dont need to pull the upper intake apart to replace the lower gaskets.

[Jetmeck]

I would suggest a bottle of BARS LEAK first before you go through all this hassle. Most times this will cure a small leak.

DEXCOOL does not cause problems, people leaving it in forever does.

[RoyMunson]

Originally Posted by Jetmeck

I would suggest a bottle of BARS LEAK first before you go through all this hassle. Most times this will cure a small leak.

DEXCOOL does not cause problems, people leaving it in forever does.

While I can't comment on the BARS leak in the cooling system, I will 100% agree with the DEXCOOL not causing the issue here, it is people neglecting the maintenance thinking they can leave it alone because it is "5yr/100k mile".

On the gaskets you want the updated GM gaskets not the plastic ones, I would hope GM doesn't even sell the older style gaskets but can't be sure on that one. As far as being able to tell if the spider has been updated or not, the tubing that connects to the injectors appears to be a lot beefier looking on the updated spider compared to the first design that has the thin looking hard plastic lines to the poppets.