Is this a bad Water Pump? - Pics

[rjohnson4405]

Attached are two pictures. The first is taken from the top of the engine, on the right side. The second is taken from the bottom of the engine also on the right side.

Is this the "weep" hole leak on the front of the water pump that indicates a bad water pump?

I've lost a gallon of coolant in the last week since I noticed the leak.

Should I still take it in to the dealer to have the system pressure tested?

Or can you definitively say that yes, this is a water pump issue?

Thanks,
Russ

 

[tonymac617]

The area you Circled appears to be under your Power Steering Reservoir. Looking at the diagrams for water pump removal on a 5.3, (im assuming thats what you have) it appears to be more in the center of the engine over the harmonic balancer. See if you can touch and smell the fluid to verify its anti-freeze. If your loosing a gallon of anti-freeze, then its leaking from somewhere, but just make sure and identify its the waterpump thats leaking before you put some money into it.

 

[clkelley]

IF you are losing water and can't pinpoint the source of the loss then yes, take it and have it pressure checked. Even if you only have them help diagnose the leak and fix the issue yourself, it pays to pay them for a pressure cehck because you could wind up replacing part after part after part and still not find the source.

 

[rjohnson4405]

Took it to the dealer, they said they couldn't find a leak in the coolant system.

Here's what they did find:
1. Power Steering Pump Shaft - $223
2. Front wheel bearings are out - $1000
3. Rear Axel Leaking - $514
4. A/C Belt cracked - $97
5. Transmission hoses leak - $354

I told them to hold on it as I'm considering trading it in.

2003 Tahoe with 170,000+ miles. Is it worthgetting this work done?

I can do wheel bearings, A/C belt, but I don't know about the rest. Just put in all new brakes/rotors and rebuilt the transmission four months ago, and it's paid off so I hate to buy a new car now.

 

[clkelley]

Um, I hate to sound like an idiot, but what were they calling the power steering pump shaft? You can get the pump itself for less and install a complete unit yourself pretty easy. IF you can do the bearings you can do the pump. As for the rear axle leaking, that is the same, it's just the axle seal and isn't all THAT hard to replace. The bearings you can get at Carquest for about $200 a piece, and axle seal would be about maybe $30 at most. The transmission lines are a kind of common issue, but are VERY simple to replace, they are the cooler lines that go from the tranny to the fluid cooler in front of the radiator.

How much are they charging? $200 an hour? lol

 

[rjohnson4405]

I've gotten the impression that they actually have more work than they even want.

He flat out said we way over charge for some stuff (like the wheel bearings), I'm thinking just to avoid doing the work.

 

[tonymac617]

I say keep it since you know the truck already and the work that has been done. Also not having a car payment is a good feeling im sure! So if you look at it this way, your paying several hundred bucks to make the repairs and put in a little elbow grease and your done, or trade it in and buy a newer vehicle that you dont know the history on and pay $300-$400 a month for the next 5 years. Choice is yours but its not a bad deal if you decide to keep and fix your vehicle. Just start with the more important repairs like the A/C Belt and the hubs.

Also if you say you are losing Coolant, you need to deal with that issue as well.

GM's V6 3800 and 3400 series motors had issues with their Intake Gaskets failing which allowed coolant to leak into the crankcase and eventually destroy the main bearings. Not sure if this was/is an issue with the V8 motors but something to look into if your leaking coolant and cant see or pinpoint where the leak is.

 

[rjohnson4405]

Thanks clkelley and tonymac for the help so far, it is much appreciated.

Tony, there is supposedly an issue with some Castec brand part in the engine, I forget what exactly, where it allows coolant in the engine. This is may part of the problem since they aren't seeing the leak once pressurized, but maybe it's there when the engine is running.

 

[clkelley]

I have to agree with Tony about the power steering pump and the intake gaskets. In the pics, what you are seeing is exactly what I have seen many many times with PS pumps. However, if pressure testing the cooling system didn't show any leaks, etc I would suspect the coolant overflow tank itself. I have seen a lot of them go bad. Go take a look at the bottom side of that and the inner fender under it and see if there is any white residue at all.