2001 Chevy Blazer Oil Leaks

[FTTSHO]

So I drive a 2001 Chevy Blazer 4x4. 4.3 vortec with 114k original miles. I’ve been daily driving this truck for about 2 1/2 years. The truck did sit for a couple years prior to me buying it, so that is probably one of the reasons why this thing leaks as much oil as it does. Not enough to really puddle up on the driveway, but the whole oil pan, and the rear main seal bell housing area is soaked in oil.

This thing had oil leaks here and there when I bought it, and it seems the oil leak is getting worse.

This thing has very low miles for a 2001 vehicle, and I would really like to keep this thing till the wheels fall off. I don’t want car payments, and this truck has been great for me. Perfect size for me, and it just works well for me. It’s clean, it’s got zero rust, so I really don’t want to get rid of it, and also not looking forward to buying a newer car, and having to make payments.

So I would like to keep the blazer long term.

The oil pan gasket, oil filter adapter gaskets, the rear main seal, and the front timing cover seal are all leaking quite a bit. I would like to get it all fixed, but unfortunately on a 4x4, it’s really not easy to do at the home garage.

So I will probably take it to a shop to get all the oil leak concerns fixed.

About how much would the labor be if hourly labor rate is somewhere in the $180-$200 range?

I would rather spend a couple thousand to get the oil leaks fixed on this thing, because it runs awesome, and it should last a really long time. And it’s cheaper than a car payment.

If any of you have access to all data or an equivalent software that can come up with an estimate for rear main seal, oil pan gasket, and front timing cover replacement on a 2001 Chevy Blazer 4x4, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mattd]

Lots of labor with some but not much overlap.

Oil pan - 6 hrs plus .3 for each- skid plate, oil cooler, cruise control, where PS interferes

Timing cover 7.5 hours - plus following .2 for skid plate, .7 for AC, .4 for oil cooler, .3 for PS

Transmission R/R 9.0 hours and I’d say an extra half hour for the seal.

So at $200/hr let’s call it around 24.5 hours on the total is $4900 labor alone. This is per Shop key

 

[clinebarger]

Timing Cover, Includes dropping the oil pan.....11 Hours
Rear main seal.....9.1 Hours.

Have the paper gasket behind the rear main seal adaptor changed, Might get charged a little extra.

Use a GM Timing cover! Dorman is trash for this application.

Not just any shop will want to do this job, It sucks & it's nasty! Receiving good workmanship is also a concern.

 

[loneryder]

Run some high mileage oil in it and see what happens. ATP stop leak is really good at stopping leaks.
https://www.amazon.com/ATP-AT-205-R...id=1757473264&sprefix=atp,aps,146&sr=8-1&th=1

 

[Egg_Head]

"Like a rock"..

 

[crashz]

My 23 yr old Ford puddles a little. That's what happens after a couple decades. I second the use of a high milage oil to see if you can slow the leaks a little. It might buy you some time.

 

[nascarnation]

Don't forget the oil lines from the engine block to the remote oil filter and return. Those are all weepers when they age. TRQ has a good video on YT showing replacement. My engine has all the leak points you mention but the hoses are the only thing I was motivated to change just in case they do a complete failure and you lose all your oil on the road.
As bad as mine appears drip-wise , I really don't lose any appreciable level on the dipstick in 3000 miles.

 

[Ursatdx]

Keep it full and don't park in new driveways.
It's a solid drive train but not worth the above $'s to repair.
The high mileage oil advice is a good idea.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

AT-205 should slow the leaks down. I've had great luck with that stuff. Don't spend that much money to get it repaired. I also would pair the AT-205 with a high mileage oil, and just keep topping it off.

 

[Hirev]

I would try some AT 205 in it. Seems to slow down oil leaks from my experience.

 

[ripcord]

Murphy says someone will crash into it if you drop a bunch of cash on it.

 

[We're Metals]

I had a 2002 Blazer, god I hated that thing. Literally the biggest pile. Are your oil cooler lines leaking yet?

 

[Gasbuggy]

Don't forget the oil lines from the engine block to the remote oil filter and return. Those are all weepers when they age. TRQ has a good video on YT showing replacement. My engine has all the leak points you mention but the hoses are the only thing I was motivated to change just in case they do a complete failure and you lose all your oil on the road.
As bad as mine appears drip-wise , I really don't lose any appreciable level on the dipstick in 3000 miles.

This is likely the issue. Someone I know lost a 4.3, ignoring those hoses. My mom had a 99 Blazer back when they were newer. It turned my GM family into Honda drivers. They paid for that thing twice with repairs. It was rugged though.

 

[CleanSump]

Oil cooler lines As I recall from my adventures owning one, Sunsong was the preferred replacement brand.