Water Leak '05 Yukon XL

[Lord Snax]

Howdy All,

I have a '05 Yukon XL with the 5.3L and it has a coolant leak. It took me forever to find it, but eventually I did, and its leaking from behind the water pump.

I was wondering if anyone knows of any common failure points on the water pumps for the 5.3L engines? I am unsure as to whether the leak is from bad gaskets or a cracked water pump housing.

Any ideas before I pull out the water pump?

Thanks,
Lord Snax

 

[Larryjb]

The thermostat housing is a real pain. You have to make sure all mating surfaces are clean. Then you will need to use Permatex thermostat housing gasket maker. I had a water leak here ( check your leak in case it's leaking from the thermstat only). I tried with an OEM thermostat and gasket and it still leaked. The gasket maker worked, but you must follow the instructions exactly.

 

[Lord Snax]

Thanks for the reply.

I have never had the water pump off before, but I can't imagine it will be as a big of a pain as the 6.6L Zuzu (Duramax) water pumps. But is it common for the gaskets to fail on these water pumps?