CK5
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The Green Machine - parked

So... Interesting development... Yesterday the coolant was coming from the front of the motor, this morning I go out and there's a puddle under the rear of the motor, nothing from the front. I drove it to the gym and back and everything seemed fine. I drove it into work today so I'll see if any puddles show up. Pump seems fine.
 
Water line from the heater to the intake passenger side number 2-4 cylinder. Your fitting is going bad.
Keith mite have nailed that one. Those fittings are a known fail on these Vortech motors.
 
I vote intake gaskets. Same thing happened on my kid's S10 with the 4.3 Vortec. Same setup. Stupid plastic framed gaskets blow out at the coolant port at the heat to intake. Will piss out of both ends. DON'T get GM gaskets in this case. Get the Fel-pro kit for this job. The intake gaskets are using metal in place of the plastic. Much better setup.
 
This is the 4th time I've done this intake gasket, last time the mechanic said this manifold wouldn't be good for another repair, the coolant eats the plastic and it's too corroded anymore. So now the hunt is on to replace the plastic manifold with a quality metal one, if it can be found...
 
This is the 4th time I've done this intake gasket, last time the mechanic said this manifold wouldn't be good for another repair, the coolant eats the plastic and it's too corroded anymore. So now the hunt is on to replace the plastic manifold with a quality metal one, if it can be found...

The lower intake is not plastic. It's aluminum. The upper plenum is plastic and the stock gaskets are plastic. There is no coolant running through the upper plenum. Not sure where the mechanic is coming from saying the lower intake is plastic.

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I know it's a pain in the ass to do the work. I spent an entire Sunday doing the job on my kid's S10 a couple of weeks ago. It's not hard, just have to move a lot of stuff. Most tedious is pulling the driver's side accessory bracket to allow it to move forward enough to access the front bolt on the intake. But I did the same job on my S10 with the same engine using the Fel-pro metal gaskets over 6 years ago and have yet to have a leak in that area again.
 
I was always under the impression that the whole thing was plastic...

At any rate, each time the gasket has failed it's been quicker than the last time. I was hoping this one would hold on long enough so I could rebuild the motor.
 
I was always under the impression that the whole thing was plastic...

At any rate, each time the gasket has failed it's been quicker than the last time. I was hoping this one would hold on long enough so I could rebuild the motor.
If the stock GM gaskets are used I can see that happening. Leaking under pressure could cause the aluminum to erode and give new gaskets a harder time to seal. I've not seen that in the shop or on either of mine, but the idea is plausible.

Been sitting for 6 hours, no fresh spots on the pavement.

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I'd check the coolant level in the radiator. My son's truck wasn't leaking when I got to it so I could check it out. But once I got a gallon and a half dumped in the SOB started pissing coolant out the rear and front corner on the passenger side as fast as I could pour it in. Keep this in mind too, it's just as likely to leak into the valley as it is to leak out on the ground. I'd check the oil for signs of coolant getting in.
 
Oil looks fine, and the coolant is full to the fill cap. Every time this has leaked it's seeped out the back of the motor.

Since I'm preparing to move in the spring and I'm hardly going to drive it until spring anyways, unless it gets worse or shows up in the oil, I think I'll let it seep until I can pull it apart after I move. I've gone months with it leaking until I could afford to fix it in the past.
 
Electronics savvy friends, I need some help. I want to install two backup cameras on Yukon, one up front the other in the back. The rear facing camera will come on when I put it in reverse, the front I want to put on a switch on the dash so I can see over obstacles. I would like the rear image to always override the front image. Is there a device that will allow me to do this? Or will it need to be custom work?

What y'all got?
 
What are you using as a monitor?

This one:

Next, the radio. I never really cared for the factory radio in these things, sound wasn't great and not much adjustability in the sound. Bass and treble, that was it. I like my tunes and I like good sound. I realize this is not a quiet ride by any means, but still, good sound is good sound. But, I hated the way a single din aftermarket piece looked in the dash, it just screamed "aftermarket!" Not that a double din radio doesn't...

So, I decided on a double din radio for many reasons: first, it has backup camera capability. Second, I can put a nav system in it. (Though right now my Magellan roadmate is still working) Thirdly, the sound output from this unit set back indefinitely the need to upgrade the speakers. And I can tune the sound through 10 channels, like it should be. Problem was, I had to make it fit, which was no easy task. First I went to the junkyard and picked up a broken dash out of a similar truck to do measurements and practice cuts, then I hacked an aftermarket single din install kit to work, then I hacked my dash in the right places to make it fit, and voila! I have a fairly decent looking install. I was going to use some plastic and filler putty to fill in around the holes beside the unit, but forgot about it and now I don't really care. Function over form I guess...

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Also, I think I figured it out. I'm not using the video input jack in the back of the radio (for a game console or something) for anything, so I could plug the front camera in that port, and with the way it works, I can use the front camera to get over obstacles, and it'll activate the reverse camera automatically.

Much complex than I was thinking originally.
 
Actually the solution is far more simple than I thought. I used the video in jack on the back of the stereo for front camera. I just need to figure out how to reverse the image for the front as it's backwards, and there's no provision in the stereo to flip it. The brake override is hooked up to the brake wire, so the image works until I hit the brakes, then the screen goes blue. Guess I need to find a constant hot source under the dash. The rear camera works exactly as it should, almost... Image is oriented correctly, but it won't turn off if I activate it in the menu. Gotta find the backup light wire to trigger the camera.

So, partially done, but not quite there, glad I enjoy working on electronics...

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