water pump?

[Chris S]

I've been here for about 4 years, but this is my first post. I have a 2004 tahoe with the 5.3. I have a constant drip of coolant directly above the idler pulley, below the water pump. I have inspected as much as possible, and the best thing I can guess without a direct line of sight is that my water pump is leaking. I assume its just the gasket, but at 117,000 miles, if its coming out, a new one is going in. Can anyone give me advice on just how much work is involved? or even have instructions to give? I have a good mechanical background, but not a whole lot of time and money. Am I better off sending it out to get fixed? should I go with new belts at the same time? Any advice you can give me would be great. You guys have been a wealth of knowledge and ideas for me. I look forward to whatever advice comes my way.

 

[BlackBeauty02]

Hardest part is getting the fan off..make sure you get a tool to help you or you will be VERY frustrated. Its pretty straight forward if you have turned a wrench before. Its located directly in the front of the engine so clear your serpentine belt, the fan and shroud, and remove the air intake for room.

You should be fine. :happy160:

BTW...im getting ready to do mine tomorrow.

 

[jstew5004]

I had a coolant leak as well and I had a hard time finding where it was coming from. Coolant level never seemed low, never overheated, and finally after several attempts to determine where it was coming from, we found that it was seeping out of the weep hole. Went ahead and changed the pump and problem fixed. Turned out that the pump seal was bad.