Pulling the engine for gasket refresh - Am I crazy?

[nadthomas]

So, I bought an 07 Denali from my boss with 194k miles about a month ago. It has a handful of issues that need to be addressed, but overall its a decent vehicle and will be nice once I get a chance to fix/clean it up. I know oil changes were done regularly, but it had some issue kind of pop up as he approached 200k and didn't want to deal with them. Plus he had bought a new daily driver, so the Denali had been just a weekend family hauler for the past year.

Two of the rear exhaust bolts are popped on the drivers side. I have clamped them, but the gasket must be blown because they still leak almost as bad. I plan to replace all of the exhaust manifold bolts, and do the welded nut method to get the broken bolts out. I have gotten the P0011 code, so I believe I have to remove the timing cover to replace the cam position actuator and sensor. Which seems to often time require removing the crank pulley. If I'm going to do that, while I'm there its probably also a good idea to replace the oil pump(because 200k miles), and also drop the oil pan. I believe the rear main seal may also be leaking, but I haven't looked at it closely. Plus it seems like everything is covered in oil and dirty.

Compression is good on the motor, so I'm thinking if I can keep the oil flowing properly and keep it sealed up it should have a decent amount of life left in it. So, I think I'm going to end of replacing probably most of the gaskets short of pulling the heads. Am I crazy to think this is a good idea, and that since I need to pretty much do work on all sides of the block it would be a good idea to just pull the motor instead of trying to do all of this work with it still in the truck? Plus it gives me a good opportunity to scrub down everything, I hate having a dirty engine bay.

Sorry for the long post, let me know your thoughts as I still have a lot to learn with this platform.

 

[PG01]

If you have the means and time, sure... id rather pull it then bend over the fenders for a few hours. I think its a good idea but only if you have the knowledge, means and time. My 2 cents

 

[nadthomas]

Well, I have garage full of tools, including an engine stand, and a hoist. Time is somewhat debatable with a 1 year old baby and busy life, but the Denali is a 3rd vehicle for my wife and I. Well, technically its 4th vehicle until I sell my Explorer, but that is more of an offroad toy/beater. I have pulled two engines over the past 15 years of wrenching on my own cars, but nothing GM or even a body on frame truck. I'm pretty sure I have the general knowledge to do this, but unsure if there are any substantial challenges, or expense that I may be over looking. That's kind of why I'm here.

 

[iamdub]

If you have the time and place to make it a slow-moving project, it would totally be worth it. You'd get the dry and clean engine bay you want as well as have intimate knowledge of your new-to-you vehicle. Once you're into it, you'll find that everything is somewhat modular- unplug all the harness connectors and retainers then lift and lay it to the side, unbolt the accessories and lay them to the side, unbolt the trans and mounts then lift it out.

What's cool is that all the gaskets on the LS engine are O-ring style, so it will go quickly with none of that scraping and heavy buffing of the gasket surfaces BS. The intake is dry, so no chance of coolant pouring into the cylinders when you pop that off. Not being pressed for time, you'll probably find it to be a fun project.

There are a few minor problem points you must be aware of such as keeping the O-ring situated properly when reinstalling the pickup tube, using the crank pulley (or an alignment tool) to locate the front cover so the crank seal isn't off-center and leaks, adding dabs of sealant on four specific points of the oil pan gasket and using a straightedge to position the oil pan so the back is flush with the back of the block. There are more, but they're all small and simple but very necessary to know. Just do some reading and you'll feel like you're steps ahead.

 

[992dr]

If you have the means and time, sure... id rather pull it then bend over the fenders for a few hours. I think its a good idea but only if you have the knowledge, means and time. My 2 cents

If you have the time and place to make it a slow-moving project, it would totally be worth it. You'd get the dry and clean engine bay you want as well as have intimate knowledge of your new-to-you vehicle. Once you're into it, you'll find that everything is somewhat modular- unplug all the harness connectors and retainers then lift and lay it to the side, unbolt the accessories and lay them to the side, unbolt the trans and mounts then lift it out.

What's cool is that all the gaskets on the LS engine are O-ring style, so it will go quickly with none of that scraping and heavy buffing of the gasket surfaces BS. The intake is dry, so no chance of coolant pouring into the cylinders when you pop that off. Not being pressed for time, you'll probably find it to be a fun project.

There are a few minor problem points you must be aware of such as keeping the O-ring situated properly when reinstalling the pickup tube, using the crank pulley (or an alignment tool) to locate the front cover so the crank seal isn't off-center and leaks, adding dabs of sealant on four specific points of the oil pan gasket and using a straightedge to position the oil pan so the back is flush with the back of the block. There are more, but they're all small and simple but very necessary to know. Just do some reading and you'll feel like you're steps ahead.

I can't agree more. Well said, fellas.
One of my major attractions to the LS based motors is it being a dry one.
I wish I had a garage to do this, I think it would be a blast to be able to take your time and go through.
If you do, please document it

 

[Nashoba]

iamdub +1

 

[Big Mama]

Go at it. I also have an 07 Denali and love it. Even though it was the first year of the style the only problem I have is the steering wheel heater went out. You might go on line and make sure all of the recalls, like heated washer fluid, where addressed. Please follow up with pictures.

 

[nadthomas]

Did my first oil change on it a couple of weeks ago and found that the rear main seal was fine, but I'm still liking the idea of pulling and refreshing this engine "a little" given the other leaks and issues. I'm debating if I should pull the transmission with the engine, or leave it in. It looks like its probably the same amount of work either way, just different. Plus I want to inspect the transmission valve body as it shifts a little hard at times.

Once the weather stays a little more consistently warmer in a month or two I'll start this project. I don't want to waste a ton of electricity heating my garage and/or waiting for it to warm up. Plus I have a couple of smaller projects I want to wrap up first. I'll definitely take some pics, and will most likely make a series of videos about it as well.