so here you go, it’s a bit long but here’s my how to to do the lower intake manifold gaskets on this 4.3 vortec! any questions/comments go for it!
GM 4.3 Vortec lower intake manifold gasket replacement
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A mechanic said my 2001 Astro 4.3 Vortex needs a replaced intake gasket for $700. He also added the possibility of a thrown rod after the repair that he could not be responsible for. I had a person tell me that he spent $1200 on his Van and that he threw a rod after a short period of time. This is scary. Anyone hear have any suggestions?
I didn’t make it out to be easy, I said it looks easier than I was expecting. I thought I had to go much deeper in the engine to fix the problem. It ended up taking me 2 days and the fix has yet to fail after about 45,000 miles since I did the job.
This job isn’t as easy as you make it out to be. There is a lot of things to remember to avoid screwing up something. I’d rather just pay someone who knows what they are doing, and move on.
This^^^^^^^^^!! Great job!
plug wires could be on wrong check this first… Happen to me…
How long should this job take with no air tools?
Nice vid I’m going to attempt this I hope I prevail .. Arrrrgggg
My s10 p/u needs this lovin… Thanks for the vid… Ittl make this way easier
I am having trouble with the AC compressio bracket do you take the pully off it’s the 2001 chevy S10 V6
im doing same thing bought 98 blazer 400 blazer
Young Man…I have been a mechanic for 35 plus years and I must say, I am very impressed with your video. Over the years, I have seen others attempt what you have done with as little experience as you have, and 99% result in more damage. Kudo’s to you… good job. Only thing I want to add is the price quote you stated at 400-600 in a shop. Ummm, not so much. Try 1400-1600 just for labor. Your uncle should be quite proud of you. Happy wrenching young man.
Hello! I’m Nick.I did -40 lbs in 30 days.Open aidadiet.com
I hear you, yeah the hardest part is making sure you get the distributor in the correct place, just mark the postion of the rotor on the firewall and don’t turn the engine over at all while it’s out and it will drop right back in where you marked it, and you can’t rotate the distributor at all it has a 10mm bolt that just goes in to hold it, that’s it, no rotation, it’s electronically controlled timing on this motor. If you just take your time and mark things well it’ll be just fine! Cheers!
Unsure, my uncle brought his truck to me instead of a shop for a reason though, that and he is a certified mechanic but was out on an injury or he would of done it himself after work I’d think. my guess, labor 400-600? and parts cost marked up as well. Anyone who knows chime in and let us know I’m curious now!
Nope 🙂 IIRC you just rotate the pulley to get through it if it blocks any bolts, it’s been a while since I did this job but I know I didn’t remove the power steering pulley, Cheers!
How much would a job like this go for?
Did you have to pull the power steering pully off to get the bolts out of the ac bracket
Im kinda curious, it seems like the most difficult part of this tear down is the marking and lining up of the dist. Does that make sense to you? Not really familiar with the GM motors as this is my DD and I don’t do much wrenching on it. lol
where ya located? ive got a 98 thats overheating, but the water pump is fine, so i’m thinking its the intake gaskets… still blows hot air, thats for sure. any ideas?
great video
I don’t know why GM was sold on using the stuff, but Red Dex turns to goo as cooling systems age. The stuff eats radiators, intake manifold and head gaskets. There are a lot of videos showing what Red Death Cool does to engines. /watch?v=VImQZDfxAyg I wouldn’t trust any additive to fix a blown head gasket, You don’t want to wind up stranded with a ceased and ruined engine. You’re better off removing the heads and replacing all the manifold gaskets head gaskets etc.
i get told dex cool was good for it. so its bad? i got a headgasket leak. im fixing with DKE head gasket sealer.
Rad video! Helped out a lot!
Sweet glad it helped you out! Yes I will be replacing the intake bolts as well the next one I do! Cheers!
Sounds like you got it going good with some fresh head gaskets, rebuilt the heads, that’s awesome man, yeah that sensor is a tough one to get out by the looks of it! Cheers!
Wow that’s huge! Thank you! I’m just a self taught backyard mechanic that means a lot coming from someone with major experience! I will be replacing intake bolts on the next one I do, hopefully I don’t have to do one but you never know eh! This truck is still running/driving strong for my uncle as his daily driver been a few years now! Thank you and have a good one!
This vid = saving money. I’ll be tackling this issue soon using your vid as a guide. Thanks in advance!
I’ve been working o GM vehicles since the mid 1960’s and I just wanted to say you done a good job with this video. I do agree with new bolts on the manifold too.
PS: When I pulled off the heads on my S10, the cooling ports were nearly clogged with rust. The DEX cool that GM uses has a bad reputation of gumming up cooling systems and eating gaskets. Needless to say I flushed all the DEX crap out of my cooling system and now go with green Prestone.
The heads on my S10 are steel as is the block. The valves and seats were pretty burnt after 125 thousand miles and 14 years, but they cleaned up nicely with grinding compound, spinning the valves in their seats with a cordless drill. I’ve regained some power and improved the gas mileage since doing this job. The only drawback so far I now have to fix/replace the oil pressure sensor under the distributor cap.
Subbed! I have a 98 4.3 (identical to yours) and it’s been overheating, checked the oil dipstick and its milky. Do you know if your heads are aluminum and were they cracked or warped? Did you have to take the heads to a shop to have re-warped or crack fixed? Thanks.
When I tore apart the engine of my 98 Chevy S10, I discovered coolant leaking from the left head gasket into into the engine, so I had to remove the heads, grind the valves, replace head and intake manifold gaskets,re install exhaust manifolds, hoses, brackets and wires.(The job took me over three weeks) When finished the engine started right up and runs perfectly. Unfortunately, I damaged the pressure sensing switch in back of the engine and my oil pressure gauge is now dead.
This vid was inspirational in helping me get the job done. thanks for the upload. Taking to heart what tne601 said about one use bolts, the computer data base at AutoZone where I bought the gasket kit and bolts claims that intake manifold bolts (torqued to 35 Ft Lbs) are reusable. On the other hand TTY head bolts (65 Ft Lbs) are one time use.
Thank you so much for this vidieo it helpped me much . The hardest thing was trying to get the 10 mm distributor bolt out ,finaly got a 1/4 inch socket on it .Be sure to use a tork wrench I used one but broke the first new bolt that i went to torkx, so i had to take it all back off and get the brken bolt out ,also broke the oil sending sensor off back by the distributor when reinstalling 2nd time.But thanks i had no ideal what i was in for this made it so much easier.