Water Pump

[Rhymingmechanic]

Stock thermostat temp is 187 degrees.

I replaced the pump on a 5.3 with around 80,000 miles. I used an AC Delco from Rock Auto.

Internet research suggested that the pump to block gaskets are a common failure point on these. Mine was leaking from the weep hole, but the gaskets looked pretty crusty, too. "They say" the Fel-Pro gaskets are better than OEM. At any rate, the Fel-Pro has blue rubber compared to Chevy's orange.

 

[artificialist]

GMB water pumps are great. Also, getting Fel-pro gaskets would be an upgrade, since those trucks come with a plastic and rubber gasket that cracks and then leaks, just like the gaskets used in the 3.1, 3.4, and 3.8 V6 engines.

 

[RoGuE]

Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
Just to put my 2 cents in and give you something else to think about, I put a Duralast water pump on my truck well over a year ago and have not had any trouble at all from it. Can't say the same at all for the "new" Napa water pump I bought to begin with when I started the job. I had bought Napa because they are supposed to be better than others. In my case, I found out the hard way that it was not.

My Duralast water pump cost about $10.00 less than the GMB pump at AAP, and the Duralast pump is made right here at home in the USA too. That is important to me. IIRC, it cost me about $56.00. I did look at a GMB pump at AAP when I had all the troubles with the Napa pump, GMB looked like it was very well made. Autozone was also the only place I could find plain old normal green anti-freeze too. I have very little faith in the "compatible with any color or type" anti-freeze they sell nowadays.

Just my 2 cents.


Hey Jimmy, you were helping me extensively in my last thread about a year ago too. I was starting to lean paying a little more for one of the Gates made Napa pumps but now I'm pretty sure I'll just go with a GMB. From the way it sounds, all pumps are terrible and it's just luck if it lasts. lol

I will also get the better Fel Pro gasket. probably get some of that waterpump safe labeled RTV and put a little on to be safe...do you just outline it around the perimeter and around the holes?

I'll also rent the tool from Advance to remove the fan from the waterpump.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Sorry but I can't hep you much on the gasket. My water pump has no gasket, Dodge only used an RTV type sealant on it at the factory. I just used the brown colored water pump and thermostat specific sealant from Permatex. It is made for water pumps and sets up really fast. When I applied the sealant I just put it around the outer edge and perimeter of the pump and surrounded the mounting bolt holes with sealant too. My water pump R&R was not a very hard job, it was just very aggravating to have to do it twice and take a day off from work because of the very bad quality of the Napa water pump.

 

[caravanmike]

i just put a water pump on a 5.3L 6 months ago. i bought the oem pump from the dealer and it came with a new thermostat and housing since the thermostat goes into the water pump. i know the aftermarket ones don't come with a thermostat.

i am not biased one way or another since i have used plenty of aftermarket in my time. i am just simple pointing out that the oem may come with more parts, as mine did. mike

 

[RoGuE]

I called around to 3 dealers asking for their prices and every single one indicated the thermostat was separate.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

Originally Posted By: RoGuE
I'll just go with a GMB. From the way it sounds, all pumps are terrible and it's just luck if it lasts. lol

I'll also rent the tool from Advance to remove the fan from the waterpump.


You're probably right. It's a gamble that the NAPA or dealer part with a 1-year warranty will last. If it doesn't, you're better off replacing the lifetime warranty Advance pump a few times.

The gaskets for this pump have a rubber or silicone sealing bead on an aluminum frame, so they shouldn't need a sealant. At least, I installed mine dry and they haven't leaked in almost 3 years. The Haynes manual says torque them all to 132 inch-lbs first, and then finish with 22 foot-pounds. Thermostat housing torque is 132 inch-pounds. My pump came with gaskets, but I got a separate pair of Fel-Pros.

The thermostat and housing are sold as one piece for this engine. I would imagine the product description would say so if the stat is included with a pump. Otherwise, you're smart to replace it while things are apart.

I don't remember checking Advance, but Autozone gave me the wrong fan clutch tool. I finally rigged up a different wrong tool from NAPA to hold the pulley and loosened the big nut with a Crescent wrench. Maybe there's a post about it sometime after summer 2009. I can't quite remember the details now.

 

[RoGuE]

Okay, I'll be doing this tomorrow morning (I'll go with the GMB pump). I'll also be replacing the A/C belt since it is a wreck, and possibly the serpentine as well with some Dayco W belts.

Any last minute tips?

 

[Texan4Life]

Originally Posted By: RoGuE
Okay, I'll be doing this tomorrow morning (I'll go with the GMB pump). I'll also be replacing the A/C belt since it is a wreck, and possibly the serpentine as well with some Dayco W belts.

Any last minute tips?


good choices, and I think you will see the quality difference between the supplied gasket and fel-pro.

Personally I wouldn't use any sealant unless service literature says so.. but them again I'm OCD on getting my gasket surfaces nice and clean. so I havent had any problems.

take your time, double check your work and you will be good to go!

 

[mechtech2]

Originally Posted By: SubyRoo
Any time I do a water pump job I always use a thin layer of grey rtv on the pump stick the gasket to it allow it to cure for a few then put a thin layer on the side of the gasket that mates to the block and bolt it up. Never had a leak this way. Just dont go wild with the rtv.


Right. Who wants to do it twice?
Sure - it MAY not need sealant, but a minute now will save hours later.

 

[ATS-V]

I opted for the Fel-pro last time I did my water pump. The Fel-pro is plastic and can be easily removed if I ever have to do the job again. Properly cleaning the mating surfaces account for a good chunk of the install time. It's been 2.5 years and the gasket is dry which is more than I can say for the gasket that came with the last water pump.

 

[RoGuE]

I got the new pump installed on Monday. The GMB pump actually looks higher quality than the OE as far as the casting goes. It is smoother overall.

Took about 5 hours from pulling in the garage to pulling out. What I thought would be the hardest part was getting the fan off, but it was actually the easiest with the tool I rented.

Anyway, I recovered most of the coolant that drained out into a new catch pan, and then got the old pump off. It was definitely the gasket that was at fault, but no sense in just replacing the gasket with the pump off. Here are some photos:

You can see part of the old gasket. The orange parts of the right side gasket (the general leak area) just completely separated from the aluminum frame when I pulled the pump off.

I also opted not to use the Fel-Pro gasket since the gaskets the GMB pump came with were identical.

 

[stephen9666]

What was the country of origin on the GMB pump?

 

[RoGuE]

The box says China, not that it really matters since a lot are made in China, including some of the ACDelco units.

 

[Texan4Life]

thx for the pics.

glad your pump came with a good gasket.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: RoGuE
The box says China, not that it really matters since a lot are made in China, including some of the ACDelco units.


I try to avoid Chinese parts, but sometimes there are no other choices. I went with Chinese rotors during my last brake job because there were few other options.

 

[RoGuE]

I thought I would provide an update 4 years and 25,000 miles later:

The pulley has been squealing a bit for a few months and now I THINK it is leaking from the weep hole. Will be replacing it with a free warranty pump (seems they use Carquest water pumps now rather than GMB) tomorrow...

 

[willbur]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
I wouldn't use RTV with a metal and rubber gasket, IMHO. In fact I wouldn't use it with any gasket unless the manufacturer specifies its use, or you have slightly pitted surfaces you are trying to seal.


+1. IMO any RTV is weaker than a gasket, and putting RTV on a gasket lets the gasket squeeze out when torqueing down the bolts, defeating both the gasket and the RTV. Use one or the other, not both.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: RoGuE
-Advance Auto Parts has a water pump made by GMB. Is that a decent brand? OEM is crazy expensive that's out of the question.


Quote:
ACDELCO 251743 {GM# 19256261} OE Design; Stamped Steel Impeller GM Original Equipment; : Includes Gaskets $123.79


RockAuto

 

[RoGuE]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: RoGuE
-Advance Auto Parts has a water pump made by GMB. Is that a decent brand? OEM is crazy expensive that's out of the question.


Quote:
ACDELCO 251743 {GM# 19256261} OE Design; Stamped Steel Impeller GM Original Equipment; : Includes Gaskets $123.79


RockAuto


Haha, well four years ago the cheapest I think I could find was $160 or more.