Just the uusal LG8 LIM failure or...?

[GeePeeOhTiger]

Hello all...after postponing the repair of my previously external LIM leak on a 2002 for longer than I should have, until just past 150K, I finally started to notice a little bit of milkshake under the oil fill cap...but nowhere else. Strangely, there seemed to be quite a bit of extra "oil" in the pan, but it was NOT bubbled with unmixed water(?). Before installing the LIM gaskets I bought about 3 years ago, I figured I'd run a combustion leak test to see if the head gaskets and/or block and/or head(s) had spit the bit as well. Used the Lisle tool first which seemed to give negative, i.e., good results until a few seconds before the coolant flooded into the test chamber. I then bought the UView dual chamber tester, and after about 10 test attempts, about 2 indicated definitely NO leak with the rest indicating a definite leak(!?!). Vacuum is rock-steady at 19-20 inches and all the compression readings came in between the high 160s and 185. Any other way to determine with reasonable certainty that the LIMs are or aren't the only problem before I get started? A leakdown test maybe? Thanks in advance to all.

 

[Slick2500]

Since you already have the lim gaskets, I'm assuming you bought the metal ones, just go ahead and swap them out. If it fixes the coolant leak then there ya go no need to do head gaskets. If it still leaks no harm done as the metal intake gaskets can be reused if you have to tear it down to the heads.