Chevrolet Repair: NO HEAT in 1999 Chevy 4x4 Blazer, intake manifold gasket, 4x4 blazer

Question
Hi!
 My brother-in-law(not a certified mechanic),replaced our front brakes yesterday on our 1999 Chevy Blazer 4x4,and now we have NO heat! The fan does blow. I will say that before he replaced brakes we had to keep topping off the antifreeze in the resevoir tank (indicating a small leak? as we never saw a puddle underneath?). But as soon as we would do that,we would have excellent heat. Thanks!

Answer
Hi Brenda, Well I take it the radiator is FULL of coolant. You need to check the radiator not just the coolant tank, the radiator will get very low and then it won't draw from the coolant tank. If the radiator is full then the heater core is plugged and you need to flush the heater core out along with the cooling system. If you just flush the heater core it will plug again soon as the coolant is dirty. To flush the heater core you need to remove the heater hoses from the engine and run water through the one that connects to the waterpump. This will back flush the core. Your coolant leak is the intake manifold gasket and I would look into having that repaired as soon as you can before you damage the engine. Coolant in the oil is not a good thing and will take out the crankshaft and bearings.


Hope this helps you

Have a Great Day

Mark