OK, so I've just bought the Tahoe, knowing full well I've got a significant maintenance Q, which is: replace intake manifold gasket now, or can I wait since at this point I don't see significant external leak, significant coolant loss, foamy oil, or "rust" color on oil filler cap?
Background is: '00 Z71 Hoe, 109,000 miles, 5.7, super clean, dealer serviced. Dealer did prepurchase inspection and said there's intake manifold leak and a "slight miss" in one cylinder, though it's not producing a code and runs great to my ear. Pretty sure the dealer's opinion was based on an external inspection. He didn't compression test (was that a mistake by me?).
Took it to my non-dealer mechanic for second (read: not trying to get me to buy off his lot instead) opinion. He looked, noted crystallized Dex on a fitting on top of the engine (top right front from driver's perspective -- coolant nipple?) and a slight oil sheen at what I think's the upper manifold gasket. He said if it's not dripping coolant, then it's a typical 100k motor and to just drive it. There's no rusty stuff under the cap, oil looks fine.
So: if only a slight external leak and some crystallized Dex on a fitting, is that a replacement job or a wait-and-see?
Followup Q: the lot owner I bought the car from called his own mechanic, who said he could do it for the lot owner -- which he'd pass on to me at cost -- for $350-400. That's compared to $600 from my mechanic and $1,000 from the Chevy dealer. Seems like a long but relatively straightforward job, hard to screw up. Is that right? Should I go with the less expensive mechanic or spend more and hope more money = better work? (Like buying wine at the store -- if it's more expensive it must be better, right?)
Second followup Q: should I spend another couple hundred replacing the injectors at the same time since much of the same work would need to be redone if injectors needed replacing, or if engine's running fine can that wait?
(Sorry to be so long winded, but I really don't want to spend money unnecessarily after paying for the car, but don't want to ruin my engine either. So I need the advice!)
(Cross posted at 2000+ forum too because this car is both -- the Z71 that year was the last of the '99s before the new '00s came out.)
Background is: '00 Z71 Hoe, 109,000 miles, 5.7, super clean, dealer serviced. Dealer did prepurchase inspection and said there's intake manifold leak and a "slight miss" in one cylinder, though it's not producing a code and runs great to my ear. Pretty sure the dealer's opinion was based on an external inspection. He didn't compression test (was that a mistake by me?).
Took it to my non-dealer mechanic for second (read: not trying to get me to buy off his lot instead) opinion. He looked, noted crystallized Dex on a fitting on top of the engine (top right front from driver's perspective -- coolant nipple?) and a slight oil sheen at what I think's the upper manifold gasket. He said if it's not dripping coolant, then it's a typical 100k motor and to just drive it. There's no rusty stuff under the cap, oil looks fine.
So: if only a slight external leak and some crystallized Dex on a fitting, is that a replacement job or a wait-and-see?
Followup Q: the lot owner I bought the car from called his own mechanic, who said he could do it for the lot owner -- which he'd pass on to me at cost -- for $350-400. That's compared to $600 from my mechanic and $1,000 from the Chevy dealer. Seems like a long but relatively straightforward job, hard to screw up. Is that right? Should I go with the less expensive mechanic or spend more and hope more money = better work? (Like buying wine at the store -- if it's more expensive it must be better, right?)
Second followup Q: should I spend another couple hundred replacing the injectors at the same time since much of the same work would need to be redone if injectors needed replacing, or if engine's running fine can that wait?
(Sorry to be so long winded, but I really don't want to spend money unnecessarily after paying for the car, but don't want to ruin my engine either. So I need the advice!)
(Cross posted at 2000+ forum too because this car is both -- the Z71 that year was the last of the '99s before the new '00s came out.)
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