I have a 96 Chevy G10/Express 1500 van with 5.0 engine. In an effort to attempt diagnosing some driveability problems, I removed the dog house/engine cover. Quite quickly, I noticed a puddle/build-up of coolant around the left (facing the engine from the interior) intake manifold area. My initial impression was that the leak is from the intake manifold gaskets. I had the gaskets replaced recently, and, if I am honest, I am concerned about the quality of work provided by the gentlemen. The van is using more coolant than it should be, but not necessarily at an alarming rate.
I have a couple of questions:
- What is the most likely culprit for the leak pictured?
- If it is, as I, suspect a leaky intake manifold gasket, could this also cause driveabilty problems (by creating a vacuum leak)?
