Coolant Dissapearing ???

[Tahoewhat]

05 Tahoe w/ 5.3

When i got the tahoe, it had no coolant and obviously ran hot. Put coolant in, worked fine, never overheated. Cleaning engine month or so later, noticed coolant had all dissapeared, (thank god i looked). Well its been going on ever since i got it, I just keep putting coolant in it. Dont really drive it much, just to work.

But noticed lately that there is a puddle of coolant underneath it. Today i painted my valance, so i was under the truck removing it and noticed coolant dripping down from the oil pan. Followed it up for "wet" spots and looks like its coming from next to the a/c compressor, The block per say is all wet w/ coolant. Whats next to the compressor?

Looking on top, down at engine, i dont see any wet spots. From what everyone is telling me, these are known for Intake gasket leaks and water pump? Is this true? and how can you tell. Will there be a leak, like i see under the car. B/c from above looking down, i cant see anything wet, except next to the compressor on the engine block.

Im lost on this, and kind of have no help on it.

Help is greatly appreciated...

 

[bkboatnsleds]

Well its not the intake - These motors have a dry intake - Be glad you see the leak on the outside of the motor.. My motor was losing coolant but it was not showing up on the outside of the motor... ( This is when I did my 6.0 motor swap ...

I'd check the are around the water pump - or the weep holes - Chances are thats where is originating from. - but remember if the motor is hot it could 'steam' off to making it hard to find where its starting from

 

[bahollis]

I had a pump go out on my 94 Chevy. There's a weep hole that allows the coolant to drip to let you know it's compromised, and that it needs to be replaced. Could it be that?

bk, you beat me to it by 10 seconds!

bh

 

[Tahoewhat]

Well its not the intake - These motors have a dry intake - Be glad you see the leak on the outside of the motor.. My motor was losing coolant but it was not showing up on the outside of the motor... ( This is when I did my 6.0 motor swap ...

I'd check the are around the water pump - or the weep holes - Chances are thats where is originating from. - but remember if the motor is hot it could 'steam' off to making it hard to find where its starting from

Id like to do a 6.0 swap... HA ha... just not right now.

So i shouldnt worry about the intake gasket, Just from everyone i ask, thats the first thing they say. Intake gaskets bad..
Heres a dumb question, but i honestly dont know. Where exactly is the water pump on these engines? Picture maybe?
And i really didnt think about it steaming off, could be why i dont see anything. But today, i didnt even drive it, when i was looking underneath. But i guess thats why i was underneath still, in shade and cool spot.

I had a pump go out on my 94 Chevy. There's a weep hole that allows the coolant to drip to let you know it's compromised, and that it needs to be replaced. Could it be that?

bk, you beat me to it by 10 seconds!

bh

Oh, so they have a safety feature sort of, built in them. The weep holes for the coolant.

A friend of mine said that one day, he was under the hood and i turned off my engine and said he saw coolant squirt out of the water pump, but what he showed me, i saw nothing.

How much is a pump if thats what it is? and aftermarket or GM one? Some things i dont like getting aftermarket, but pump i dont know..

 

[bahollis]

here you go.

 

[Tahoewhat]

Thanks Bryan, I greatly appreciate those pictures. Thats exactly where the coolant leak is from, except underneath that point. I guess that may be the culprit. The water pump.

Did you just take those? If so, thanks so much man.. I owe you one... somehow...

 

[Rivieraracing]

Since you should have electric fans, you should have enough room to use a mirror and stick it down under the water pump shaft and see if the weeps underneath the water pump are soaked (which they probably are). It's actually a super easy replacement on these trucks, be sure to change out the thermostat while you are at it (it's in the water pump).

 

[bkboatnsleds]

Those pics are not his - so not sure if he has E-fans -

When i did my 6.0 Swap I found a BRAND NEW GM pump on ebay for $60.00 I figured when I put that motor in may as well freshen it up with all new stuff - Oil pump, etc..

If its leaking on the bottom side of that water pump photo - than yes. thats it. the weep hole is not really a safety thing as much as it is an "indicator" that its bad.

Yes - most people say - Intake gaskets are bad.. but these motors have a dry intake - in fact here is a photo of what it looks like w/o the intake on.. as you can see - there is no coolant. THe coolant is transferred over the block through a small tube on the back of the block.

In fact as you can see the knock sensors sit right in the middle of the intake. You can for sure rule that out of the equation .

Hope this helps.

 

[bahollis]

Yes, I went out and took those photos with my phone... and that's not an e-fan. I wish. It's a crappy photo and a hellacious glare off my K&N intake, and you're seeing the crank driven fan in the shroud. It's just a weird angle.

You're welcome by the way for the pics. Glad to help out here when I can.

BH

 

[Rivieraracing]

I mentioned that he had e-fans because in his sig it says he has on '05, which should have them!! Makes the whole process a ton easier than it would be if he had a belt driven fan!