FortBurb

I have a 2000 suburban with a 5.3. I've been trying to determine whether or not coolant flows through the intake manifold. So far, i've been told both yes and no. Can anyone answer this question definitively?

FortBurb

Just in case anyone was curious, i replaced the manifold gaskets over the weekend. On my 2000 suburban, there are no coolant passages in the inake manifold.

RKTECT

I can't answer your question but am curious how long it took you to replace the gaskets. I'm no mechanic but believe I have coolant getting into my oil. Rust colored buildup of gunk on inside of oil fill cap I believe is the dex-cool burning off. From searching the web everything seems to suggest leaking manifold gaskets. Any advice would be appreciated.

FortBurb

KTECT. It took me a good afternoon to replace the manifold gaskets and the valve cover gaskets. In retrospect, it wasn't very complicated. If you are handy with a wrench, you can knock it out. The only complicated part was getting all the wires and hoses put back correctly. I took my time and had no issues. You will also need to purchase a special tool to remove the fuel lines. It was only like 10 bucks, but you will need it. Also, be sure to get quality gaskets. I recommend FelPro.
I had been told by several people that if there was a coolant leak, it was probably coming from the intake manifold. As it turns out, on my suburban, there is no cooling flowing through the manifold. So although I changed out my gaskets, I still have a leak, albeit a very slow one. I too had brown gunk on my oil cap, but when I pulled the valve covers, everything looked ok. Changing my valve cover did stop the oil leak I had so that was a positive. There is a very small coolant (i think) passover hose that run's between the heads and routes under the manifold but on top of the knock sensor. That may be a source of a small leak but I didn't see any evidence of that. I probably should have gone ahead and changed that out while i was in there but i didn't. Anyway, good luck. Let me know if you have any other questions.

RKTECT

Thanks. Everyone says take lots of pictures and do lots of labeling. I'll let you know how I make out.