Intake Manifold Gasket replacement

So ... not confirmed yet, just poking to see if anyone has any input/suggestions ....

Car has been regularly losing coolant for a while now - I replaced rad late last summer, so I thought nothing of it for the first little while. Just thought it was gradually filling everything up heater core, etc.

After a while I figured it should be good as far as everything being full..... and it kept on going down consistently. So I placed cardboard under the car for a week and parked in the garage to avoid wind from evaporating any possible minute leaks ... after 1 week the cardboard is still perfectly dry and clean - not a single drop on it.

I have kept my eyes on the oil, and never any bubbles or milky white goo in there....

Last Weds I topped up the reservoir to the Cold Fill line.

Saturday I changed oil and checked - down approx. 1 litre of coolant since Weds...... thus has me questioning where the loss is...

No leaks within cabin - heater core is not leaking, no leaks under car, no leaks in reservoir or while parked... only thing I can notice is there seems to be a bit more condensation in the exhaust than usual .... not sure what is usual but idling for 5-10 mins can leave a 1-2" diameter puddle under the tailpipe. But I do NOT smell antifreeze in the exhaust.

I talked to GM dealership this morning, they suggested a Cylinder Leakdown Test - ~$150 for diagnosis.

Furthermore, after describing symptoms to him, he had his own thoughts as to what is wrong ... likely the intake manifold gasket - High Country Chev says it will cost approximately $800 to $1300 to get this replaced ....

Any suggestions to narrow this down? Obviously multiple options for what is wrong...
Also any suggestions for getting the parts and/or work done cheaper? Bit more of a task than I feel like biting off myself to attempt to repair.....

***Note it's a 2005 Pontiac Pursuit 2.2L Ecotec - same as the Cobalt / G5

intake manifold gasket has nothing to do with coolant on the ecotec. not even on the supercharged versions. leakdown test is what shops will always do when they get reports like this. it's for a reason, it does tell a lot. try a coolant system pressure test first. this will tell you if there's a leak in the coolant system up to the thermostat. if there's no leaks and it holds pressure, then do a leakdown test. that's all i can really say, other than that just check for oil runs and coolant runs around the head and block around the head gasket and around the water pump on the rear of the engine. if you don't smell the coolant burning or see it in the oil, it's leaking somewhere.

lmao 800-1300? Pick up the gasket and replace it your self if you need to. Shouldn't take longer then an hour with no experience.

Uhm.....take it to a different shop, if the guy diagnosing your car doesnt know that the intake manifold doesnt see coolant you dont want to let them work on your car...

GM Intake Manifold Leaks
GM to handle widespread intake manifold gasket problem on case-by-case basis — Autoblog
How To Find & Fix Coolant Leaks

All based on the V6 but still showing that this is a notorious problem of Chev because of the plastic gasets.
Wish I could find the search i did last weekend, it described exactly how this is indeed the issue, and why.

A bit further into this, I am inquiring:
1. What part(s) will I be required to purchase to replace the intake manifold gasket?
2. Would it be harmful to the engine to continue driving in the meantime? Coolant is not going into the oil, only into the manifold and then turning into condensation.

OMg just buy THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS FOR LIKE 10$ then replace it in under 10 mins, where are you from if u pay me 300$ ill come do it for you

you shouldnt ever need to replace it. just do what i said.

derran.m said:

GM Intake Manifold Leaks
GM to handle widespread intake manifold gasket problem on case-by-case basis — Autoblog
How To Find & Fix Coolant Leaks

All based on the V6 but still showing that this is a notorious problem of Chev because of the plastic gasets.
Wish I could find the search i did last weekend, it described exactly how this is indeed the issue, and why.

A bit further into this, I am inquiring:
1. What part(s) will I be required to purchase to replace the intake manifold gasket?
2. Would it be harmful to the engine to continue driving in the meantime? Coolant is not going into the oil, only into the manifold and then turning into condensation.

Click to expand...

You dont see any of the Chevy V8 motors having this problem. The 3rd gen 60-degree V6 motor yes, it does have leaks thru the intake manifold, my dad had that motor in his olds cutlass and it had that problem. Stopleak additive was considered an expendable thing, like coolant or oil. That engine was not built and designed by Opel....the ones in our cars are

Nothing besides the block, head, heater core, radiator, and pipes ever see coolant at all. Those systems are where you are going to have your leak or burn.

You sir are high, and should share.....

---------- Post added at 09:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 PM ----------

Here is a link to the wiki explaining the fault on the 3rd gen GM 60-degree V6 engines

wiki said:

From the mid-1990s to 2003 these engines had failure prone intake manifold gaskets which could cause coolant leakage often leading to engine failure. A series of class action lawsuits, implicating deterioration of the nylon/silicone material of the gasket are pending on this issue. Tell-tale signs of such eventual related damage are a white foam that appears on the inside of the oil filler cap and the gradually increasing loss of antifreeze coolant (due to seepage into the intake passages which will lead to engine lock up failure in such cases). External seepage is also found near the valley edge of the lower intake manifold.

Click to expand...

---------- Post added at 09:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:19 PM ----------

Also, just noticed you said you didnt smell antifreeze in the exhaust.....of course not, if the leak is into the combustion chamber it all got vaporized taking the smell with it.

---------- Post added at 09:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 PM ----------

When you replaced the radiator did you bleed the coolant? there is a nipple on top of the top coolant pipe coming out of the head, you're supposed to bleed it.

I found out a good instruction guide here on how to replace an intake manifold gasket. Here are the steps:

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.

2. Drain the cooling system from the radiator.

3. Remove the air cleaner assembly.

4. Remove all air cleaner hoses and disconnect them from the carburetor or throttle body.

5. Disconnect the vacuum lines from the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve and the carburetor.

6. Remove the fuel lines, electrical leads, and distributor from the intake manifold or carburetor.

7. Remove the upper radiator hose from the intake manifold.

8. Disconnect the throttle linkage from the carburetor.

9. Loosen the nuts from the intake manifold stud bolts and remove the intake manifold with carburetor still mounted.

10. Once the manifold is removed, inspect the manifold and engine block for cracks near where the gasket was damaged.

11. Thoroughly clean the gaskets from the engine and manifold.

12. Lay the new gaskets into place and make sure that they fit properly and do not cover any coolant passages. They should mock up exactly how the old gaskets did.

13. Lay a thick bead of RTV Silicone Gasket sealer onto the rear and front lip of the engine block where the manifold sits.

14. Place a thin layer 1/8 film of RTV sealant around the water passages on the engine block as well.

15. Once all the gaskets are in place and beads have been laid, carefully set the intake manifold back onto the engine block and begin to torque the bolts in sequence to manufacturer's specifications.

16. Reconnect all vacuum lines, smog equipment, and hoses to the intake manifold.

17. Reconnect all the lines to the carburetor as indicated by the numbered tape on the old carburetor.

18. Refill the radiator with coolant.

19. Fill overflow reservoir with the same coolant.

20. Leave the radiator cap off, start the engine and let it idle. You should see the system burping- bubbles of air through the radiator opening. Refill the radiator to the top.

21. Install the radiator cap.

22. To verify the repair, start the vehicle and check for leaks, hissing, or a fuel smell. Test drive under varying conditions and speeds.

I hope this would help you out big time.