also: timing belt done? and when done, were the w/p, t/b idler and tensioner roller and the tensioner done. if they fail at 120 k even with new t/b and w/p your motor is all done.

buy the new rubber gasket for the oil filler cap (ipd makes a xtra good one that lasts much longer) and the new o ring for the oil dipstick. pull the plastic cover over s/p wires and de oil all the nooks and crannies.

colorado drive shaft looks good, i would talk with them about r & r ing it yourself, what to watch for and extra hardware parts needed or other jobs to do while shaft is out. or via a local cheaper mechanic. read the diy post, job didn't seem too bad, it is long and floppy and awkward so either ...

i have heard of people just leaving the driveshaft out and running fwd. i would make sure any exposed greased or oil areas were protected from dirt.

search google or this forum for post about r & r d/s and repack front and rear cv joints, slip joint splines and center bearing service. read post carefully, driveshaft may be balanced and need to be returned to original config to ensure no vibration.

at idle the idle air controller: iac (a stepper motor that moves to open a port allowing air to bypass the closed throttle plate) should control the idle, if the iac is lazy or internally clogged that could be the issue. there should be no vacuum leaks. i do recommend cleaning the throttle body and ...

entire distributor 18 months old? i would look inside the cap, scrape off the contacts and clean the carbon tracking. check at night to see if wire arcing. i have a problem for the forum: my 850 starts runs perfect when temps are warm, above 50/55, very hard to start in colder weather, takes about 2...

engine overheating: don't let it happen. see if thermostat is opening properly: top radiator hose should be good and hot: it won't quite burn you if you hold it, but you don't want to grip it very long. check make sure oil is clear, not milky from coolant in oil. if top hose cool and coolant is circ...

also if motor is turbo (or maybe if not) there may be a oil cooler that uses engine coolant between the oil filter and the block. this is generally an extension on or an extra assembly on the oil filter housing, it may have coolant hoses going to it or it may not and be sealed internally with o ring...

the pcv system glove inflation should have nothing to do with the coolant leak. all radiator, hose thermostat, pcv systems repairs are pretty straight forward. if radiator hose is stuck to a fitting they make a pronged 90 degree bend hose "freer".