Ok, she'* in the shop.

Here'* the laundry list I gave them:
UIM replacement
LIM gasket replacement (with the new aluminum version)
Oil change
Coolant flush and fill (with prestone - I made it clear I don't want Dex-Cool back in my car)
New plugs and wires

They're also going to do a visual check while they're in the engine, and inspect the belts and hoses for me too.

I'm gonna have to sweep the floors at the dealer for a long, long time to pay for this... lol

Yeah....I'm wondering myself..the oil just looks a bit old..I'd try changing the oil and seeing if the coolant level drops again..keep an eye on it...Your UIM might be fine.

The work can be done yourself for about 1/4 of the cost of the dealer..you might just have to buy a high end torque wrench to be on the safe side.

I'd have to disagree. You've had the smell of burning coolant in the past, you're low on coolant, and are showing moisture on your oil cap. It'* a given that you will have to have the gaskets replaced, and though the failure hasn't been serious enough to hydro-lock the engine, you have every indication of a gasket leak. Play it safe, and get it taken care of before damage is done.

"Might be fine" isn't very reassuring. Get it done.

I'm with Archon again. Everything is pointing to at least the LIM gasket leaking, or a leak in the UIM. I'm playing it safe and getting it fixed now before it becomes a giant problem. Besides, it'* already at the dealership as I type this.

The oil is a lot darker than it looks in the picture. Most of it ran off by the time I got the picture taken (hence the caption). It was almost black. The oil is only about 1000 miles old.

The reservoir tank was bone dry when I first came out to inspect it. The coolant level in the picture is after running for about 30 minutes. The car was just shy of normal operating temp. I have been monitoring the coolant levels pretty closely for a long time now (about 2.5 years). It lost everything in the reservoir sometime within the last week or so.


SIDENOTE:
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I knew the DIY thing would come up eventually. I actually was hoping to be able to work on it when it finally failed, but it isn't feasible right now. I live in an apartment with no garage, and very anti-car repair management. Not to mention the below zero temps, no 2nd car to take to work while working on this problem, and no car to go get parts/tools, etc...

If I had a nearby garage and a 2nd car I'd already be tearing into it, and this thread would contain pictures of me working on it.
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Let us know when you get it back, and what you think of the work that was done. I recall the problem you had finding a place just trying to get your window fixed, so I'm not surprised it didn't work out doing it yourself with this.

Ok, I'm beyond angry at this point... On a scale of 1 through 10, I'm a 15...

I got my car back today. They replaced the LOWER intake manifold, and the LIM and UIM gaskets. They DID NOT replace the UIM as I TOLD them to do. It is still the original one with a manufacturer date of 2000.

I'm so mad that I can't see straight. What in the world do they think keeping the original UIM is going to help? So, I can come back in 500 miles when the upper fails?

The shop people were gone when I went to pick it up, so I couldn't ask them, and have to wait till tomorrow to call them. No one was there but the cashier.

So, at best I will have no car for another 2 days while they replace the UIM, which I am NOT paying labor for, they already had it off to replace the other stuff...

Now I'm back to finding rides to work again...

Demand your old LIM back or refuse to pay for the LIM they put on the car. LIM'* don't fail, and never should need replacement.

Unless this was under warranty.

Sadly, no, not under warranty... This is all out of pocket...

Worst part is, I went in and said do A, B, C...
Then they end up doing do A, B, D...

I'm going to call tomorrow and see what in the hell they are thinking, and why they didn't do what I told them to...

On the older L36 engines, built from 95 to 98, dealers would replace the LIM as a matter of routine when one came in with a UIM or LIM gasket failure. I spoke with a 17yr GM tech last week about this and he confirmed my suspicion that this was done because of "an improved stovepipe design" on the newer (99+ ) LIMs. The 95-98 had a 3/4" stovepipe that almost touched the plastic in the UIM. So, they were changing out a, what, $200 part, to get a smaller 5/8" stovepipe! For 99 and newer, the only reason to change out the LIM, is if it is so badly pitted on the sealing surfaces against the heads that it cannot be re-used. I'm with willwren. Ask to see the old LIM and ask why it was replaced. Now, who knows, maybe GM finally went along with Dorman and APN and Ken-Co and further reduced the size of their stovepipe from 5/8" to 1/2" and are back to replacing entire LIMs just to provide a part that is worth $20. It is most curious that GM has never sold stovepipes. The only way to get the little pipes from them is to buy the whole LIM - absurd!